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How about the Fellowship of the Noble Tree?”
    “Perfect,” breathed Georgie.
    “And how about being knights? We could all be Knights of the Fellowship of the Noble Tree.”
    “Super,” said Georgie.
    Reverently the two knights looked up at the tree that was to be in their keeping from now on. Modestly the tree stood quietly, as if growing ten feet in the night had been nothing special, as if the thousands of new insect trails in the leaves were nothing to brag about.
    But the time had come for action. Frieda whipped out her phone to call Hugo and Oliver, Sidney andRachel, Otis and Cissie.
    “Hugo,” barked Frieda, “we need a Director of Communications for the Fellowship. Right away, Hugo.”
    “I’m sorry. This is Hugo’s father. May I ask who is speaking?”
    At once Frieda became the sweet little girl that she was not. (Anything but.) “It’s Frieda Caldwell,” cooed Frieda. “I’m in Hugo’s class at school.”
    “Oh, I see. Well, Hugo’s still asleep, but I’ll get him up.”
    “Oh, thank you, Mr. Von Bismarck. Tell him it’s
immensely
important.”
    “Immensely important. Right you are.”
    There was a long pause. Frieda frowned and looked at Georgie. Georgie giggled. At last there was a grumbling “Hello?” and Frieda took command.
    “Listen here, Hugo, it’s brand-new. It’s a fellowship. We’re all going to be knights. I’ll explain at Georgie’s. Come right over.”
    “Now? You mean like now? Hey Frieda, I’m kind of, like, you know, busy.”
    “Drop everything, Hugo. This is really importantstuff.”
    “But—”
    “I said
now
, Hugo.”
    Over the heads of Frieda and Georgie the noble tree stretched itself taller and popped out a dozen twiggy branches all at once. One stroked the glass of the window where Eddy lay zonked out in bed, while across the way another brushed the screen of the second-floor window where the maid-of-all-work stood behind a curtain looking down.
    And from a window on the floor below, another pair of eyes stared at the founding members of the Fellowship of the Noble Tree. Mortimer Moon was making a plan. Turning it over in his mind, he went looking for his wife.

19
THE NOBLE KNIGHTS
    W HEN F RIEDA TOLD them to come, they came, and she rounded them up in the shade of the tree—Hugo and Rachel, Sidney and Cissie, Otis and Oliver. “Look, you guys,” said Frieda, “do you see this tree?”
    They saw the tree. They all said, “Wow,” and Oliver said, “Like, it’s new, right? It wasn’t here before, right?”
    Georgie said, “Right,” but she too was astonished, because the tree had changed. Only a few weeks ago it had burst out of the ground as a little green twig, but now it seemed hundreds of yearsold. The leafy top was level with the chimney and the roots were like enfolding arms or caves or mossy thrones, sending twisted fingers snaking over the grass.
    “Good,” said Frieda. “Now hear this,” and she nudged Georgie.
    “Hear what?” said Georgie. Her mind went blank.
    “The man next door,” hissed Frieda. “You know, the guy with the saw.”
    “Oh, right.” Georgie was not used to public speaking. She began in a whisper, but soon the words began pouring out, because the tree was so much in danger. “Mr. Moon owns half of it, you see, and he wants to cut it down.”
    Then Frieda, who was an old hand at public speaking, took over and explained about the Fellowship of the Noble Tree. “So listen, you guys, we’re all going to be, like, knights. You know, Knights of the Fellowship.”
    For a moment they were too much in awe to say anything. The only sound was the warbling of a bird high in the noble tree. But when Eddy strolled out of the house with a bagel in his hand and said,“Okay, Frieda, what’s up?” they all began talking at once.
    “Badges,” said Rachel. “I’ll make badges. You know, with trees on them.” She coughed importantly. “Heraldic devices, that’s what they’re called.”
    “How about a tree