And she was soon
rewarded; for in a few minutes everybody was clapping hands and waving
handkerchiefs and crying, "She's dry! She's dry! Three cheers for
Sara!"
Sure enough, the little Teacup was dry enough to flutter back to her
perch, on which she sat throwing kisses to Sara. And then Pirlaps came
forward, and taking Sara by the hand, said, "Come, Sara."
He then began leading her in a sort of triumphal march around the pool,
while the rest fell in behind them and formed a procession. As there
were so many of the Gunki and Avrillia's children it was quite a long
procession, so that the only way they could tell the head from the
tail of it was by remembering that Sara was the head and that the
Snimmy's wife was the tail. The Echo, who could not leave the pool to
march, spread out the lyre-shaped feathers on the top of her head and
played the most beautiful rippling chords for them to march by.
And suddenly, when they had gone three times around the fountain,
Pirlaps said, "Take the seat of honor, Sara, and receive our gifts."
And there, in front of the Gugollaph-tree, was an enormous frosted
cake, as big around as a wagon-wheel. Sara was sure it had not been
there when the march began. She would have rubbed her eyes, had she
not felt that such a conventional proceeding would be wholly
inadequate.
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