The Wizard and the Sylph - Page 48/573

"Neither could Anest when his father brought him to me," replied Belloc. "Learn your letters, young lady. There is much sylph-magic in you yet. You may yet find new uses for an old lore. And, Anest . . ."

"Yes?"

"When the two of you have finished studying, take Lily down to the meadow. Begin teaching her to use a bow."

Learning her letters was not so difficult nor as boring as she thought it would be. The various runes and other characters she found she could soon copy, and where Anest's script was strong and precise, hers was soon graceful and flowing. And where Anest's main area of interest was history, Lily was delighted by old books of elvish poetry and prose, many of which were beautifully illustrated. Some of these were books obviously intended for children, and contained flowers pressed between some of the pages. Mystified by this discovery, she had shown one of these old volumes to Belloc. There was something very tender and sad about the way the old wizard had taken the book from her and turned its pages. All he would say to her about the little volume was, "That was such a happy time . . . I'd long forgotten it. It gives my heart much pleasure to think that someone would open these old pages and enjoy this story one more time."