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before.
    “For example, muffling a belch. I can do it even better than that when pressed.” She held up a hand and waved her sausagelike fingers for silence. “Listen!” Once more she raised the hanky to her mouth. The princesses saw a tremor pass through the sea-blue bodice of the dress, but they heard nothing.
    “Totally fab!” Kristen said.
    “We shall have burping contests! We’ll see who does the best. Oh, miladies, we’re going to have such fun! Now, it is suddenly spring, I see. So how about we all go out and play a bit of lawn tennis?”
    “You play lawn tennis?” Alicia asked.
    “Of course!” Lady Merry exclaimed. “I play it sitting down. I have discovered that almost everything one does standing up can be done sitting down. Ring for my servants, please, and then we’ll be off.”
    Before the servants had arrived, the soft green of the new spring leaves had begun to darken. “Hold it!” Lady Merry raised her hand for silence and stared out the window. “My goodness, miladies, regard the leaves of spring.” She paused. “As they darken to the deep green of summer and…and…” Lady Merry squealed with delight. “The first orange leaf of autumn is here. We all know what that means—we must go to the Forest of Chimes.”
    “What?” Kristen said. “A two-minute summer? Total weirdness.”
    The girls were having trouble following Lady Merry and keeping up with the ever-changing seasons.
    “Quickly now, we must get out bird-catching nets. This is the songbirds’ hour,” Lady Merry said.
    “Or minute?” Alicia asked.
    “Would it not be more practical to vait?” said Gundersnap.
    “No, my dear, nothing is practical here. Not at Camp Princess! Oh, practical! What an odd little word!” Lady Merry seemed quite amused. “And furthermore, when autumn happens like this, it always stays for at least a day.”
    Let’s hope so, Alicia thought. She feared it might take her a day to capture a songbird. She was getting even more nervous about the songbird contest.

Chapter 8
    THE FOREST OF CHIMES

    The Forest of Chimes was indeed a most enchanting place. It was a place of music. The songs of the birds mingled with the chimes of the trees, which had bells on them instead of leaves.
    Alicia had been following a little golden bird through the forest, but just as she swooped the net down, the bird escaped. She paused now to catch her breath and listen. It was a most musical forest. Even the stream that ran through the forest did not simply gurgle, but poured forth a song of liquid silvery notes like those plucked from the strings of a harp.
    In the distance she could hear cries of delight as other princesses caught their birds. But just as Alicia had feared, she was having no luck at all. She peeked into a rotted-out tree stump filled with moss. It was said that sometimes birds hid in mossy places. But Alicia saw nothing inside except a few spiders.
    Not far away, Alicia spotted a lovely tree with low-hanging branches. She could almost touch the bells as she stood beneath them. She looked up and searched for birds that might be hiding among the bells. But all she saw were the crystal clappers that made the beautiful sounds.
    “Alicia! Time to come in, dear,” Lady Merry called. “Don’t worry if you don’t catch your songbird today. There is always tomorrow.”
    But tomorrow won’t be the same, Alicia thought sadly as she walked back toward the edge of the forest. It might be winter again, or maybe even a hot summer day when the birds were said to be too tired to sing. And even now the light was growing dim. It would be harder to find a bird as the sun sank toward the horizon and twilight set in.
    Alicia turned her head quickly as she heard the tiniest tinkling chimes of a bell bush. She saw a flash of gold. A bird had settled in the thickest part of the bush.
    Alicia tiptoed toward the sound. Never mind the net, she thought. Her hand darted out and she caught the songbird in her hands. The