One day he found a poor green bird lying on the ground with its leg
broken. Fortunately Tinkle-Tinkle had his grandmother's black silk
reticule with him which had never been of any service to him
before. He gently placed the green bird in the bottom and carried
it to the cave.
The dormice laid the poor sufferer on a soft bed and put the broken
leg up carefully in plaster of Paris; and they nursed the green
bird with the greatest attention so that it was soon well enough to
hop about on crutches; and it sang so beautifully that all the
inhabitants round gave it money, and its fame spread abroad; but it
was so tenderly attached to the Tinkle-Tinkle and the dormice that
it would not leave them.
Now it happened on a certain evening that the Tinkle-Tinkle was
travelling over the sea, when suddenly in the depths he caught
sight of a most beautiful Creature. It was all sorts of colours--
white, rosy pink, and deep crimson, and pale blue fading into white
and gold. It had no face but a bright light; and it had quantities
of beautiful iridescent wings, like the rainbow; and the most
lovely voice you ever heard, like the sighing of the waves in the
hollow of the sea.
The Tinkle-Tinkle was so astonished and entranced that he stopped,
and the beautiful Creature cried out to him, and its voice made
Tinkle-Tinkle remember a dream he had once had of sunshine, and
forest trees, and the song of birds; and the Creature said, "Ah,
Tinkle-Tinkle! you are lonely and perplexed and sad, and you do not
know whence you came nor why you are here; but the dormice know and
the green bird knows, and I know, and we are glad for your being.
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