{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_56914/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_56914","id":"gutenberg_56914","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56914","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales"],"text":"Produced by MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was\nproduced from images generously made available by The\nInternet Archive).--Dedicated to Emmy Miller\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBooks by Frances Jenkins Olcott\n\nPUBLISHED BY\n\nHOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY\n\n\n    THE BOOK OF ELVES AND FAIRIES. Illustrated in color by Milo Winter.\n\n    TALES OF THE PERSIAN GENII. Illustrated in color by Willy Pogany.\n\n    THE RED INDIAN FAIRY BOOK. Illustrated in color by Frederick\n      Richardson.\n\n    BIBLE STORIES TO READ AND TELL. Illustrated in color by Willy\n      Pogany.\n\n    GOOD STORIES FOR GREAT HOLIDAYS. Illustrated.\n\n    STORY-TELLING POEMS.\n\n    THE CHILDREN\u2019S READING.\n\n\n  _With Amena Pendleton_\n\n    THE JOLLY BOOK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.\n\n\n\n\n  THE BOOK OF ELVES\n  AND FAIRIES\n\n\n[Illustration: \u201cTHIS IS MAB, THE MISTRESS FAIRY\u201d (_page_ 209)]\n\n\n\n\n  THE BOOK OF\n  ELVES AND FAIRIES\n\n  _FOR STORY-TELLING AND READING ALOUD\n  AND FOR THE CHILDREN\u2019S OWN READING_\n\n\n  BY\n\n  FRANCES JENKINS OLCOTT\n\n  WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY MILO WINTER\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  BOSTON AND NEW YORK\n  HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY\n  The Riverside Press Cambridge\n  1918\n\n\n\n\n  COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY FRANCES JENKINS OLCOTT\n\n  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED\n\n\n  _Published October 1918_\n\n\n\n\nTO\nTHEODORE OLCOTT PHILLIPS\n\n\n  \u201c_Good luck befriend thee, son; for, at thy birth,\n  The FAIRY LADIES danced upon the hearth;\n  The drowsy nurse hath sworn she did them spy\n  Come tripping to the room, where thou didst lie,\n  And sweetly singing round about thy bed\n  Strew all their blessings on thy sleeping head!_\u201d\n\n                                              MILTON\n\n\n\n\nFOREWORD\n\n\nLet a child open the covers of this book, and straightway he is in\nthat land of all delights--Fairy Realm. Here Fairy Godmothers reward\ngood children, and punish bad ones; here red-capped Little Men yield\nup their treasures of gold and magic gifts, while Pixies drop silver\npennies in water-pails, and merry Spriggans and Fays hold nightly\nrevels in the moonlight. Here, too, a child may dance in Fairy\nRings, or hie away to Elfinland for a year and a day to play with\nwonder-children, pick Fairy flowers, listen to Fairy birds, and be fed\non magic goodies.\n\nOld favourites like \u201cCinderella,\u201d \u201cToads and Diamonds,\u201d and \u201cRobin\nGoodfellow,\u201d may charm the little reader, or other delightful tales,\nnew to most children, such as \u201cButterfly\u2019s Diamond\u201d and \u201cTimothy Tuttle\nand the Little Imps,\u201d will fascinate as much as do the older tales.\nStories are here from all lands where Fairies thrive--Elfin-lore,\nlegends, myths, and wonder-tales from China, Japan, the South Seas,\nEngland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, and Red Indian land, and from many\nother Elfin-haunted spots.\n\nAnd every story is about \u201cFairies black, grey, green, and white,\u201d\nand every one has been selected for delightful humour, fancy, or\nethical teaching. Nearly all have been retold to meet the needs of\nstory-tellers and to please the children. As far as possible the\nlanguage of the originals has been retained and elements that will\nterrify little children or teach them that wrong is right, have been\neliminated. The French tales--all but one--have been freshly translated.\n\nA subject index is appended to aid the storyteller in choosing stories\ndealing with specific subjects, such as fruits, flowers, seasons,\nholidays, trees, also with moral qualities like obedience, thrift,\nhonesty, and truth-telling.\n\nTo impart true Fairy spirit as well as literary flavour, many famous\nFairy poems by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Michael Drayton, and other\npoets are included; so that the volume forms a collection of the best\nFairy literature, not merely planned to give the children joy, but to\nbe of real educational value.\n\n\u201cBut of what possible educational value are Fairy tales?\u201d asks the\npractical parent or teacher.\n\nThey are essential in the right development of a child\u2019s mind.\nThey embody the poetic fancy of the race. They stimulate a child\u2019s\nimagination, feed his fancy, and satisfy poetically his groping after\nthings unseen. His craving for such tales is due to a normal growth of\nmind. If he be deprived of Fairy tales in childhood, he is likely, as\nan adult, to lack the creative imagination which makes big-visioned\nmen and women, and leads to success in literature, art, invention,\nor in the practical things of business life. There are, of course,\nchildren who do not like Fairy tales, but they are few and far between,\nand other forms of literature may be found which will, in part, help\nto develop their peculiar type of mentality. But Fairy tales are the\nheritage of the normal child, and if he be judiciously fed on them, in\nlater life he will have a more plastic imagination and be able to enjoy\nmore fully the beauties of great poetry and other fine literature.\n\nRobert Burns said in a letter to Dr. Moore that in his infant and\nboyish days he owed much to an old woman who lived in his family; for\nher tales of Brownies, and Fairies, and other wonders \u201ccultivated the\nlatent seeds of poetry\u201d in the poet\u2019s mind. And even the grave Luther\nsaid, \u201cI would not for any quantity of gold part with the wonderful\ntales which I have retained from my earliest childhood, or have met\nwith in my progress through life.\u201d\n\nCharles Lamb, and Coleridge too, believed heartily in Fairy tales.\n\u201cOught children to be permitted to read romances, and stories of\nGiants, Magicians, and Genii?\u201d asked Coleridge. \u201cI know all that has\nbeen said against it; but I have formed my faith in the affirmative.\nI know no other way of giving the mind a love of the Great and the\nWhole.... I read every book that came in my way without distinction,\nand my father was fond of me and used to take me on his knee, and hold\nlong conversations with me. I remember when eight years old walking\nwith him one winter evening, ... and he then told me the names of the\nstars, and how Jupiter was a thousand times larger than our world,\nand that the other twinkling stars were suns that had worlds rolling\nround them; and when I came home he showed me how they rolled round.\nI heard him with a profound delight and admiration, but without the\nleast mixture of wonder or incredulity. For from my early reading of\nFairy tales and about Genii, and the like, my mind had been habituated\nto _the Vast_; and I never regarded _my senses_ in any way as the\n_criteria_ of my belief.\u201d\n\nSuch, then, is the educational mission of the Fairy tale, not only\nto give pure joy, but to enlarge the mind. And as childhood is the\nonly time when this miracle takes place in its completeness, every\nchild who so desires should be allowed to wander at will in the land\nof imaginative delights, where the King of Fairy Poets, Shakespeare,\nloved to wander as a child and as a man. In \u201cThe Plea of the Midsummer\nFairies\u201d that benign shape answers grisly Time who would cut down \u201call\nthe assembled Fays\u201d:--\n\n  \u201c_These be the pretty Genii of the flow\u2019rs,\n  Daintily fed with honey and pure dew--\n  Midsummer\u2019s phantoms in her dreaming hours,\n  King Oberon, and all his merry crew,\n  The darling puppets of romance\u2019s view;\n  Fairies, and Sprites, and Goblin Elves we call them,\n  Famous for patronage of lovers true;--\n  No harm they act, neither shall harm befall them,\n  So do not thus with crabbed frowns appall them._\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  \u201c_Likewise to them are Poets much beholden\n  For secret favours in the midnight glooms;\n  Brave Spenser quaff\u2019d out of their goblets golden,\n  And saw their tables spread of prompt mushrooms,\n  And heard their horns of honeysuckle blooms\n  Sounding upon the air, most soothing soft,\n  Like humming bees busy about the brooms,--\n  And glanced this fair Queen\u2019s witchery full oft,\n  And in her magic wain soared far aloft._\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  \u201c_\u2019Twas they first school\u2019d my young imagination\n  To take its flights like any new-fledged bird,\n  And show\u2019d the span of wing\u00e8d meditation\n  Stretched wider than things grossly seen or heard.\n  With sweet swift Ariel how I soar\u2019d and stirred\n  The fragrant blooms of spiritual bow\u2019rs!\n  \u2019Twas they endear\u2019d what I have still preferr\u2019d,\n  Nature\u2019s blest attributes and balmy pow\u2019rs,\n  Her hills and vales and brooks, sweet birds and flow\u2019rs!_\u201d\n\n\n\n\nACKNOWLEDGMENTS\n\n\nSpecial acknowledgment is here made to the _Saturday Magazine_ of\nthe _New York Evening Post_ for use of many stories included in this\nvolume, which I have written for its columns.\n\nGrateful acknowledgment is due also to the following publishers for\nmaterial from their books:--\n\nTo Messrs. Houghton Mifflin Company, for \u201cThe Sick-Bed Elves,\u201d from\n_Strange Stories from the Lodge of Leisures_, by George Souli\u00e9; \u201cThe\nBrown Dwarf of R\u00fcgen,\u201d by John Greenleaf Whittier; \u201cThe Immortal\nFountain,\u201d and \u201cA Little Knight and Little Maid,\u201d by Lucy Larcom.\n\nTo Messrs. E. P. Dutton & Co., for \u201cLittle Niebla,\u201d from _The Purple\nLand_, by W. H. Hudson.\n\nThanks are due to Mrs. Anna Todd Paddock for \u201cTimothy Tuttle and the\nLittle Imps,\u201d and to Miss Julia Fish for the French stories specially\ntranslated for this volume.\n\n                                                                  F.J.O.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n  THE FAIRIES\u2019 STORY HOUR\n\n    \u201c\u2019TIS THE HOUR OF FAIRY BAN AND SPELL,\u201d\n      _Joseph Rodman Drake_                                            2\n\n    COME! COME! TO THE FAIRIES\u2019 STORY HOUR!                            3\n\n\n  PART ONE\n\n  FAIRY-LORE AND ELFIN LEGENDS\n\n  AROUND! AROUND! IN FAIRY RINGS!\n\n    \u201cIN THE GLOWING LIGHT OF A SUMMER SKY,\u201d _William Jones_            8\n\n    ADVENTURES OF ROBIN GOODFELLOW, _Old English_                      9\n\n    THE POTATO SUPPER, _Irish_                                        15\n\n    THE MILK-WHITE CALF AND THE FAIRY RING, _Irish_                   20\n\n    THE WOOD-LADY, _Bohemian_                                         26\n\n    THE DANCE OF THE FAIRIES, _From The Maydes Metamorphosis_ (1600)  32\n\n\n  ELFIN MOUNDS AND FAIRY HILLS\n\n    \u201c\u2019TIS THE MIDNIGHT HOUR\u201d                                          34\n\n    MONDAY! TUESDAY! _Irish_                                          35\n\n    THE GREEDY OLD MAN, _Cornish_                                     39\n\n    LEGEND OF BOTTLE HILL, _Irish_                                    44\n\n    THE BROWN DWARF, _John Greenleaf Whittier_                        53\n\n\n  LITTLE MEN AND TREASURES OF GOLD\n\n    \u201cAND WILL YOU COME AWAY, MY LAD?\u201d                                 62\n\n    THE BOY WHO FOUND THE POTS OF GOLD, _Irish_                       63\n\n    THE RAGWEED, _Irish_                                              66\n\n    THE BAD BOY AND THE LEPRECHAUN, _Irish_                           70\n\n    TOM AND THE KNOCKERS, _Cornish_                                   73\n\n    THE KNOCKERS\u2019 DIAMONDS, _Cornish_                                 77\n\n    SKILLYWIDDEN, _Cornish_                                           79\n\n    THE LEPRECHAUN, OR FAIRY SHOEMAKER, _William Allingham_           84\n\n\n  GLAD LITTLE, SAD LITTLE, BAD LITTLE ELVES\n\n    \u201cSAINT FRANCIS AND SAINT BENEDICT,\u201d _William Cartwright_ (1635?)  90\n\n    LITTLE REDCAP, _Irish_                                            91\n\n    THE CURMUDGEON\u2019S SKIN, _Irish_                                    97\n\n    JUDY AND THE FAIRY CAT, _Irish_                                  103\n\n    THE BOGGART, _English_                                           105\n\n    OWNSELF, _English_                                               107\n\n    THE SICK-BED ELVES, _Chinese_                                    109\n\n    HOW PEEPING KATE WAS PISKEY-LED, _Cornish_                       111\n\n    ONE-EYED PRYING JOAN\u2019S TALE, _Cornish_                           121\n\n    THE FAIRY FOLK, _William Allingham_                              128\n\n\n  FAIRY SERVANTS IN THE HOUSE\n\n    \u201cTHEIR DWELLINGS BE,\u201d _From the Hierarchie of the Blessed\n      Angells_ (1635)                                                132\n\n    THE FAIRY\u2019S SERVANTS, _Basque_                                   133\n\n    THE PIXIES, _English_                                            138\n\n    THE BROWNIE OF BLEDNOCH, _Scottish_                              142\n\n    ELSA AND THE TEN ELVES, _Swedish_                                145\n\n    PISKEY FINE! AND PISKEY GAY! _Cornish_                           149\n\n    THE FAIRY WEDDING, _Swedish_                                     151\n\n    THE TOMTS, _Swedish_                                             155\n\n    SONG OF THE ELFIN MILLER, _Allan Cunningham_                     157\n\n\n  FAYS OF WATER, WOOD, AND MEADOW\n\n    \u201cOVER HILL, OVER DALE,\u201d _Shakespeare_                            160\n\n    KINTARO THE GOLDEN BOY, _Japanese_                               161\n\n    THE FLOWER FAIRIES, _Chinese_                                    166\n\n    THE FAIRY ISLAND, _Cornish_                                      169\n\n    THE FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER, _Cornish_                                171\n\n    THE GILLIE DHU, _Scottish_                                       174\n\n    HOW KAHUKURA LEARNED TO MAKE NETS, _New Zealand_                 176\n\n    ECHO, THE CAVE FAIRY, _From the Island of Mangaia_               179\n\n    THE ISLES OF THE SEA FAIRIES, _Mary Howitt_                      182\n\n\n  AWAY! AWAY! TO FAIRYLAND\n\n    \u201cBUT WE THAT LIVE IN FAIRYLAND,\u201d _Old Ballad_                    188\n\n    THE MAGIC FERNS, _Cornish_                                       189\n\n    THE SMITH AND THE FAIRIES, _Scottish_                            194\n\n    THE COAL-BLACK STEED, _English_                                  198\n\n    THE GIRL WHO WAS STOLEN BY THE FAIRIES, _Irish_                  201\n\n    THE GIRL WHO DANCED WITH THE FAIRIES, _Irish_                    203\n\n    ELIDORE AND THE GOLDEN BALL, _Welsh_                             206\n\n    AT THE COURT OF FAIRYLAND, _Selections from  Ben Jonson,\n      Michael Drayton, Joseph Rodman Drake, Shakespeare,\n      and Old Ballads_                                               209\n\n\n  PART TWO\n\n  FAIRY STORIES\n\n  FAIRY GODMOTHERS AND WONDERFUL GIFTS\n\n    \u201cRAP! RAP! RAP!