THE FLAX(9)

　　"Now I am mounting straight up to the sun," said a voice in the flames; and it was as if a thousand voices echoed the words; and the flames darted up through the chimney, and went out at the top. Then a number of tiny beings, as many in number as the flowers on the flax had been, and invisible to mortal eyes, floated above them. They were even lighter and

　　more delicate than the flowers from which they were born; and as the flames were extinguished, and nothing remained of the paper but black ashes, these little beings danced upon it; and whenever they touched it,bright red sparks appeared.

　　"The children are all out of school, and the schoolmaster was the last of all," said the children. It was good fun, and they sang over the dead ashes,-"Snip, snap, snurre,Basse lure:The song is ended."

　　But the little invisible beings said, "The song is never ended; the most beautiful is yet to come."

　　But the children could neither hear nor understand this,nor should they; for children must not know everything.