‘Golden apples!’ said he in triumph. ‘Pure as a sunny afternoon, I assure you, and quite fresh!’
‘And the others!’ said Hattie in excitement. ‘Were there silver pears, Theo?’
‘Exactly like that one,’ said Theodosius, pointing again at the trinket. ‘More so, in fact, than the ones Tobias briefly had, for they were a little mottled with some other hue, and not perfect silver at all. These look like woven moonlight.’
‘And you did not bring them to show me! I call that very shabby.’
‘I think they are preserved by the box, Hat, and I did not like to remove them. How awful if I were to do so and they promptly rotted away.’
Hattie could not but concede the justice of this concern. ‘What of the melaeon, and all the rest? The recipe you have found, clever Theo, but what about starlight distill