\u201d                                                 220\n\n    CINDERELLA, _Charles Perrault_                                   221\n\n    SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD, _Charles Perrault_                  231\n\n    PRINCE CH\u00c9RI, _Madame Le Prince de Beaumont_                     239\n\n    TOADS AND DIAMONDS, _Charles Perrault_                           254\n\n    BLANCHE AND ROSE, _Madame Le Prince de Beaumont_                 258\n\n    THE ENCHANTED WATCH, _Jean Mac\u00e9_                                 264\n\n    QUEEN MAB, _Thomas Hood_                                         276\n\n\n  FAIRY ADVENTURES\n\n    \u201cA LITTLE KNIGHT AND LITTLE MAID,\u201d _Lucy Larcom_                 280\n\n    FAIRY DO-NOTHING AND GIANT SNAP-\u2019EM-UP, _Catherine Sinclair_     281\n\n    TIMOTHY TUTTLE AND THE LITTLE IMPS, _Dr. John Todd_              290\n\n    BUTTERFLY\u2019S DIAMOND, _Lydia Maria Child_                         304\n\n    LITTLE NIEBLA, _W. H. Hudson_                                    312\n\n    LITTLE TINY, _Hans Christian Andersen_                           319\n\n    THE IMMORTAL FOUNTAIN, _Lydia Maria Child_                       337\n\n    THE STORY OF CHILDE CHARITY, _Frances Browne_                    348\n\n    THE SHINING CHILD AND THE WICKED MOUCHE, _Adapted_               361\n\n    MABEL ON MIDSUMMER DAY, _Mary Howitt_                            400\n\n\n  FAREWELL! FAREWELL! DEAR FAIRIES\n\n    \u201cOH! WHERE DO FAIRIES HIDE THEIR HEADS?\u201d _Thomas Haynes Bayly_   412\n\n    THE FAIRIES\u2019 PASSAGE, _James Clarence Mangan_                    413\n\n    OLD WINTER\u2019S FAIRYLAND, _Anonymous_                              418\n\n\n  SUBJECT INDEX FOR STORY-TELLERS                                    423\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n  \u201cTHIS IS MAB, THE MISTRESS FAIRY\u201d                       _Frontispiece_\n\n  \u201cDERMOD GAZED AT THEM IN WONDER\u201d                                    18\n\n  \u201cSHE SAW A WHOLE TROOP OF SPRIGGANS HOLDING AN ELFIN FAIR\u201d         118\n\n  \u201cCHILDE CHARITY CAME OUT AND ASKED THE OLD WOMAN TO TAKE HER\n    SHARE OF THE SUPPER\u201d                                             350\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRIES\u2019 STORY HOUR\n\n\n\n\n  \u201c_\u2019Tis the hour of Fairy ban and spell;\n  The wood-tick has kept the minutes well;\n  He has counted them all with click and stroke,\n  Deep in the heart of the mountain oak,\n  And he has awakened the sentry Elve\n    Who sleeps with him in the haunted tree,\n  To bid him ring the hour of twelve,\n    And call the Fays to their revelry;\n  Twelve small strokes on his tinkling bell--\n  (\u2019Twas made of the white snail\u2019s pearly shell:--)\n  Midnight comes, and all is well!\n  Hither, hither, wing your way!\n  \u2019Tis the dawn of the Fairy day_.\u201d\n\n                                JOSEPH RODMAN DRAKE\n\n\n\n\nCOME! COME! TO THE FAIRIES\u2019 STORY HOUR!\n\nIN THE MOONLIT MEADOW\n\n\nFairies! Fairies everywhere! Hear them come! See them come in the pale\nmoonlight to this lovely meadow! They rush through the air; they throng\nfrom the wood; they spring up from the ground; they peep from the\nflowers and leaves. They are all hastening to the Fairies\u2019 Story Hour.\nThe Midsummer moon is shining, shining; while the Midsummer breeze is\nswaying, swaying the harebells, lilies, and grasses.\n\nLaughter! whisper! Laughter! whisper! See, through the air comes\ngliding a whole host of radiant little Fairies. They poise lightly on\ntheir silvery wings, and float down to the harebells and lilies. They\nflicker over the meadow like gay butterflies. Laughter! whisper!\n\nHum! whirr! Hum! whirr! What is that noise in the tree-tops? From among\nthe dark leaves fly hundreds and hundreds of broad-backed beetles,\nbumping and thumping each other. They are followed by a silent cloud of\nbats, that wheel and whirl, and flap their leathery wings. And to the\nback of every beetle and every bat clings a tiny roguish Elf peeping\ndown at the meadow below.\n\nRap! tack! tack! Rap! tack! tack! From behind each tree-trunk steps a\nlittle Leprechaun as big as your thumb. They are the Fairy Shoemakers.\nTheir long beards and red caps wag in the moonlight; and the little\nmen smile and chuckle to themselves, for well they know where the pots\nof Fairy Gold are hidden. Near them, peering from behind stones and\nbushes, are the Curmudgeons, rolling their mischievous eyes.\n\nSkip! skip! Knock! knock! What have we here? From out of the earth\npours a swarm of little Spriggans and Pixies gaily dressed, and\nKnockers with their tiny hammers in their tiny hands. They have left\nthe meadows and moors; they have left the mines of tin and copper, and\nthe diamond caves, to come to the Fairies\u2019 Story Hour. How they hustle,\nhow they bustle, out of the earth!\n\nGallop-a-trot! Gallop-a-trot! What comes from the wood? A long line of\nprancing goats and house-cats! And on the back of each is a House-Elf,\nto be sure! The Brownies, the Boggarts, the Tomts, the Piskeys, are all\nthere. They have left their snug corners in human homes; they have left\ncellars, barns, and threshing-floors; they have left bowls of clubbered\ncream on warm hearthstones, to come to the Fairies\u2019 Story Hour. And\nwho is this that lights their way with a Will-o\u2019-the-Wisp lantern? \u2019Tis\nRobin Goodfellow, freakish Elf! Ho! Ho! Ho!\n\nSing! cling! Sing! cling! What are these that come sailing through the\nair? Mother-of-pearl boats with coral masts and sails of sea-lace! Each\nlittle boat is crowded with Sea-Queens and Water-Fairies. Their green\nhair is long and flowing, and their robes are of rainbow spray. And\nnear them, astride frisky sea-horses, are the Kelpies, blowing loudly\non their conch-shell trumpets. And each Kelpie is armed with a shield\nof pearl and a sword-fish weapon. They have all left the foaming green\nwaves and the pink coral palaces to come to the Fairies\u2019 Story Hour.\n\nNow! Listen! Listen! The harebells and lilies are ringing sweet music,\nwhile from meadow flowers and acorn-cups and forest nuts tumble lazy,\nsleepy Elves rubbing their eyes, and hastening to join the others at\nthe Fairies\u2019 Story Hour.\n\nThe harebells and lilies ring louder and louder. And from out the cool\nwood step King Oberon and Queen Mab, with all their Fairy train that\nglitters in the moonshine like a long string of jewels.\n\nThe royal train advances into the middle of the meadow. The King and\nQueen seat themselves on a throne of moss. At their left is capering\nPuck mowing and mouthing; at their right, Ariel the sweetest singer.\nAll present bow themselves before the throne.\n\nSee! Queen Mab raises her wand, and each little Elf and Fairy scurries\nand hurries to make himself comfortable. Some sway on the blades of\ngrass; others climb the flower stalks and curl up inside the fragrant\nblossoms; while still others swing and rock in the trees, or nestle\namong the ferns and under toadstool umbrellas.\n\nEvery wee Elf, and every tiny Fairy, and every little Imp, from all the\nworld over, is here. Indeed, all the members of the entire Fairy Family\nare present except the human-sized ones. They are too busy to come.\nThe Elfin Princes are searching cottages and palaces for mortal brides\nto carry off to Fairyland. The Elfin nurses are leaving Changelings\nin babies\u2019 cradles; while the Fairy Godmothers are far away bestowing\nwonderful gifts on good children, and punishing bad ones.\n\nLook! Look! Queen Mab waves her wand! The Fairies\u2019 Story Hour is\nbeginning. All is hushed.\n\nListen now to the Fairy tales.\n\n\n\n\nPART ONE\n\nFAIRY-LORE AND ELFIN LEGENDS\n\n\n\n\n_Around! Around! in Fairy Rings_\n\n\n\n\n  _In the glowing light of a Summer sky,\n    When the fields are clad in green.\n  Oft in their midst, with a sunnier dye,\n    May the Fairies\u2019 Ring be seen!\n  \u2019Tis a circle formed by the tiny feet\n    Of the Elves, as they dance around:\n  When the moon rides high it is there they meet,\n    And merrily tread the ground!_\n\n                                    WILLIAM JONES\n\n\n\n\nADVENTURES OF ROBIN GOODFELLOW\n\n_From Merry England_\n\n\nHOW ROBIN GOODFELLOW WAS BORN\n\nOnce upon a time, when men did eat more and drink less, when men did\nknow no knavery, there were wont to walk many harmless sprites called\nFairies, dancing in brave order in Fairy Rings on green hills, to sweet\nmusic. These sprites would make themselves invisible, and many mad\npranks would they play, pinching careless housemaids black and blue,\nand turning ill-kept houses topsy-turvy. But lovingly they would use\nneat housemaids, giving them silver and other pretty toys which they\nleft in the maids\u2019 shoes and pockets, or in bright kitchen pans.\n\nNow, in those Fairy days there was born on earth a tiny Elfin boy\nwhom folk called Robin Goodfellow. And wonderful were the gifts from\nFairyland that came to Robin when he was a baby. In his room suddenly\nwould appear rich embroidered cushions, delicate linen garments, and\nall sorts of delicious things to eat and drink. So he was never in want.\n\nNow, when Robin was grown to six years, he was so mischievous that the\nneighbours all complained of his pranks until he was forced to run away.\n\nHe wandered about until he began to get hungry; then, going to a\ntailor, he took service with him. He remained there until he grew so\nmischievous that he was obliged to run away again.\n\n\nHOW HE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM FAIRYLAND\n\nAfter he had travelled a good day\u2019s journey from the tailor\u2019s house,\nhe sat down by the wayside and, being weary, fell asleep. No sooner\nhad he closed his eyes than he fancied he saw tiny beings tripping on\nthe grass before him, to the sound of sweet music. And when he awoke,\nhe found, to his surprise, a scroll lying near by on which were these\nverses, written in letters of gold:--\n\n  \u201c_Robin, my only son and heir,\n  For food and drink take thou no care.\n  Wish what thou wilt, and thou shalt have\n  The power to tease both fool and knave.\n  Change when thou wilt thine Elfish shape,\n  To horse, or hog, or dog, or ape;\n  And scare each idle dirty maid,\n  And make all wicked men afraid.\n  But love thou those that honest be,\n  And help them in necessity._\n\n  \u201c_Do thus, and all the world shall know\n  The pranks of Robin Goodfellow.\n  If thou\u2019lt observe my just command,\n  One day thou shalt see Fairyland._\u201d\n\nRobin, having read this, was very joyful, for he perceived that he\nhad Fairy power. He straightway wished for something to eat, and it\nappeared before him. Then he wished himself a horse, and no sooner did\nhe say so than he became a handsome colt, curveting and leaping about.\nHe wished himself a dog, and was one. After that he turned himself\ninto any shape he liked. Then taking his own form again, he once more\nstarted on his travels.\n\n\nOF HIS MAD PRANKS--HO! HO! HO!\n\nAnd from that time forward many were the merry tricks Robin played on\nthose he met.\n\nOnce, seeing a rude and clownish fellow searching for a lost horse,\nRobin turned himself into a horse, and led the rude man a chase over\nfield and briar, until he allowed the man to catch him and mount his\nback. Then Robin jumped into a stream and, turning into a fish, swam to\nthe shore and ran away, laughing, \u201cHo! Ho! Ho!\u201d--leaving the man to\nget out of the water as best he could.\n\nAt night Robin often visited farmers\u2019 houses, and helped the neat\nhousemaids with their work, breaking their hemp, dressing their flax,\nand spinning their yarn. One night he came to a house where there was\na good and handsome maid. And while she slept Robin did her work, more\nthan she could have done in twelve hours. The maid wondered the next\nmorning to see all done so finely, and that night she watched to see\nwhat would follow.\n\nAt twelve of the clock in came Robin and, singing, fell to work\nbreaking her hemp and doing her spinning, and as he worked he sang a\nmad song:--\n\n  \u201c_Within and out, in and out, round as a ball,\n    With hither and thither, as straight as a line,\n    With lily and germander, and sops of wine,\n            With sweetbriar,\n            And bonfire,\n            And strawberry wire,\n            And columbine!_\u201d\n\nThe maid, seeing that he had no clothes, pitied him, and the next night\nshe laid out a little suit that she had cut and sewed during the day.\nRobin, coming in, spied the clothes, whereat he started, and said:--\n\n  \u201c_\u2019Tis not your garments new or old\n  That Robin loves. I feel no cold.\n  Had you left me milk or cream,\n  You should have had a pleasant dream,\n  Became you left no drop or crumb,\n  Robin never more will come._\u201d\n\nAnd with that he ran out of the door, laughing loudly, \u201cHo! Ho! Ho!\u201d\n\nAnd many other mad pranks did Robin Goodfellow play. At times he turned\nhimself into a will-o\u2019-the-wisp, misleading lovers who came over the\nheath; at other times he punished knaves and idle maids, or rewarded\ngood and worthy people. And always he ran laughing, \u201cHo! Ho! Ho!