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four poor children huddled in a wooden hut, slowly freezing to death. Their
parents had gone to a neighboring village for food, and had left a fire to warm
their little ones while they were absent. But a storm arose and drifted the
snow in their path, so they were long on the road. Meantime the fire went out
and the frost crept into the bones of the waiting children."
"
"
Poor things!" murmured the Queen softly. "What did you do?"
I called Nelko, bidding him fetch wood from my forests and breathe upon it
until the fire blazed again and warmed the little room where the children lay.
Then they ceased shivering and fell asleep until their parents came."
"
I am glad you did thus," said the good Queen, beaming upon the Master; and
Necile, who had eagerly listened to every word, echoed in a whisper: "I, too, am
glad!"
"
And this very night," continued Ak, "as I came to the edge of Burzee I heard a
feeble cry, which I judged came from a human infant. I looked about me and
found, close to the forest, a helpless babe, lying quite naked upon the grasses
and wailing piteously. Not far away, screened by the forest, crouched Shiegra,
the lioness, intent upon devouring the infant for her evening meal."
"
"
And what did you do, Ak?" asked the Queen, breathlessly.
Not much, being in a hurry to greet my nymphs. But I commanded Shiegra
to lie close to the babe, and to give it her milk to quiet its hunger. And I told
her to send word throughout the forest, to all beasts and reptiles, that the
child should not be harmed."
"
I am glad you did thus," said the good Queen again, in a tone of relief; but
this time Necile did not echo her words, for the nymph, filled with a strange
resolve, had suddenly stolen away from the group.
Swiftly her lithe form darted through the forest paths until she reached the
edge of mighty Burzee, when she paused to gaze curiously about her. Never
until now had she ventured so far, for the Law of the Forest had placed the
nymphs in its inmost depths.
Necile knew she was breaking the Law, but the thought did not give pause to
her dainty feet. She had decided to see with her own eyes this infant Ak had
told of, for she had never yet beheld a child of man. All the immortals are full-
grown; there are no children among them. Peering through the trees Necile
saw the child lying on the grass. But now it was sweetly sleeping, having been
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