Page:The Children Who Followed the Piper.djvu/153

WHO FOLLOWED THE PIPER Valentine stooped over her; he lifted her hands, and in the palm of one of her hands he saw a nail sticking. He drew it out; it was a nail from the finger of the hag's son. As Valentine drew it out of the palm of her hand a flush came into her face and a breath went through her body. He lifted her up and her eyes opened. He kissed her on the mouth and all the gladness of life came back to her. "Golden Hood, Golden Hood," he said, "will you come with me?"

Softly she said: "Once you were going to speak to me, and I thought your words would be like something that one would hear when one is playing, or dancing, or singing. But now I think that your words will be like birds that I will clasp to me. I will go with you, Valentine."

So they opened the door from the inside and they went out. With hand clasped in hand they went and they came to where Valentine had left John Ball. The hag's house was no longer there; pebble and stone, it was all gone. The tree still stood, but instead of the raven there were now