\u201d\n\n\nHOW HE DANCED IN THE FAIRY RING\n\nAt length Oberon, King of Fairyland, seeing so many honest and\nmerry tricks, called one night to Robin as he lay sleeping in the\ngreen-wood:--\n\n  \u201c_Robin, my son, come, quickly rise!\n  First stretch, then yawn, and rub your eyes.\n  For you must go with me to-night\n  To dance with Fairy, Elf, and Sprite.\n  Come quickly now, my roguish son,\n  \u2019Tis time our sports were well begun._\u201d\n\nRobin, hearing this, woke and rose hastily, and, looking about, saw in\nthe moonlight King Oberon, and many Fairies with him dressed in green\nsilk. And all these did welcome Robin Goodfellow into their company.\n\nKing Oberon took Robin by the hand and led him a dance. And near by sat\nlittle Tom Thumb, the Fairy piper, no bigger than a plum. His bagpipe\nwas made of a wren\u2019s quill and the skin of a tiny bug. This pipe made\nmusic so shrill and sweet, that naught might be compared to it.\n\nThen all the Fairies for joy did circle Robin around, and in a ring did\ndance about him; and Robin Goodfellow danced in the midst of them, and\nsang this song:--\n\n              \u201c_Quick and nimble!\n              Quick and nimble!\n              Round about little ones!\n              In and out, wheel about,\n              Run, hop, or amble!_\n\n  \u201c_Elves, Urchins, Goblins all, and little Fairies,\n  Who do pinch black and blue, idle maids in dairies,\n  Make a ring on the grass, with your quick measures.\n  Tom shall play, and I will sing, for all your pleasures._\n\n              \u201c_Quick and nimble!\n              Quick and nimble!\n              Round about little ones!\n              In and out, wheel about,\n              Run, hop, or amble!_\u201d\n\nThus they danced for a good space, then sat themselves down upon the\ngrass, and the Fairies told Robin of many Elfish tricks and merry\ncapers; until, the time passing, a shepherd in a field near by blew his\npipes so loudly that he frightened little Tom Thumb.\n\nThe Fairies punished the shepherd by the loss of his pipes, so that\nthey presently broke in his hand, to his great amazement. Hereat Robin\nGoodfellow laughed, \u201cHo! Ho! Ho!\u201d\n\nThe morning being come, at cock-crow the Fairies hastened away to\nFairyland, where I think they yet remain.\n\n\n\n\nTHE POTATO SUPPER\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nSome folk say that the Little People, the Fairies, were once angels\nthat were cast out of Heaven for their sins. They fell to earth and\ngrew smaller and smaller. And to-day they dance on moonlit nights in\nFairy Rings, and play all manner of pranks.\n\nBe that as it may, one night a merry troop of them was capering in\nthe moonshine. On a nice green sward by a river\u2019s bank the little\nfellows were dancing hand-in-hand, with their red caps wagging at every\nbound. And so light were their feet that the dew trembled, but was not\ndisturbed. So they danced, spinning around and around, and twirling,\nand bobbing, and diving, until one of them chirped:--\n\n  \u201c_Cease! Cease with your humming!\n  Here\u2019s an end to your mumming!\n          By my smell\n          I can tell\n  That a Priest is now coming!_\u201d\n\nAnd away all the Fairies scampered as fast as they could. Some hid\nunder the green leaves of the Foxglove, their little caps peeping out\nlike crimson bells. Others crept under the shadow of stones, or beneath\nthe bank of the river.\n\nAnd scarcely had they done so, when along came Father Horrigan riding\nslowly on his pony. He was thinking to himself that he would end his\njourney at the first cabin he came to. And so he did, for soon he\nstopped at the little house of Dermod Leary, and, lifting the latch,\nwalked in with: \u201cA blessing on all here!\u201d\n\nAnd a welcome guest, you may be sure, was Father Horrigan, for no man\nwas better loved in all that country. But when Dermod saw him enter,\nhe was troubled, for he had nothing to offer for supper except some\npotatoes that his wife was boiling in a pot over the fire. Then he\nremembered that he had set a net in the river. \u201cThere\u2019ll be no harm,\u201d\nthought he, \u201cin my stepping down to see if anything has been caught.\u201d\n\nSo down to the river went Dermod. He found as fine a salmon in the net\nas ever jumped from water. But as he was taking it out, the net was\njerked from his hands, and away the salmon went, swimming along as\nthough nothing had happened.\n\nDermod looked sorrowfully at the wake that the fish left shining like a\nline of silver in the moonlight.\n\n\u201cMay bitter luck attend you night and day!\u201d cried he, shaking his fist.\n\u201cSome evil thing sure it was that helped you, for did I not feel it\npull the net out of my hand!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re all wrong, Dermod! There were a hundred or more of us pulling\nagainst you!\u201d squeaked a little voice near his feet, and the whole\ntroop of Fairies--hundreds and hundreds of them--came rushing from\ntheir hiding-places, and stood before him, their red caps nodding\nviolently.\n\nDermod gazed at them in wonder; then one of the Fairies said:--\n\n\u201cMake yourself noways uneasy about the Priest\u2019s supper, Dermod Leary.\nIf you will go back and ask him one question for us, there\u2019ll be as\nfine a supper spread before him in no time, as ever was put on table.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll have nothing to do with you at all, at all!\u201d answered Dermod; \u201cI\nknow better than to sell my soul to the likes of you!\u201d\n\nBut the little Fairy was not to be repulsed. \u201cWill you ask the Priest\njust one civil question for us, Dermod?\u201d said he.\n\nDermod considered for a moment. \u201cI see no objection,\u201d said he, \u201cto the\nsame. But I\u2019ll have nothing to do with your supper, mind that!\u201d\n\nThe Little People all crowded near him, while the Fairy answered:--\n\n\u201cGo and ask Father Horrigan to tell us whether our souls will be saved\nat the Last Day. And, if you wish us well, Dermod Leary, you will bring\nthe word that he says.\u201d\n\nAway went Dermod to his cabin.\n\n\u201cPlease, your reverence,\u201d said he to Father Horrigan, \u201cmay I make bold\nto ask your honour a question?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d said Father Horrigan.\n\n\u201cWhy, then,\u201d said Dermod, \u201cwill the souls of the Little People be saved\nat the Last Day?\u201d\n\n\u201cWho bids you ask that question, Leary?\u201d said Father Horrigan, fixing\nhis eyes sternly on Dermod.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell no lies about the matter, nothing in life but the truth,\u201d\nanswered Dermod. \u201c\u2019Twas the Little People themselves who sent me. They\nare in thousands down on the bank of the river waiting for your word.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo back,\u201d said Father Horrigan, \u201cand tell them that if they want to\nknow they must come here to me themselves, and I\u2019ll answer that and any\nother question.\u201d\n\nSo back Dermod hurried to the river. The Fairies came swarming around\nhim. They pressed close to his feet, with faces upturned as they\nanxiously waited. And Dermod, brave man that he was, spoke out boldly\nand gave them the Priest\u2019s message. And when they heard that, the whole\nmultitude of little Fairies uttered shrill cries and groans; and they\nwhisked past Dermod in such numbers that he was quite bewildered. Then\nin a trice he found himself alone.\n\n[Illustration: \u201cDERMOD GAZED AT THEM IN WONDER\u201d]\n\nHe went slowly back to his cabin. He opened the door. The fire was\nburning brightly. The candles were lighted. And good Father Horrigan\nwas seated comfortably at the table, a pitcher of new milk before him,\nand a bit of fresh butter, from Dermod\u2019s cow. And Dermod\u2019s wife was\nhanding him a big, handsome potato, whose white, mealy insides were\nbursting through its skin, and smoking like a hard-ridden horse on a\nfrosty night.\n\nDermod sat down at the table, and began to eat without a word. And when\nFather Horrigan was through the good Priest smacked his lips, and said\nthat he had relished the hot tasty potatoes, more than a dozen fat\nsalmon, and a whole Fairy feast!\n\n\n\n\nTHE MILK-WHITE CALF AND THE FAIRY RING\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nIn Tipperary is one of the most singularly shaped hills in the world.\nIt has a peak at the top like a conical nightcap. On this very peak,\nlong years ago, a herdsman spent his nights and days watching the herd.\nNow, the hill was ancient Fairy ground, and the Little People were\nangry that the scene of their light and airy gambols should be trampled\nby the rude hoofs of bulls and cows. The lowing of the cattle sounded\nsad in their ears. So the Queen of the Fairies determined to drive away\nthe herdsman.\n\nOne night the moon shone brightly on the hill. The cattle were lying\ndown. The herdsman, wrapped in his mantle, was watching the twinkling\nstars, when suddenly there appeared before him a great horse with the\nwings of an eagle, and the tail of a dragon. This beast hissed loudly\nand spat fire, and, while the herdsman was looking on, half dead with\nfright, it turned into a little old man, lame of leg, with a bull\u2019s\nhead around which flames were playing.\n\nThe next moment the little old man changed into a huge ape, with duck\u2019s\nfeet, and a turkey-cock\u2019s tail. And then the Queen of the Fairies--for\nof course it was she--roared, neighed, hissed, bellowed, howled, and\nhooted so fearfully that the poor herdsman in terror covered his head\nwith his mantle. But it was of no use, for with one puff of wind she\nblew away the fold of his mantle, let him hold it never so tightly. As\nfor the poor man, he could not stir or close his eyes, but was forced\nto sit there gazing at this terrible sight until his hair lifted his\nhat half a foot from his head, and his teeth chattered so that they\nalmost fell out of his mouth.\n\nMeanwhile the frightened cattle scampered about like mad, as if bitten\nby fleas, and so they continued to do until the sun rose. Then the\nFairy Queen disappeared.\n\nNight after night, the same thing happened, and the cattle went mad.\nSome fell into pits, or tumbled into the river and were drowned. By\nand by, not a herdsman was willing to tend the cattle at night. The\nfarmer who owned the hill offered triple and quadruple wages, but not\na man was found who would face the terrors of the Fairy Ring. The herd\ngradually thinned, and the Fairies, on moonlit nights, danced and\ngambolled as merrily as before, sipping dew-drops from acorn-cups, and\nspreading their feasts on the heads of mushrooms.\n\nNow, there dwelt in that part of the country a man named Larry\nHoolahan, who played on the pipes better than any other player within\nfifteen parishes. A dashing, roving blade was Larry, and afraid of\nnothing. One day the farmer met him, and told him all his misfortunes.\n\n\u201cIf that is what ails you,\u201d said Larry, \u201cmake your mind easy. Were\nthere as many Fairies on the hill as there are potato-blossoms in\nTipperary, I would face them. It would be a queer thing, indeed, if I,\nwho was never afraid of a proper man, should turn my back on a Fairy\nnot the bigness of one\u2019s thumb!\u201d\n\n\u201cLarry,\u201d said the farmer, \u201cdo not talk so bold, for you know not who is\nhearing you! But, if you make your words good, and watch my herds for\na week on top of the hill, your hand shall be free of my dish till the\nsun has burnt itself down to the bigness of a farthing rushlight!\u201d\n\nThe bargain was struck, and Larry went to the hill-top when the moon\nwas beginning to peep over its brow. He took his seat on a big stone\nunder a hollow of the hill, with his back to the wind, and pulled out\nhis pipes.\n\nHe had not played long when the voices of the Fairies were heard upon\nthe blast like a low stream of music. Presently they burst into a loud\nlaugh, and Larry could plainly hear one say:--\n\n\u201cWhat! Another man upon the Fairies\u2019 Ring! Go to him, Queen, and make\nhim repent of his rashness!\u201d\n\nAnd away they flew, and Larry felt them pass by his face like a swarm\nof midges. Looking up hastily he saw, between the moon and him, a great\nblack cat, standing on the very tip of its claws, with its back up, and\nmewing with a voice like a water-mill.\n\nPresently it swelled up toward the sky, and, turning round on its left\nhind leg, whirled till it fell to the ground. Then it started up in the\nshape of a salmon with a cravat round its neck, and wearing a pair of\nnew top-boots.\n\n\u201cGo on, my jewel!\u201d said Larry. \u201cIf you dance, I\u2019ll pipe,\u201d and he struck\nup.\n\nBut the Queen of the Fairies--for of course it was she--turned into\nthis and that and the other; but still Larry played on, as well as he\nknew how. At last she lost patience, and changed herself into a calf,\nmilk-white as the cream of Cork, and with eyes as mild as those of a\nloving girl.\n\nShe came up gentle and fawning, hoping to throw him off his guard, and\nthen to work him some wrong. But Larry was not so deceived, for when\nshe came near, dropping his pipes, he leaped on her back.\n\nNow, from the top of the hill, as you look westward, you may see the\nbroad river Shannon, full ten miles away. On this night its waters\nshone beautifully under the moon, and no sooner had Larry leaped on the\nback of the Fairy Queen than she sprang from the hill-top, and bounded\nclear at one jump, over the Shannon. It was done in a second; and, when\nshe alighted on the distant bank, she kicked up her heels, and flung\nLarry on the soft turf.\n\nNo sooner was Larry thus planted than he looked her straight in the\nface, and cried out:--\n\n\u201cBy my word, well done! That was not a bad leap, _for a calf_!\u201d\n\nShe gazed at him for a moment, and then, assuming her own shape, said:--\n\n\u201cLarry Hoolahan, you are a bold fellow! Will you go back the way you\ncame?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd that\u2019s what I will!\u201d said he, \u201cif you\u2019ll let me!\u201d\n\nSo she changed to a calf again, and Larry got on her back. At another\nbound they were standing inside the Fairy Ring.\n\nThen the Queen, once more assuming her own shape, addressed him.