tired and I want to sit down.
Eh! said Dickon, tha mustn t begin by sayin tha rt tired. Tha
might spoil th Magic.
Colin turned and looked at him into his innocent round eyes.
That s true, he said slowly. I must only think of the Magic.
It all seemed most majestic and mysterious when they sat down in their
circle. Ben Weatherstaff felt as if he had somehow been led into
appearing at a prayer-meeting. Ordinarily he was very fixed in being
what he called agen prayer-meetin s but this being the Rajah s
affair he did not resent it and was indeed inclined to be gratified at
being called upon to assist. Mistress Mary felt solemnly enraptured.
Dickon held his rabbit in his arm, and perhaps he made some charmer s
signal no one heard, for when he sat down, cross-legged like the rest,
the crow, the fox, the squirrels and the lamb slowly drew near and made
part of the circle, settling each into a place of rest as if of their
own desire.
The creatures have come, said Colin gravely. They want to help
us.
Colin really looked quite beautiful, Mary thought. He held his head
high as if he felt like a sort of priest and his strange eyes had a
wonderful look in them. The light shone on him through the tree canopy.
Now we will begin, he said. Shall we sway backward and forward,
Mary, as if we were dervishes?
I canna do no swayin back ard and for ard, said Ben Weatherstaff.
I ve got th rheumatics.
The Magic will take them away, said Colin in a High Priest tone, but
we won t sway until it has done it. We will only chant.
I canna do no chantin said Ben Weatherstaff a trifle testily. They
turned me out o th church choir th only time I ever tried it.
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