THE FLOWER MARKET 



95 



it would go as many ways as there are flowers 

 in it." 



A whirring noise followed the voice ; a sound 

 such as the wheels of an alarm clock make before 

 it strikes. Then there was a flutter, a gleam of 

 emerald and gold, and Tommy-Anne saw that 

 Ruby-throat himself was breakfasting 

 on her roses, without even waiting 

 for an invitation. 



" I heard that you wished 

 to visit the Flower Market 

 with me," he said, dipping 

 his needle-like tongue into 

 the heart of each rose, while 

 he never for a second stopped 

 the hum-m-m-m, that his wings 

 made ; " and I thought it would 

 be polite, as you are a female, for me to call." 



"Yes, thank you, I do wish to go there very 

 much, for there are so many whys that I want to 

 ask you. But, please who told you about me?" 



" Hum-m-m-m um, who ? The message came to 

 me quite direct ; if I remember rightly, the little 

 Oak up back on the hill, with whom you were 

 talking one day, told an Ant who lived near, the 

 Ant told a yellow Spider who spreads his nets 

 every night on Miou's lilac bush in the garden, 