\n\n\u201cYou have shown so much courage, Larry Hoolahan,\u201d said she, \u201cthat\nwhile you keep herds on this hill, you shall not be molested by me or\nmine. The day dawns. Go down to the farmer, and tell him this. And, if\nanything I can do will be of service to you, ask and you shall have it.\u201d\n\nShe vanished accordingly, and kept her word in never visiting the hill\nduring Larry\u2019s lifetime; but he never troubled her with requests.\nHe piped, and ate and drank at the farmer\u2019s expense, and roosted in\nthe chimney-corner, occasionally casting an eye on the herd. He died\nat last; and is buried in a green valley of pleasant Tipperary. But\nwhether the Fairies returned to the hill after his death is more than I\ncan say.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOOD-LADY\n\n_From Bohemia_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little girl named Betty. Her mother was a\nwidow and very poor, and owned only a tumble-down house and two goats.\nNevertheless, Betty was always cheerful. From Spring to Autumn she\npastured the goats in the birch wood. Every morning when she left home,\nher mother gave her a little basket in which were a slice of bread and\na spindle.\n\n\u201cMy child,\u201d she said, \u201cwork hard to-day and fill the spindle before you\nreturn.\u201d\n\nAnd, as Betty had no distaff, she wound the flax around her head, took\nthe basket, and, with a skip and a jump, led her goats to the birch\nwood. There she sat under a tree and drew fibres of the flax from her\nhead with her left hand, and let down the spindle with her right,\nso that it just hummed over the ground. And all the while she sang\nmerrily, and the goats nibbled the green grass.\n\nWhen the sun showed that it was midday she put aside her work, called\nher goats, and, after giving them each a morsel of bread, bounded into\nthe wood to look for strawberries. When she came back she ate her\nfruit and bread, and, folding her hands, danced and sang. The goats,\nenjoying themselves among the green grass, thought: \u201cWhat a merry\nshepherdess we have!\u201d After her dance, she spun again. And at evening\nshe drove her goats home, and her mother never had to scold her for\nbringing the spindle back empty.\n\nOne lovely Spring day, just as Betty sprang up to dance,\nsuddenly--where she came, there she came!--a beautiful maiden stood\nbefore her. She wore a white dress as thin as gossamer, golden hair\nflowed to her waist, and on her head was a garland of wood flowers.\nBetty was struck dumb with astonishment.\n\nThe maiden smiled at her, and said in a very sweet voice:--\n\n\u201cBetty, are you fond of dancing?\u201d\n\nWhen the maiden spoke so prettily, Betty\u2019s terror quitted her, and she\nanswered:--\n\n\u201cOh! I should like to dance all day!\u201d\n\n\u201cCome, then, let us dance together. I will teach you,\u201d said the maiden.\n\nAnd she took Betty by the waist, and began to dance with her.\n\nAs they circled, such delicious music sounded over their heads that\nBetty\u2019s heart skipped within her. The musicians sat on branches of the\nbirches. They were clad in black, ash-coloured, and variegated coats.\nThey were choice musicians who had come together at the call of the\nbeautiful maiden--nightingales, larks, linnets, goldfinches, thrushes,\nblackbirds, and a very skillful mocking-bird. Betty\u2019s cheeks flamed,\nher eyes glittered, she forgot her task and her goats. She could only\ngaze at her partner, who whirled her around with the most charming\nmovements, and so lightly that the grass did not bend beneath her\ndelicate weight.\n\nThey danced from noon till eve, and Betty\u2019s feet were neither weary nor\nsore. Then the beautiful maiden stopped, the music ceased, and as she\ncame, so she went, and she vanished as if the earth had swallowed her.\n\nBetty looked about. The sun had set. She clapped her hands to the top\nof her head, and remembered that her spindle was by no means full. She\ntook the flax and put it with the spindle into her basket, and drove\nthe goats home. That night her mother did not ask to see her work.\n\nNext morning Betty again drove the goats to pasture. All happened as\nbefore. Where she came, there she came!--and the beautiful maiden\nseized Betty by the waist, and they danced from noon till eve.\n\nThen Betty saw that the sun was setting and her spindle nearly empty,\nso she began to cry. But the maiden put her hands to Betty\u2019s head, took\noff the flax, and twined it round the stem of a slender birch, and\nbegan to spin. The spindle just swung over the ground. It grew fuller\nand fuller, and before the sun set behind the wood, all the yarn was\nspun. Giving the full spindle into Betty\u2019s hands, the maiden said:--\n\n  \u201c_Reel and grumble not!\n  Reel and grumble not!_\u201d\n\nAnd as she came, so she went, and she vanished as if the ground had\nswallowed her. Betty drove the goats home, and gave her mother the full\nspindle.\n\nWell, the next day all happened as before. Where she came, there she\ncame!--and the beautiful maiden seized Betty by the waist, and they\ndanced from noon to eve. Then the maiden handed Betty a covered basket,\nsaying:--\n\n  \u201c_Peep not, but go home!\n  Peep not, but go home!_\u201d\n\nAnd as she came, so she went, and she vanished as if the ground had\nswallowed her.\n\nAt first Betty was afraid to peep into the basket, but when she was\nhalfway home, she could not restrain herself. She lifted the cover and\npeeped, and, oh! how disappointed she was when she saw that the basket\nwas full of birch leaves! She began to cry, and threw out two handfuls\nof the leaves, and was going to shake them all out of the basket, but\nshe thought to herself: \u201cThey\u2019ll make good litter for the goats.\u201d\n\nWhen she reached home her mother was waiting for her at the door.\n\n\u201cWhat sort of a spindle did you bring home to me yesterday?\u201d cried she.\n\u201cAfter you left this morning I began to reel. I reeled and I reeled,\nand the spindle remained full. One skein! two skeins! three skeins! and\nthe spindle was yet full! \u2018What evil spirit has spun you?\u2019 grumbled I;\nand at that instant the yarn vanished from the spindle. Tell me the\nmeaning of this.\u201d\n\nSo Betty confessed how she had danced with the beautiful maiden who had\ngiven her the full spindle, and who had said: \u201cReel and grumble not.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat was a Wood-Fairy!\u201d cried her mother in astonishment. \u201cAbout noon\nin the Spring-time, the Wood-Ladies dance. Lucky for you that she did\nnot tickle you to death! It\u2019s a pity that you did not tell me before,\nfor I might have had a room full of yarn, if I had reeled and grumbled\nnot.\u201d\n\nThen Betty bethought herself of the basket of leaves. She lifted the\ncover and peeped in again.\n\n\u201cLook! Look! Mother!\u201d she cried.\n\nHer mother looked and clapped her hands. The birch leaves were turned\nto gold!\n\n\u201cShe told me not to peep until I reached home,\u201d said Betty, \u201cbut I\ndisobeyed and threw two handfuls of the leaves away.\u201d\n\n\u201cLucky for you that you did not throw them all away!\u201d exclaimed her\nmother.\n\nThe next morning they both went to the place where Betty had thrown\nout the leaves, but on the road lay nothing but birch leaves. However,\nthe gold Betty had brought home was enough to make them rich. Her\nmother bought a fine house and garden. They had many cattle. Betty had\nhandsome clothes, and she did not need to pasture the goats any more.\nBut though she had everything she desired, nothing gave her so great\ndelight as the dance with the Wood-Fairy. She often went to the birch\nwood hoping to see the beautiful maiden, but she never again set eyes\nupon her.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DANCE OF THE FAIRIES\n\n\n    By the moon we sport and play,\n    With the night begins our day;\n    As we dance, the dew doth fall--\n    Trip it, little Urchins all,\n    Lightly as the little bee,\n    Two by two, and three by three;\n    And about go we! And about go we!\n\n    Oh, you must needs dance and sing,\n    Which if you refuse to do,\n    We will pinch you black and blue;\n    And about go we!\n\n  Round about, round about, in a fine ring-a,\n  Thus we dance, thus we dance, and thus we sing-a;\n  Trip and go, to and fro, over this green-a,\n  All about, in and out, for our brave Queen-a.\n\n  We have danced round about, in a fine ring-a,\n  We have danced lustily, and thus we sing-a;\n  All about, in and out, over this green-a,\n  To and fro, trip and go, to our brave Queen-a.\n\n                  _The Maydes Metamorphosis_ (1600)\n\n\n\n\nELFIN MOUNDS AND FAIRY HILLS\n\n\n\n\n  _\u2019Tis the Midnight Hour!\n  The Moon hangs white!\n  Mortal beware,\n  \u2019Tis Fairy Night!_\n\n  _From Elfin Mound,\n  And Fairy Hill,\n  Comes music sweet,\n  And laughter shrill!_\n\n  _Mortal beware,\n  For Fairy-Spell\n  Lies on meadow,\n  Wood and dell!_\n\n\n\n\nMONDAY! TUESDAY!\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nThere once lived a lad in old Ireland named Lusmore. He had a great\nhump on his back, and whenever he sat down he had to rest his chin\non his knee for support. But, in spite of this, he was as happy as a\ncricket, and used to go about the country with a sprig of Fairy-cap, or\nFoxglove, in his little straw hat. He went from house to house plaiting\nbaskets out of rushes, and in that way he earned a living. And he was\nso merry that people always gave him a penny more than he asked.\n\nOne evening, he was returning from a distant town, and as he walked\nslowly on account of his hump, it grew dark before he could reach home.\nHe came to an old mound by the side of the road, and, being tired, sat\ndown on it to rest.\n\nHe had not been sitting there long when he heard strains of music,\nand many little voices singing sweetly. He laid his ear to the mound,\nand perceived that the music and singing came from inside it. And he\ncould hear the words that the little voices were chanting over and over\nagain:--\n\n  \u201c_Monday! Tuesday!\n  Monday! Tuesday!\n  Monday! Tuesday!_\u201d\n\nIt was all so very sweet, that Lusmore listened with delight; but by\nand by he grew tired of hearing the same words sung over and over.\nHe waited politely until the voices had finished their song, then he\ncalled:--\n\n  \u201c_And Wednesday!_\u201d\n\nThe Fairies--for it was the singing of Fairies that he heard--were so\npleased with Lusmore\u2019s addition to their words, that they pulled him\nright down through the top of the mound with the speed of a whirlwind.\nAnd he went falling and twirling round and round as light as a feather.\n\nHe found himself in a palace so bright that it dazzled his eyes. Then\nall the Fairies stopped capering and dancing, and came crowding around\nhim. And one, wearing a crown, stepped forward and said:--\n\n  \u201c_Lusmore! Lusmore!\n  The hump that you wore,\n  On your back is no more.\n  Look down on the floor,\n  And see it, Lusmore!_\u201d\n\nAnd as these words were being said, Lusmore felt himself grow so light\nand happy, that he could have bounded up to the moon. And he saw his\nhump tumble off his back and roll on the floor. Then the Fairies took\nhands, and danced around him, and as they did so he became dizzy and\nfell asleep.\n\nWhen he opened his eyes it was broad daylight, and the sun was shining,\nand the birds were singing, and cows and sheep were grazing peacefully\naround him. He put his hand to his hump. It was gone! And there he\nwas, as tall, straight, and handsome as any other lad in Ireland. And,\nbesides all that, he was dressed in a full suit of beautiful clothes.\n\nHe went toward his home stepping out lightly, and jumping high at every\nstep, so full of joy was he. And as he passed his neighbours, they\nhardly knew him without his hump, and because he was so straight and\nhandsome, and was dressed so finely.\n\nNow, in another village, not far away, lived a lad named Jack Madden.\nHe also had a great hump on his back. He was a peevish, cunning\ncreature, and liked to scratch and pinch all who came near him.\n\nWhen he heard how the Fairies had taken away Lusmore\u2019s hump, he decided\nthat he, too, would visit them. So one night after darkness had fallen,\nhe sat down on the mound all alone, and waited. He had not been there\nlong before he heard the music, and the sweet voices singing:--\n\n  \u201c_Monday! Tuesday!\n  Monday! Tuesday!\n  Monday! Tuesday!\n  And Wednesday!_\u201d\n\nAnd as he was in a very great hurry to get rid of his hump, he did not\nwait for the Fairies to finish their song, but yelled out, thinking\nthat two days were better than one:--\n\n  \u201c_And Thursday and Friday!_\u201d\n\nNo sooner had the words left his lips, than he was taken up quickly,\nand whisked through the mound with terrific force. And the Fairies came\ncrowding around him, screeching and buzzing with anger, and crying\nout:--\n\n  \u201c_Our song you have spoiled!\n  Our song you have spoiled!\n  Our song you have spoiled!_\u201d\n\nThen the one wearing the crown stepped forward, and said:--\n\n  \u201c_Jack Madden! Jack Madden!\n  Your words came so bad in,\n  That your life we will sadden!\n  Here\u2019s two humps for Jack Madden!_\u201d\n\nAnd quick as a wink, twenty Fairies brought Lusmore\u2019s hump and clapped\nit down on Jack Madden\u2019s back, and there it was fixed as firmly as if\nnailed on with tenpenny nails.\n\nThen out of the mound they kicked him. And when morning was come, he\ncrept home with the two humps on his back--and he is wearing them\nstill.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GREEDY OLD MAN\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nLong ago in Cornwall, on a hillock called \u201cthe Gump,\u201d there was a Fairy\nRing. Many a good old man or woman, on moonlit nights, had seen the\nFairies dancing there at their revels, and had been rewarded with gifts\nsmall but rich.\n\nNow, there was one greedy old man, who, having heard his neighbours\ntell of the Fairy Gold at the revels, decided to steal some of the\ntreasure. So on a moonlit night, when all was quiet, he stole softly up\nto \u201cthe Gump.\u201d\n\nAs he drew near he heard delightful music, which seemed to come from\ninside the hillock. The notes were now slow and solemn, and now quick\nand gay, so that the old man had to weep and laugh in one breath. Then\nbefore he knew it, he began to dance to the Fairy measure. He was\nforced by some unseen power to whirl round and round; but in spite of\nthis he kept his wits about him, and watched to see what would happen.