For it had indeed snowed in the night; the whole glittering Garden was as white as the Snoodle.  The pool was unfrozen, and in her accustomed place within it sat the Echo of the Plynck, looking wonderfully happy and refreshed; the bark of the Gugollaph-tree was again a healthy, dazzling blue, and the branches were piled with little ridges of fluffy-looking snow, which produced a delightful effect.  And among them, with her happy golden feet in the snow, and her rosy plumes fluffed out, sat the Plynck, looking as softly dazzling as a snowy sunrise.  An army of Gunki were busily mowing the deep snow with scintillating long-handled ice-sickles.  It flew up in clouds as they mowed, and another army of Gunki was engaged in catching it in baskets and spreading it smoothly down again.  One and all, they seemed deeply absorbed in this useful work.

Still a third crew of Gunki were engaged in helping Schlorge reset the stump.  They had got it nearly into place by the time Sara arrived.  It was a tremendous engineering feat, and had evidently required any number of ropes and pulleys and things.

Sara could see that the ropes were made of taffy, but she could not imagine where they had found enough pulley-bones to supply all the pulleys.  So she asked Schlorge about it, and he explained with great relish that they had used the wish-bones of the Fractions themselves.

“Oh, we’ve made ’em useful!” said Schlorge, triumphantly.  “We’ve used everything about ’em except their conceit.  We didn’t want that, so we just raked it up into piles and burned it.”

As he talked, Schlorge was busy fitting the stump exactly to the root that was left in the ground, so that it would grow back just right when the snow melted.

“I have to hurry,” explained Schlorge, working away with an anxious expression, “because I have an announcement to make to you—­a message from Avrillia.”

“Oh, do hurry!” cried Sara, clapping her hands so recklessly that Schlorge looked up from his work to say, “Take care—­I don’t mend them knuckles ones, you know.”

So Sara sat down very quietly on the snow near by, keeping a watchful eye out for the Gunki with the keen ice-sickles, and sitting very still so that she would not disturb Schlorge.  And in a very little while, indeed, the work was finished, and Schlorge scrambled eagerly upon the stump and arranged his hands.  Then he began: 

“I’m requested to say
On this glickering day
That Avrillia is feeding the Birds;
And if Sara will come
She will find her at home,
With waffles and welcoming words.”

Schlorge jumped down and began scrambling his tools together; then he went rushing wildly, as usual, down the road to the Dimplesmithy.  “Go see her, Sara!” he shouted back over his shoulder encouragingly.  “You’ll enjoy it!  Go on!”

So Sara, who really needed no urging, went smiling down the little path (it was curly again, though very white) toward the little arch in the hedge.  And from there she looked out upon another exhilarating scene.