When Mae said "Tomorrow" Winnie's sobs turned to wails. Tomorrow! It was like being told she would be kept away forever . She wanted to go home now, at once, rush back to safety of the fence and her mother's voice from the window. Mae reached out to her, but she twisted away, her hands over her face, and gave herself up to weeping.

"This is just awful!" said Jesse, "Can't you do something, Ma? The poor little tad."

"We ought to've had some better plan than this" said Miles.

"That's the truth" said Mae helplessly. "The dear Lord knows there's been time enough to think of one, and it had to happen sooner or later. We been plain bone lucky it hasn't before now. But I never expected it'd be a child!" She reached distractedly into the pocket of her skirt and took out the music box, and without thinking, twisted the winding key with trembling fingers.

When the tinkling little melody began, Winnie's sobbing slowed. She stood by the stream, her hands still over her face, and listened. Yes, it was the same music she had heard the night before. Somehow it calmed her. It was like a ribbon tying her to familiar things. She thought "When I get home, I'll tell Granny it wasn't elf music after all." She wiped her face as well as she could with her wet hands and turned to Mae. "That's the music I heard last night" she managed between recovering snuffles. "When I was out in my year. My granny siad it was elves"

"Dear me, no" said Mae, peering at her hopefully. "It's only my music box. I didn't suppose anyone could hear it." She held it out to Winnie,"Do you want to take a look at it?"