\n\nSuddenly there was a crashing sound, and a door in the hillock opened.\nInstantly the old man saw that everything about him was ablaze with\ncoloured lights. Each blade of grass was hung with tiny bright lamps,\nand every tree and bush was illuminated with stars.\n\nOut of the opening in the hillock marched a band of Goblins, as if to\nclear the way. Then came a number of Fairy musicians playing on every\nkind of musical instrument. These were followed by troop after troop of\nElfin soldiers, carrying waving banners.\n\nThe soldiers arranged themselves in two files on either side of the\ndoor; but the Goblins, much to the old man\u2019s disgust, placed themselves\nclose behind him. As they were no bigger than his thumb, he thought to\nhimself: \u201cIf they bother me, I can easily step on them and crush them\nwith my foot.\u201d\n\nThis vast array having disposed itself, next from the hillock came\na crowd of Elfin servants carrying pitchers of silver and gold, and\ngoblets cut out of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious\nstones. Servants followed bearing aloft gold and silver platters heaped\nhigh with the richest meats, pastries, candies, and glowing fruits. A\nnumber of Elfin boys, clad in crimson, then set out small tables made\nof ivory curiously carved, and the servants arranged the feast with\norder.\n\nThen out of the hillock came crowding thousands and thousands of\nlovely winged Fairies clad in gossamer robes of every colour, like the\nrainbow.\n\nThe music suddenly changed to low, delicate notes, and the old man\nfound that he was no longer forced to dance and whirl about. And as he\nstood still, the perfume of a thousand rich flowers filled the air, and\nthe whole vast host of Fairies began to sing a song as clear and sweet\nas the tinkle of silver bells.\n\nThen from the hillock issued forth line after line of Elfin boys\ndressed in green and gold, and behind them on an ivory throne, borne\naloft by a hundred Fairies, came the King and Queen of Fairyland\nblazing with beauty and jewels.\n\nThe throne was placed upon the hillock, which immediately bloomed with\nlilies and roses. Before the King and Queen was set the most beautiful\nof all the little tables laden with gold and silver dishes and precious\ngoblets. The Fairies took their places at the other tables, and began\nto feast with a will.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d thought the old man, \u201cmy time is come! If only I can creep up,\nwithout being seen, to the Fairy King\u2019s table, I shall be able to\nsnatch enough gold to make me rich for life.\u201d\n\nAnd with his greedy mind set on this, he crouched down, and began very\nslowly to creep toward the throne. But he did not see that thousands of\nGoblins had cast fine threads about his body, and were holding the ends\nin their hands.\n\nTrembling with greed, the old man crept closer and closer to the Fairy\nKing and Queen. He took his hat from his head, and raised it carefully\nto cover the royal throne and table; and, as he did so, he heard a\nshrill whistle. Instantly his hand was fixed powerless in the air.\nThen, with a sudden crash, all became dark around him.\n\n\u201cWhirr! Whirr! Whirr!\u201d and he heard as if a flight of bees were\nbrushing past his ears, and suddenly, his body, from head to foot,\nwas stabbed with pins and pinched with tweezers. Then he was thrown\nviolently upon his back with his arms outstretched; and his arms and\nlegs were fastened to the ground with magic chains. His tongue seemed\ntied with cords so that he could not call out.\n\nAnd as he lay there trembling with fright and pain, he felt as though\nswarms of insects were running over him. Then he saw standing on his\nnose a grinning Goblin. This little monster stamped and jumped with\ngreat delight; then making a fearful grimace, shouted:--\n\n  \u201c_Away! Away!\n  I smell the day!_\u201d\n\nAnd on this, an army of Goblins, Fairies, and Elves, who were running\nup and down the old man\u2019s body, stabbing him with pins, and pinching\nhim with tweezers, jumped quickly down, and rushed into the hillock;\nwhich closed immediately. And the old man saw the Fairies no more.\n\nAt length the sun rose and he found that he was tied to the ground\nwith a myriad of gossamer webs, which were covered with dew-drops that\nglistened like diamonds in the sunlight.\n\nHe shook himself free, and got up. Wet, cold, ashamed, and pinched\nblack and blue, he returned to his home. And you may be sure that he\nnever again tried to steal the Fairy Gold.\n\n\n\n\nLEGEND OF BOTTLE HILL\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nIt was in the good days, when the Little People were more frequently\nseen than they are in these unbelieving times, that a farmer, named\nMick Purcell, rented a few acres of barren ground not far from the city\nof Cork.\n\nMick had a wife and seven children. They did all that they could to\nget on, which was very little, for the poor man had no child grown big\nenough to help him in his work; and all that the poor woman could do\nwas to mind the children, milk the cow, boil the potatoes, and carry\nthe eggs to market. So besides the difficulty of getting enough to eat,\nit was hard on them to pay the rent.\n\nWell, they did manage to get along for a good while; but at last came\na bad year, and the little field of oats was spoiled, and the chickens\ndied of the pip, and the pig got the measles, and poor Mick found that\nhe hadn\u2019t enough to pay half his rent.\n\n\u201cWhy, then, Molly,\u201d said he, \u201cwhat\u2019ll we do?\u201d\n\n\u201cWisha, then, mavourneen, what would you do but take the cow to the\nFair of Cork, and sell her?\u201d said she. \u201cAnd Monday is Fair-day, so you\nmust go to-morrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what\u2019ll we do when she\u2019s gone?\u201d said Mick.\n\n\u201cNever a know I know, Mick, but sure God won\u2019t leave us without help.\nAnd you know how good He was to us when little Billy was sick, and\nwe had nothing at all for him to take--that good doctor gentleman\ncame riding past and asked for a drink of milk, and he gave us two\nshillings, and sent me things and a bottle for the child; and he came\nto see Billy and never left off his goodness until he was well.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, you are always hopeful, Molly, and I believe you are right, after\nall,\u201d Mick said, \u201cso I won\u2019t be sorry for selling the cow. I\u2019ll go\nto-morrow, and you must put a needle and thread through my coat, for\nyou know it\u2019s ripped under the arm.\u201d\n\nMolly told him he should have everything right. And about twelve\no\u2019clock the next day he left her, after having promised not to sell his\ncow except for the highest penny.\n\nHe drove the beast slowly through a little stream that crossed the road\nunder the walls of an old fort; and as he passed, he glanced his eyes\non a pile of stones and an old elder tree that stood up sharply against\nthe sky.\n\n\u201cOh, then, if only I had half the Fairy money that is buried in yon\nfort, \u2019tisn\u2019t driving this cow I\u2019d be now!\u201d said he aloud.\n\nThen he moved on after his beast. \u2019Twas a fine day, and the sun shone\nbrightly, and after he had gone six miles, he came to that hill--Bottle\nHill it is called now, but that was not the name of it then.\n\n\u201cGood morrow, Mick!\u201d said a little voice, and with that a little man\nstarted up out of the hill.\n\n\u201cGood morrow, kindly,\u201d said Mick, and he looked at the stranger who was\nlike a dwarf with a bit of an old wrinkled face, for all the world like\na dried cauliflower; only he had a sharp red nose, red eyes, and white\nhair. His eyes were never quiet, but looked at everything; and it made\nMick\u2019s blood run cold just to see them roll so rapidly from side to\nside.\n\nIn truth Mick did not like the little man\u2019s company at all, and he\ndrove his cow somewhat faster; but the little man kept up with him. Out\nof the corner of his eye Mick could see that he moved over the road\nwithout lifting one foot after the other; and the poor fellow\u2019s heart\ntrembled within him.\n\n\u201cWhere are you going with that cow, honest man?\u201d said the little man at\nlast.\n\n\u201cTo the Fair of Cork, then,\u201d said Mick, trembling even more at the\nshrill and piercing voice.\n\n\u201cAre you going to sell her?\u201d asked the little man.\n\n\u201cWhy, then, what else am I going for, but to sell her?\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you sell her to me?\u201d\n\nMick started. He was afraid to have anything to do with the little man,\nbut he was more afraid to say no.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, I\u2019ll give you this bottle,\u201d said the little man,\npulling a bottle from under his coat.\n\nMick looked at him and the bottle, and in spite of his terror he could\nnot help bursting into a loud fit of laughter.\n\n\u201cLaugh if you will!\u201d said the little man, \u201cbut I tell you that this\nbottle is better for you than all the money you will get for the cow at\nCork--aye, than ten thousand times as much.\u201d\n\nMick laughed again. \u201cWhy, then,\u201d said he, \u201cdo you think I am such\na fool as to give my good cow for a bottle--and an empty one, too!\nIndeed, then, I won\u2019t!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019d better give me the cow, and take the bottle--you\u2019ll not be sorry\nfor it,\u201d said the little man.\n\n\u201cWhy, then, what would Molly say? I\u2019d never hear the last of it! And\nhow should I pay the rent? And what should we do without a penny of\nmoney?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen you go home, never mind if your wife is angry,\u201d answered the\nlittle man, \u201cbut quiet yourself, and make her sweep the room, and set\nthe table in the middle of the floor, and spread the best cover on it.\nThen put the bottle on the ground, saying these words: \u2018Bottle, do your\nduty!\u2019 And you will see the end of it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd is this all?\u201d said Mick.\n\n\u201cNo more,\u201d said the stranger, forcing the bottle into Mick\u2019s hand. Then\nhe moved swiftly off after the cow.\n\nWell, Mick, rather sick at heart, retraced his steps toward his cabin,\nand as he went he could not help turning his head to look after the\nlittle man; but he had vanished completely.\n\n\u201cHe can\u2019t belong to this earth,\u201d exclaimed Mick in horror to himself.\n\u201cBut where is the cow?\u201d She, too, was gone; and Mick hurried homeward\nmuttering prayers and holding fast the bottle.\n\nHe soon reached his cabin, and surprised his wife sitting over the turf\nfire in the big chimney.\n\n\u201cOh! Mick, are you come back?\u201d said she. \u201cSure you weren\u2019t at Cork\nall the way? What has happened to you? Where is the cow? Did you sell\nher? How much money did you get for her? What news have you? Tell us\neverything.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, then, Molly, if you\u2019ll give me time, I\u2019ll tell you all about it!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! then, you sold her. Where\u2019s the money?\u201d\n\n\u201cArrah! stop a while, Molly, and I\u2019ll tell you all about it!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what is that bottle under your waistcoat?\u201d said Molly, seeing its\nneck sticking out.\n\n\u201cWhy, then, be easy about it,\u201d said Mick, \u201ctill I tell it you.\u201d And\nputting the bottle on the table, he added, \u201cThat\u2019s all I got for the\ncow.\u201d\n\nHis poor wife was thunderstruck. She sat crying, while Mick told her\nhis story, with many a crossing and blessing between him and harm.\nShe could not help believing him, for she had great faith in Fairies.\nSo she got up, and, without saying a word, began to sweep the earthen\nfloor with a bunch of heather. Then she tidied everything, and put the\nlong table in the middle of the room, and spread over it a clean cloth.\n\nAnd then Mick, placing the bottle on the ground, said: \u201cBottle, do your\nduty!\u201d\n\n\u201cLook! Look there, mammy!\u201d cried his eldest son. \u201cLook there! Look\nthere!\u201d and he sprang to his mother\u2019s side, as two tiny fellows rose\nlike light from the bottle; and in an instant they covered the table\nwith dishes and plates of gold and silver, full of the finest victuals\nthat ever were seen. And when all was done, the two tiny fellows went\ninto the bottle again.\n\nMick and his wife looked at everything with astonishment; they had\nnever seen such dishes and plates before, and the very sight of them\nalmost took their appetites away. But at length Molly said:--\n\n\u201cCome and sit down, Mick, and try to eat a bit. Sure, you ought to be\nhungry, after such a good day\u2019s work!\u201d\n\nSo they all sat down at the table. After they had eaten as much as they\nwished, Molly said:--\n\n\u201cI wonder will those two good, little gentlemen carry away these fine\nthings.\u201d\n\nThey waited, but no one came; so Molly put the dishes and plates\ncarefully aside. The next day Mick went to Cork and sold some of them,\nand bought a horse and cart.\n\nWeeks passed by, and the neighbours saw that Mick was making money;\nand, though he and his wife did all they could to keep the bottle a\nsecret, their landlord soon found out about it. Then he took the bottle\nby force away from Mick, and carried it carefully home.\n\nAs for Mick and his wife, they had so much money left that the loss of\nthe bottle did not worry them much at first; but they kept on spending\ntheir wealth as if there was no end to it. And to make a long story\nshort, they became poorer and poorer, until they had to sell their last\ncow.\n\nSo one morning early, Mick once more drove his cow to the Fair of Cork.\nIt was hardly daybreak when he left home, and he walked on until he\nreached the big hill; and just as he got to its top, and cast his eyes\nbefore and around him, up started the little man out of the hill.\n\n\u201cWell, Mick Purcell,\u201d said he, \u201cI told you that you would be a rich\nman!\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, then, so I was, that is no lie for you, sir,\u201d replied Mick.\n\u201cBut it\u2019s not rich I am now! And if you happen to have another bottle,\nhere is the cow for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd here is the bottle!\u201d said the little man, smiling. \u201cYou know what\nto do with it.\u201d\n\nAnd with that both the cow and the stranger disappeared as they had\ndone before.\n\nMick hurried away, anxious to get home with the bottle. He arrived with\nit safely enough, and called out to Molly to put the room to rights;\nand to lay a clean cloth on the table. Which she did.\n\nMick set the bottle on the ground, and cried out: \u201cBottle, do your\nduty!\u201d\n\nIn a twinkling two great, stout men with two huge clubs, issued from\nthe bottle, and belaboured poor Mick and his family until they lay\ngroaning on the floor. Then the two men went into the bottle again.\n\nMick, as soon as he came to himself, got up and looked around him.\nHe thought and he thought. He lifted up his wife and children, then\nleaving them to recover as best they could, he put the bottle under\nhis arm, and went to visit his landlord.\n\nThe landlord was having a great feast, and when he saw that Mick had\nanother bottle, he invited him heartily to come in.\n\n\u201cShow us your bottle, Mick,\u201d said he.\n\nSo Mick set it on the floor, and spoke the proper words; and in a\nmoment the landlord tumbled to the floor, and all his guests were\nrunning, and roaring, and sprawling, and kicking, and shrieking, while\nthe two great, stout men belaboured them well.\n\n\u201cStop those two scoundrels, Mick Purcell,\u201d shouted the landlord, \u201cor\nI\u2019ll hang you!\u201d\n\n\u201cThey shall never stop,\u201d said Mick, \u201ctill I get my own bottle that I\nsee on top of yon shelf.\u201d\n\n\u201cGive it to him! Give it to him, before we are killed!\u201d cried the\nlandlord.\n\nMick put his old bottle in his bosom. Then the two great, stout men\njumped into the new one, and Mick carried both bottles safely home.\n\nAnd to make my story short, from that time on Mick prospered. He got\nricher than ever, and his son married the landlord\u2019s daughter. And both\nMick and his wife lived to a great old age. They died on the same day,\nand at their wake the servants broke both bottles. But the hill has the\nname upon it; for so it will always be Bottle Hill to the end of the\nworld, for this is a strange story.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BROWN DWARF\n\n\n  The pleasant isle of R\u00fcgen looks the Baltic water o\u2019er,\n  To the silver-sanded beaches of the Pomeranian shore;\n\n  And in the town of Rambin a little boy and maid\n  Plucked the meadow-flowers together and in the sea-surf played.\n\n  Alike were they in beauty if not in their degree:\n  He was the Amptman\u2019s first-born, the miller\u2019s child was she.\n\n  Now of old the isle of R\u00fcgen was full of Dwarfs and Trolls,\n  The brown-faced little Earth-men, the people without souls;\n\n  And for every man and woman in R\u00fcgen\u2019s island found\n  Walking in air and sunshine, a Troll was underground.\n\n  It chanced the little maiden, one morning, strolled away\n  Among the haunted Nine Hills, where the Elves and Goblins play.\n\n  That day, in barley fields below, the harvesters had known\n  Of evil voices in the air, and heard the small horns blown.\n\n  She came not back; the search for her in field and wood was vain:\n  They cried her east, they cried her west, but she came not again.\n\n  \u201cShe\u2019s down among the Brown Dwarfs,\u201d said the dream-wives wise and\n    old,\n  And prayers were made, and masses said, and Rambin\u2019s church bell\n    tolled.\n\n  Five years her father mourned her; and then John Deitrich said:\n  \u201cI will find my little playmate, be she alive or dead.\u201d\n\n  He watched among the Nine Hills, he heard the Brown Dwarfs sing,\n  And saw them dance by moonlight merrily in a ring.\n\n  And when their gay-robed leader tossed up his cap of red,\n  Young Deitrich caught it as it fell, and thrust it on his head.\n\n  The Troll came crouching at his feet and wept for lack of it.\n  \u201cOh, give me back my magic cap, for your great head unfit!\u201d\n\n  \u201cNay,\u201d Deitrich said; \u201cthe Dwarf who throws his charm\u00e8d cap away,\n  Must serve its finder at his will, and for his folly pay.\n\n  \u201cYou stole my pretty Lisbeth, and hid her in the earth;\n  And you shall ope the door of glass and let me lead her forth.\u201d\n\n  \u201cShe will not come; she\u2019s one of us; she\u2019s mine!\u201d the Brown Dwarf\n    said;\n  \u201cThe day is set, the cake is baked, to-morrow we shall wed.\u201d\n\n  \u201cThe fell fiend fetch thee!\u201d Deitrich cried, \u201cand keep thy foul tongue\n    still.\n  Quick! open, to thy evil world, the glass door of the hill!\u201d\n\n  The Dwarf obeyed; and youth and Troll down the long stairway passed,\n  And saw in dim and sunless light a country strange and vast.\n\n  Weird, rich, and wonderful, he saw the Elfin under-land,--\n  Its palaces of precious stones, its streets of golden sand.\n\n  He came into a banquet-hall with tables richly spread,\n  Where a young maiden served to him the red wine and the bread.\n\n  How fair she seemed among the Trolls so ugly and so wild!\n  Yet pale and very sorrowful, like one who never smiled!\n\n  Her low, sweet voice, her gold-brown hair, her tender blue eyes seemed\n  Like something he had seen elsewhere or something he had dreamed.\n\n  He looked; he clasped her in his arms; he knew the long-lost one;\n  \u201cO Lisbeth! See thy playmate--I am the Amptman\u2019s son!\u201d\n\n  She leaned her fair head on his breast, and through her sobs she\n    spoke:\n  \u201cOh, take me from this evil place, and from the Elfin folk!\n\n  \u201cAnd let me tread the grass-green fields and smell the flowers again,\n  And feel the soft wind on my cheek and hear the dropping rain!\n\n  \u201cAnd Oh, to hear the singing bird, the rustling of the tree,\n  The lowing cows, the bleat of sheep, the voices of the sea;\n\n  \u201cAnd Oh, upon my father\u2019s knee to sit beside the door,\n  And hear the bell of vespers ring in Rambin church once more!\u201d\n\n  He kissed her cheek, he kissed her lips; the Brown Dwarf groaned to\n    see,\n  And tore his tangled hair and ground his long teeth angrily.\n\n  But Deitrich said: \u201cFor five long years this tender Christian maid\n  Has served you in your evil world, and well must she be paid!\n\n  \u201cHaste!--hither bring me precious gems, the richest in your store;\n  Then when we pass the gate of glass, you\u2019ll take your cap once more.\u201d\n\n  No choice was left the baffled Troll, and, murmuring, he obeyed,\n  And filled the pockets of the youth and apron of the maid.\n\n  They left the dreadful under-land and passed the gate of glass;\n  They felt the sunshine\u2019s warm caress, they trod the soft, green grass.\n\n  And when, beneath, they saw the Dwarf stretch up to them his brown\n  And crooked claw-like fingers, they tossed his red cap down.\n\n  Oh, never shone so bright a sun, was never sky so blue,\n  As hand in hand they homeward walked the pleasant meadows through!\n\n  And never sang the birds so sweet in Rambin\u2019s woods before,\n  And never washed the waves so soft along the Baltic shore;\n\n  And when beneath his door-yard trees the father met his child,\n  The bells rung out their merriest peal, the folks with joy ran wild.\n\n  And soon from Rambin\u2019s holy church the twain came forth as one,\n  The Amptman kissed a daughter, the miller blest a son.\n\n  John Deitrich\u2019s fame went far and wide, and nurse and maid crooned\n    o\u2019er\n  Their cradle song: \u201cSleep on, sleep well, the Trolls shall come no\n    more!\u201d\n\n  For in the haunted Nine Hills he set a cross of stone;\n  And Elf and Brown Dwarf sought in vain a door where door was none.\n\n  The tower he built in Rambin, fair R\u00fcgen\u2019s pride and boast,\n  Looked o\u2019er the Baltic water to the Pomeranian coast;\n\n  And, for his worth ennobled, and rich beyond compare,\n  Count Deitrich and his lovely bride dwelt long and happy there.\n\n                                               _John Greenleaf Whittier_\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE MEN AND TREASURES OF GOLD\n\n\n\n\n  _And will you come away, my lad,\n    And search for Fairy-Treasure?\n  The pots of gold and diamond-heaps\n    Lie buried without measure._\n\n  _And Little Men with wagging beards,\n    Guard all with Elfin-spell.\n  And you must catch a Little Man;\n    Then he the Word will tell,_\n\n  _The Magic Word that opes the hills,\n    Unearths the Golden Crocks,\n  Uncloses all the Treasure-Caves,\n    And breaks the Fairy-Locks!_\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY WHO FOUND THE POTS OF GOLD\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nThere was once a poor boy who used to drive his cart along the road,\nand sell turf to the neighbours. He was a strange boy, very silent, and\nspent his evenings in his little hut, where he lived alone, reading\nold bits of books he had picked up in his rambles. And as he read, he\nlonged to be rich and live in a fine house with a garden all round him,\nand to have plenty of books.\n\nNow he once read how the Fairies\u2019 Shoemakers, the Leprechauns--merry,\ntricksy little sprites--sit at sunset under the hedges mending the\nshoes of Elfin Folk. And how they chuckle as they work, for they know\nwhere the pots of Fairy Gold are hidden.\n\nSo, evening after evening, the boy watched the hedges hoping to catch\na glimpse of a little cobbler, and to hear the click-clack of his tiny\nhammer.\n\nAt last, one evening, just as the sun was setting, the boy saw a little\nLeprechaun sitting under a dock-leaf, and working away hard on a small\nboot. He was dressed in green and wore a red cap on his head. The boy\njumped down from his cart, and catching the Leprechaun by the neck,\ncried merrily:--\n\n\u201cHo! Ho! My fine little man, you can\u2019t get away until you tell me where\nthe Fairy Gold is hidden!\u201d\n\n\u201cEasy now!\u201d said the little man, laughing. \u201cDon\u2019t hurt me, and I\u2019ll\ntell you all about it. I could harm you, if I wished, for I have the\npower; but I like you, and you are an industrious lad. So carry me to\nyonder fort, and I\u2019ll show you the gold.\u201d\n\nCarrying the Leprechaun carefully, the boy took a few steps, and found\nhimself close to the ruins of an old fort. A door opened in a stone\nwall, and he walked in.\n\n\u201cNow look around,\u201d said the Leprechaun.\n\nThen the boy saw that the whole ground was covered with gold pieces,\nwhile pots full of gold and silver money stood about in such plenty\nthat it seemed as if all the riches of the world were there.\n\n\u201cTake what you want,\u201d said the Leprechaun, \u201cand be quick about it; for\nif the door shuts you will never leave this place alive.\u201d\n\nThe boy hurried, and gathered his arms full of gold and silver, and\nhastening out of the door, flung all into the cart. Then he brought out\nsome of the pots; but when he was on his way back for more, the door\nshut with a clap like thunder, and night fell, and all was dark.\n\nThe boy saw no more of the Leprechaun; and as he could not even thank\nhim, he thought that it was best to drive home at once and hide his\ntreasure.\n\nWhen he reached his hut, he counted all the bright yellow pieces and\nshining silver ones, and found that he was as rich as a king. And\nbecause he was wise, he told no one about his adventure, but the next\nday drove to town and put all his money in the bank.\n\nAfter that he ordered a fine house, and laid out a spacious garden,\nand had servants, and carriages, and many books. Then he married the\ndaughter of a magistrate, and became great and powerful. His memory is\nstill held in reverence by his townspeople. His descendants are living\nrich and happy; and no matter how much they give to the poor, their\nwealth always increases.\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAGWEED\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nTom was as clean, clever, and tight looking a lad as any in the whole\ncounty Cork. One fine holiday in harvest-time, he was taking a ramble\nand was sauntering along the sunny side of a hedge, when suddenly he\nheard a crackling sound among the leaves.\n\n\u201cDear me!\u201d said he, \u201cbut isn\u2019t it really surprising to hear the\nstone-chats singing so late in the season!\u201d\n\nAnd with that he stole along, going on the tips of his toes, to see\nif he could get sight of what was making the noise. He looked sharply\nunder the bushes, and what should he see in a nook in the hedge but a\nbig brown pitcher holding a gallon or more of dark looking liquor. And\nstanding close to it was a little, diny, dony bit of an old man as big\nas your thumb, with a tiny cocked hat stuck on the top of his head, and\na deesy, daushy, leather apron hanging down before him.\n\nThe little old man pulled a little brown stool from under the hedge,\nand, standing upon it, dipped a little cup into the pitcher. Then he\ntook the cup out, full of the brown liquor, and putting it on the\nground, sat down on the stool under the shadow of the pitcher. He\nbegan to put a heel-piece on a bit of a boot just the size for himself.\n\n\u201cBless my soul!\u201d said Tom to himself, in great surprise, \u201cI\u2019ve often\nheard tell of the Leprechauns, but I never rightly believed in them!\nBut here\u2019s one in real earnest! Now if I set about things right, I\u2019m a\nmade man! Folks say that a body must never take his eyes off them or\nthey\u2019ll get away.\u201d\n\nSo Tom stole nearer, with his eyes fixed on the little man, just as\na cat does with a mouse. And when he got close up to him, he said\nsoftly:--\n\n\u201cHow goes your work, neighbour?\u201d\n\nThe little man raised his head. \u201cVery well, thank you kindly,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m surprised that you should be working on a holiday,\u201d said Tom.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s my own business, not yours,\u201d said the little man.\n\n\u201cWell, will you be civil enough to tell me what\u2019s in your pitcher?\u201d\nsaid Tom.\n\n\u201cThat I will, with pleasure,\u201d said the little man. \u201c\u2019Tis Elfin beer.\u201d\n\n\u201cElfin beer!\u201d said Tom. \u201cThunder and fire! Where did you get it?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy I made it--I made it of heath,\u201d said the little man.\n\n\u201cOf heath!\u201d said Tom bursting out laughing. \u201cAnd will you give a body\na taste of it?\u201d asked he.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what it is, young man,\u201d said the Leprechaun, \u201cit would\nbe fitter for you to be looking after your cows that have broken\ninto the oats yonder, than to stand here asking honest folks foolish\nquestions!\u201d\n\nTom was so taken by surprise at this, that he was just going to turn\nhis head to look for the cows, when he remembered not to take his\neyes off the Leprechaun. Instead, he made a grab at the little man\nand caught him up in his hand; but, as bad luck would have it, he\noverturned the pitcher with his foot, and all the liquor was spilt.\n\n\u201cYou little rogue!\u201d cried he, shaking the Leprechaun hard, and looking\nvery wicked and angry. \u201cTell me where your gold is hidden, and show me\nall your money!\u201d\n\nAt that the little man was quite frightened. \u201cCome along with me,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cand I\u2019ll show you a crock of gold in a field over there.\u201d\n\nSo they went, Tom holding the Leprechaun very tightly, and never taking\nhis eyes off him. They crossed hedges and ditches and a crooked bit of\nbog, until they came to a great field of ragweed. Then the Leprechaun\npointed to one of the weeds, and said:--\n\n\u201cDig under that, and you\u2019ll get a crock full of guineas.\u201d\n\nAs Tom had no spade with him, he thought to himself: \u201cI\u2019ll run home and\nfetch one. And so that I\u2019ll know the place again, I\u2019ll tie my garter\naround this weed.\u201d\n\nSo he tied his red garter around the ragweed.\n\n\u201cI suppose,\u201d said the Leprechaun politely, \u201cthat now you have no\nfurther use for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Tom, \u201cyou may go, if you wish. And thank you very kindly,\u201d\nhe said, laughing loudly, \u201cfor showing me where all your money lies!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, good-bye to you, Tom,\u201d said the little man, \u201cand much good may\nit do you, what you\u2019ll get,\u201d said he; and with that he jumped behind\nthe weed, and vanished.\n\nSo Tom ran home for dear life and fetched a spade, and then back as\nhard as he could go to the field.\n\nBut when he got there, lo, and behold! not a ragweed in the whole field\nbut had a red garter, just like his own, tied to it! And as for digging\nup that whole field, it was out of the question, for there were more\nthan forty good Irish acres in it.\n\nSo Tom went home again with his spade, a little cooler, and, you may be\nsure, ashamed to tell any one about the neat turn the Leprechaun had\nserved him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BAD BOY AND THE LEPRECHAUN\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nNow, it is well known that if a Leprechaun is offended he can be most\nmalicious. So one must treat him politely, or he will not reveal where\nthe pots of Fairy Gold are hidden.\n\nIt happened one afternoon that a lad was working in the fields when\nhe heard at his feet, \u201cRip! Rap! Tick! Tack!\u201d and looking down he saw\na little fellow no bigger than his hand sitting under a burdock-leaf,\nmending shoes. He grabbed him up, and putting him in his pocket, ran\nhome. There was no one in the house, so he tied the Leprechaun to the\nhob, saying:--\n\n\u201cTell me, you little rogue, where I may find a pot of gold.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I will not tell you,\u201d replied the Leprechaun, \u201cunless you let me\ngo, so that I may finish cobbling the Elfin King\u2019s shoes.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll make you tell me _now_ where the gold is!\u201d said the lad.\n\nAnd with that he built a rousing fire under the Leprechaun to roast him.\n\n\u201cOh, take me off! Take me off!\u201d yelled the little fellow, \u201cand I\u2019ll\ntell you! Just go to the burdock-leaf under which I was sitting, and\nthere is the pot of gold. Only go, dig, and find it, before the sun\nsets.\u201d\n\nThe lad was so delighted that, without stopping to untie the\nLeprechaun, he ran out of the house. It happened that his mother was\njust coming in with a pail of new milk. He hit the pail and spilt the\nmilk on the floor, but he ran on laughing. And when his mother saw the\nLeprechaun struggling on the hob, she was furiously angry.\n\n\u201cSee what bad luck you have brought us, you rogue!\u201d she cried. And with\nthat she untied the little fellow and kicked him out of the house.\n\nBut the lad ran on until he came to the burdock-leaf; and he dug, and\ndug, and dug, but there was no pot of gold there, for the sun had set.\nSo he started sorrowfully for home, and just as he was passing an old\nfort he heard laughter, and a squeaky voice crying out:--\n\n\u201cThat boy is looking for a pot of gold! ha! ha! But little does he know\nthat a whole crock full is lying at the bottom of the old quarry. Only\nhe must go to fetch it at midnight, and he must not take his mother\nwith him.\u201d\n\nWhen the lad heard this he hurried home and told his mother. At\nmidnight he started out, after ordering her to stay in the house. But\nas soon as he was gone she thought to herself: \u201cI\u2019ll get to the quarry\nbefore he does, and find and keep the gold!\u201d\n\nSo she ran by a shorter way, and when she reached the edge of the\nquarry she slipped on a stone, fell to the bottom, and broke her leg.\nAnd there she lay groaning dreadfully.\n\nSoon the lad came along, and just as he was going to climb down he\nheard some one groan.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s below?\u201d he cried in a fright. \u201cIs it evil? Is it good?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s your mother with a broken leg,\u201d groaned she.\n\n\u201cAnd is this my pot of gold!\u201d exclaimed the lad, angrily.\n\nAnd with that he ran for a neighbour, and together they drew the woman\nup and took her home. And from that day on she was lame.\n\nAs for the Leprechaun, he is still sitting under the burdock-leaf, and\nhe laughs at the lad and his mother, as he mends his little shoes with\nhis tiny hammer, Rip! Rap! Tick! Tack!--but they are afraid to touch\nhim, for they know he can punish them badly.\n\n\n\n\nTOM AND THE KNOCKERS\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nFrom the time that Tom was old enough to handle pick and shovel, he\nhad worked in the tin mines. And very lucky he was, always finding\nrich lodes of tin, or stumbling on heaps of Cornish diamonds that some\nunknown hands had piled up to carry off.\n\nOne night Tom was working hard in an old mine--a very ancient mine\nindeed--when he heard sounds like those of tiny shovels and picks.\n\n\u201c\u2019Tis the Knockers!\u201d said Tom to himself, and he listened quietly.\nThen he heard, as if only two or three yards away, little miners doing\nall sorts of underground work. Some were wheeling barrows, others\nwere shovelling; and he could distinguish even the sounds of boring,\nswabbing the holes, and blasting.\n\nThe noises came nearer and nearer, and Tom heard distinctly many\nsqueaky voices all talking at once, and strange cackling laughter. He\ngrew quite savage listening to all this clatter, and to the squeaking\nand tee-hee-ing; and being a rash fellow, he struck the wall before\nhim violently with his pick, and threw a handful of stones in the\ndirection where the Knockers seemed to be working.\n\n\u201cScat!\u201d he shouted, \u201cor I\u2019ll beat your brains out, I will, if you don\u2019t\nleave here!\u201d\n\nThe words were scarcely out of his mouth, when a shower of stones\nfell all around him, and on him, and frightened him nearly out of\nhis senses. Still he was resolved to work there until morning and so\nhe kept on using his pick for about an hour. Then, as his candle was\nburned out, he stopped, lit another, and sat down to eat his breakfast.\n\nHe had almost finished his bread and cheese, when he heard many little\nsqueaking voices, some far away, and others close to him, crying out:--\n\n\u201cTom! Tom! Leave us a bite of your breakfast, or bad luck to you,\nto-morrow, Tom!\u201d\n\nAt first he could not make out the words, only his own name, then the\ncries sounded very plain, and he was angry. \u201cLeave the little rogues\na bite of my good breakfast!\u201d thought he, \u201cnot a crumb of it do they\nget!\u201d And with that he ate the last morsel.\n\nThen he heard the little voices squeaking louder than before:--\n\n\u201cTom! Tom! We\u2019ll send you bad luck to-morrow, Tom! you greedy creature\nnot to leave a single crumb for the Knockers!\u201d\n\nAnd they kept on squeaking, and tee-heeing in a mocking way; but\ngetting farther and farther in the distance until they were quite gone.\n\nThen Tom felt tired and drowsy, and lay down on the floor to sleep\nawhile.\n\nWhen he waked, the place was very still. He rubbed his eyes, and\nsaw a score of Knockers leaning on their tools, and standing in a\ncircle around him. They were little, withered old men, with legs like\ndrum-sticks, and arms longer and thinner than their legs. They kept\nnodding their great ugly heads, squinting their horrid eyes, wriggling\ntheir hooked noses, and grinning from ear to ear.\n\nTom lay there trembling and frightened almost to death. Then the oldest\nand ugliest of the Knockers came close to him, and stooping, made the\nmost horrid grimaces in Tom\u2019s face; while all the others lolled out\ntheir tongues, and rolled themselves into balls, and grinned at him\nfrom between their spindle-legs.\n\nThen Tom saw that his candle was sputtering and just going out, and he\nsprang to his feet to light another. As he did so, all the little men\nvanished. They seemed to melt away one into the other like puffs of\nsmoke.\n\nFeeling very stiff and tired, Tom mounted the ladders, and left the\nmine. When he told the old tinners what he had seen, they were not\nsurprised, for it was well known among them that the mine Tom had been\nworking in was the abode of troops of Knockers. But the tinners, one\nand all, blamed Tom for speaking to the little men in an unfriendly\nway, and for not leaving them a bite of his breakfast.\n\nFrom that time on, all Tom\u2019s luck was gone. The mines closed down, and\nhis money went, and he was hurt by a fall. And though he tried hard to\nfind the Knockers again, so that he might feed them well, he never saw\none, nor even heard the sounds of their picks and shovels in the mine.\n\n\n\n\nTHE KNOCKERS\u2019 DIAMONDS\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nJACK THE TINNER\u2019S STORY\n\nOne night I was working away for dear life, in yonder old tin mine. I\nwas in good heart, because at every stroke of my tool I heard three or\nfour clicks from Knockers who were working ahead. By the sounds they\nseemed to be very near.\n\nJust then a hard stroke of my pick broke open the rock in front of\nme, and I saw into a large grotto. The light of my candle fell on\nits walls, and my eyes were dazzled by the glistening of bunches of\ndiamonds and crystals of all colours that hung down from the roof, and\nencrusted the sides.\n\nWhile I was rubbing my eyes, I saw three little Knockers. They were\nno bigger than sixpenny dolls, yet their faces were old and strange.\nThe eldest one was sitting on a stone, his jacket off, and his\nshirt-sleeves rolled up. Between his knees he held a tiny anvil, and\nhe was sharpening a borer about the size of a needle, for one of the\nKnockers. The third little fellow was awaiting his turn, pick-axe in\nhand.\n\nWhen the Knocker-smith had finished sharpening the borer, he rested his\nhammer on the anvil, and looked toward me.\n\n\u201cWhat cheer, comrade?\u201d he said. \u201cI could not think from where the cold\nwind was coming. The draught from your hole has blown out my light.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! Good-morning! Is that you? How are you?\u201d said I. \u201cAnd how is the\nrest of your family? I am glad to see you. I\u2019ll fetch you my candle in\na minute, that you may see better. In fact, I\u2019ll give you a pound of\ncandles, my dear, with all my heart, if you want them,\u201d said I.\n\nIn less than no time I put my hand through the hole to give him my\ncandle, when, what do you think?--there wasn\u2019t a Knocker in sight!\n\n\u201cWhere are they gone?\u201d thought I. Then I heard them somewhere in the\nlode ahead, tee-heeing, and cackling, and squeaking like young rabbits.\n\nAnd there I was left in their pretty workshop, with bunches of diamonds\nall around me. I laid my coat on the floor, and filled it with diamonds\nand coloured crystals, and then hurried out of the mine. But when I\nwent back to get some more, the rocks had caved in, and I never could\nfind the grotto again.\n\n\n\n\nSKILLYWIDDEN\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nEvery one knows that before King Arthur ruled in Britain, the Danes\nconquered Cornwall. Then many of the rich Cornish folk buried their\ngold and treasures, and fled to the land of Wales. A few years after\nthat King Arthur came with his knights, and drove the Danes out of\nCornwall. Then the folk came back, but never again could they find\ntheir buried treasures. And to-day none but the Spriggans know where\nthe gold is hidden.\n\nWell, one morning not very long ago Uncle Billy of Trevidga was out\non the side of a hill, cutting away the furze that was as high as his\nhead, with bare places here and there covered with white clover, heath,\nand whortleberries. Uncle Billy was working hard, when he spied the\nprettiest little creature, a real little man, not bigger than a kitten,\nsleeping on a bank of wild thyme. He was dressed in a green coat,\nsky-blue breeches, and diamond-buckled shoes. His tiny cocked hat was\ndrawn over his face, to shade it from the sun.\n\nUncle Billy stooped and looked at him, and longed to carry him home to\nhis children, for he had a houseful of little ones, boys and girls. So\nhe took off his cuff, and slipped it quickly over the Spriggan--for a\nSpriggan it was that lay there--before he could wake.\n\nThe little fellow opened his pretty eyes, and said in a sleepy voice:\n\u201cMammy! Where are you? Mammy! Daddy!\u201d Then he saw Uncle Billy looking\nat him. \u201cWho are you?\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re a fine, great giant! I want my\nMammy! Can you find her for me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know where she is,\u201d answered Uncle Billy. \u201cBut come home with\nme, and play with my children, until your Mammy finds you.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said the Spriggan. \u201cI love to ride goats over the rocks,\nand to have milk and blackberries for supper. Will you give me some?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my son,\u201d said Uncle Billy; and with that he picked up the\nSpriggan gently, and carried him home.\n\nWell, you should have seen the children! They were so happy to own a\nSpriggan! They set the little fellow on the hearth, and he played with\nthem as if he had known them always. Uncle Billy and his wife were\ndelighted, and the children shouted for joy, when the pretty little man\ncapered and jumped about. They called him Bobby Spriggan. Twice a day\nthey gave him a wee mug of milk and a few blackberries, and now and\nthen some haws for a change.\n\nIn the mornings, while Uncle Billy\u2019s wife and the children were doing\nthe housework, Bobby Spriggan sat perched on the faggots in the\nwood-corner, and sang and chirped away like a Robin Redbreast.\n\nWhen the hearth was swept, and the kitchen made tidy, and Uncle Billy\u2019s\nwife was knitting, Bobby would dance for hours on the hearthstone. The\nfaster her needles clicked, the faster he danced and spun around and\naround. And the children laughed and clapped their hands, and danced\nwith him.\n\nA week or so after Bobby Spriggan had been found, Uncle Billy had to\nleave home. As he wished to keep the little fellow safe and sound until\nhe told where the crocks of Cornish gold were hidden, Uncle Billy shut\nhim up with the youngest children in the barn, and put a strong padlock\non the door.\n\n\u201cNow stay in the barn and play,\u201d called Uncle Billy to the children.\n\u201cAnd don\u2019t try to get out, or when I come home you\u2019ll get a walloping,\u201d\nsaid he, and then went away.\n\nThe children laughed a part of the time, and a part of the time they\ncried, for they did not like to be locked in the barn. But Bobby\nSpriggan was as merry as a cricket. He danced and sang, and peeped\nthrough the cracks in the wall at the men who were working in the\nfields. And when the men went to dinner, up jumped Bobby and unbarred\na window.\n\n\u201cCome along, children!\u201d he cried. \u201cNow for a game of hide-and-seek in\nthe furze!\u201d\n\nThen he sprang out the window, and the children followed after. And\naway they all ran to play in the furze.\n\nThey were shouting and throwing whortleberries about, when suddenly\nthey saw a little man and woman no bigger than Bobby. The little\nman was dressed like Bobby, except that he wore high riding-boots\nwith silver spurs. The little woman\u2019s green gown was spangled with\nglittering stars. Diamond shoe-buckles shone on her high-heeled shoes,\nand her tiny steeple-crowned hat was perched on a pile of golden curls,\nwreathed with heath blossoms. The pretty little soul was weeping and\nwringing her hands, and crying:--\n\n\u201cO my dear, tender Skillywidden! Where canst thou be! Shall I never set\neyes on thee again, my only one, my only joy?\u201d\n\n\u201cGo back! Go back!\u201d cried Bobby Spriggan to the children. Then he\ncalled out: \u201cHere I am, Mammy!\u201d\n\nAnd just as he said, \u201cHere I am,\u201d the little man and the little woman,\nand Bobby Spriggan himself, who was their precious Skillywidden,\nvanished, and were seen no more.\n\nThe children cried and cried, and went home. And when Uncle Billy\ncame back you may be sure that he whipped them all soundly. And it\nserved them right, for if they had minded and stayed in the barn,\nBobby Spriggan would have shown Uncle Billy where the Cornish gold was\nhidden.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LEPRECHAUN, OR FAIRY SHOEMAKER\n\n\nSTRANGER\n\n  Little Cowboy, what have you heard,\n  Up on the lonely rath\u2019s green mound?\n\nLITTLE COWBOY\n\n  Only the plaintive yellowbird\n  Sighing in sultry fields around,\n  \u201cChary, chary, chary, chee-ee!--\u201d\n  Only the grasshopper and the bee.\n\nFAIRY SHOEMAKER (_singing underground_)\n\n    Tip-tap, rip-rap,\n    Tick-a-tack-too!\n  Scarlet leather, sewn together,\n    This will make a shoe.\n  Left, right, pull it tight;\n    Summer days are warm;\n  Underground in Winter,\n    Laughing at the storm!\n\nSTRANGER\n\n  Lay your ear close to the hill.\n  Do you not catch the tiny clamour,\n  Busy click of an Elfin hammer,\n  Voice of the Leprechaun singing shrill\n  As he merrily plies his trade?\n    He\u2019s a span\n    And a quarter in height.\n  Get him in sight, hold him tight,\n    And you\u2019re a made\n      Man!\n  You watch your cattle the Summer day,\n  Sup on potatoes, sleep in the hay;\n    How would you like to roll in your carriage,\n    Look for a Duchess\u2019s daughter in marriage?\n  Seize the Shoemaker--then you may!\n\nFAIRY SHOEMAKER (_singing underground_)\n\n    Big boots a-hunting,\n    Sandals in the hall,\n  White for a wedding-feast,\n    Pink for a ball.\n  This way, that way,\n    So we make a shoe;\n  Getting rich every stitch,\n    Tick-a-tack-too!\n\nSTRANGER\n\n  Nine-and-ninety treasure-crocks\n  This keen Miser-Fairy hath,\n  Hid in mountains, woods, and rocks,\n  Ruin and round-tow\u2019r, cave and rath,\n    And where the cormorants build;\n      From times of old\n      Guarded by him;\n      Each of them filled\n      Full to the brim\n        With gold!\n  I caught him at work one day, myself,\n    In the castle-ditch, where Foxglove grows,--\n  A wrinkled, wizened, and bearded Elf,\n    Spectacles stuck on his pointed nose,\n    Silver buckles to his hose,\n    Leather apron--shoe in his lap--\n\nFAIRY SHOEMAKER (_singing underground_)\n\n    Rip-rap, tip-tap,\n    Tick-a-tack-too!\n  (A grasshopper on my cap!\n    Away the moth flew!)\n  Buskins for a Fairy Prince,\n    Brogues for his son,--\n  Pay me well, pay me well,\n    When the job is done!\n\nSTRANGER\n\n  The rogue was mine, beyond a doubt.\n  I stared at him; he stared at me;\n  \u201cServant, sir!\u201d \u201cHumph!\u201d says he,\n    And pulled a snuff-box out.\n  He took a long pinch, looked better pleased,\n    The queer little Leprechaun;\n  Offer\u00e8d the box with a whimsical grace,--\n  Pouf! he flung the dust in my face,\n    And, while I sneezed,\n      Was gone!\n\n                            _William Allingham_\n\n\n\n\nGLAD LITTLE, SAD LITTLE, BAD LITTLE ELVES\n\n\n\n\n  _Saint Francis and Saint Benedict,\n  Bless this house from wicked wight;\n  From the Night-mare and the Goblin\n  That is hight Good-Fellow Robin;\n  Keep it from all evil spirits,\n  Fairies, weasels, rats, and ferrets,\n      From curfew-time\n      To the next prime._\n\n            WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT (1635?)\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE REDCAP\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nSure and it was in old Ireland, some years ago, that Tom Coghlan\nreturned one evening to his house, expecting to find the fire blazing,\nthe potatoes boiling, and his wife and children as merry as grigs. But,\ninstead, the fire was out, his wife was scolding, and the children were\nall crying from hunger.\n\nPoor Tom was quite astonished to find matters going on so badly, for,\nthough there was a plenty of potatoes in the house, there wasn\u2019t a\nsingle stick of wood for the fire. Something had to be done. And Tom\nbethought himself of the great furze-bushes that grew around the ruins\nof the old fort on top of the near-by hill. So he snatched up his axe\nand away he went.\n\nBefore he reached the top of the hill the sun had gone down, and the\nmoon had risen and was shedding her wavering, watery light on the ruins\nof the old fort. The breeze rustled the dark furze-bushes with an eerie\nsound, and Tom shivered with dread. But he braced up his heart, and,\napproaching the fort, raised his axe to cut down a big bush. Just then,\nnear him, he heard the shriek of a small, shrill voice.\n\nTom, startled, let the axe fall from his grasp, and, looking up, saw\nperched on the furze-bush in front of him a little old man, not more\nthan a foot and a half high. He wore a red cap. His face was the colour\nof a withered mushroom, while his sparkling eyes, twinkling like\ndiamonds in the dark, illuminated his distorted face. His thin legs\ndangled from his fat, round body.\n\n\u201cHo! Ho!\u201d said the Little Redcap, \u201cis that what you\u2019re after, Tom\nCoghlan? What did me and mine ever do to you that you should cut down\nour bushes?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, then, nothing at all, your honour!\u201d said Tom, recovering a bit\nfrom his fright, \u201cnothing at all! Only the children were crying from\nhunger, and I thought I\u2019d make bold to cut a bush or two to boil the\npotatoes, for we haven\u2019t a stick in the house.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou mustn\u2019t cut down these bushes, Tom!\u201d said the Little Redcap. \u201cBut,\nas you are an honest man, I\u2019ll buy them from you, though I have a\nbetter right to them than you have. So, if you\u2019ll take my advice, carry\nthis mill home with you, and let the bushes alone,\u201d said the Little\nRedcap, holding out a tiny stone mill for grinding meal.\n\n\u201cMill, indeed!\u201d said Tom, looking with astonishment at the thing, which\nwas so small that he could have put it with ease into his breeches\npocket. \u201cMill, indeed! And what good will a bit of a thing like that do\nme? Sure, it won\u2019t boil the potatoes for the children!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat good will it do you?\u201d said the Little Redcap. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what\ngood it will do you! It will make you and your family as fat and strong\nas so many stall-fed bullocks. And if it won\u2019t boil the potatoes, it\nwill do a great deal better, for you have only to grind it, and it will\ngive you the greatest plenty of elegant meal. But if you ever sell any\nof the meal, that moment the mill will lose its power.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a bargain,\u201d said Tom. \u201cSo give me the mill, and you\u2019re heartily\nwelcome to the bushes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere it is for you, Tom,\u201d said the Little Redcap, throwing the mill\ndown to him; \u201cthere it is for you, and much good may it do you! But\nremember you are not to sell the meal on any account.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me alone for that!\u201d said Tom.\n\nAnd then he made the best of his way home, where his wife was trying\nto comfort the children, wondering all the time what in the world was\nkeeping Tom. And when she saw him return without so much as one stick\nof wood to boil the potatoes, her anger burst out. But Tom soon quieted\nher by placing the mill on the table and telling her how he had got it\nfrom the Little Redcap.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll try it directly,\u201d said she. And they pulled the table into the\nmiddle of the floor, and commenced grinding away with the mill. Before\nlong a stream of beautiful meal began pouring from it; and in a short\ntime they had filled every dish and pail in the house. Tom\u2019s wife was\ndelighted, as you may believe, and the children managed the best they\ncould for that night by eating plenty of raw meal.\n\nWell, after that everything went very well with Tom and his family. The\nmill gave them all the meal they wanted, and they grew as fat and sleek\nas coach-horses. But one morning when Tom was away from home, his wife\nneeded money. So she took a few pecks of the meal to town and sold it\nin the market.\n\nAnd sorry enough she was, for that night, when Tom came home and began\nto grind the mill, not a speck of meal would come from it! He could not\nfor the life of him find out the reason, for his wife was afraid to\ntell him about her selling the meal.\n\n\u201cSure, and the little old fellow cheated me well!\u201d thought Tom, as mad\nas a nest of hornets. So he put his axe under his arm, and away he went\nto the old fort, determined to punish the Little Redcap by cutting down\nhis bushes. But scarcely had he lifted his axe, when the Little Redcap\nappeared, and mighty angry he was, too, that Tom should come cutting\nhis bushes, after having made a fair bargain with him.\n\n\u201cYou deceitful, little, ugly vagabond!\u201d cried Tom, flourishing his axe,\n\u201cto give me a mill that wasn\u2019t worth a sixpence! If you don\u2019t give me a\ngood one for it, I\u2019ll cut down every bush!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat a blusterer you are, Tom!\u201d said the Little Redcap, \u201cbut you\u2019d\nbetter be easy and let the bushes alone, or maybe you\u2019ll pay for it!\nDeceive you, indeed! Didn\u2019t I tell you that mill would lose its power\nif you sold any of the meal?\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd sure and I didn\u2019t, either,\u201d said Tom.\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s all one for that,\u201d answered the Little Redcap, \u201cfor if you\ndidn\u2019t, your wife did. And as to giving you another mill, it\u2019s out of\nthe question. For the one I gave you was the only one in the fort. And\na hard battle we had to get it away from another party of the Good\nPeople! But I\u2019ll tell you what I\u2019ll do with you, Tom; let the bushes\nalone, and I\u2019ll make a doctor of you.\u201d\n\n\u201cA doctor, indeed!\u201d said Tom. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s a fool you\u2019re making of me!\u201d\n\nBut it was no such thing, for the Little Redcap gave Tom Coghlan a\ncharm so that he could cure any sick person. And Tom took it home, and\nbecame a great man with a very full purse. He gave good schooling to\nhis children. One of them he made a grand butter-merchant in the city\nof Cork, and the youngest son--being ever and always a well-spoken\nlad--he made a lawyer; and his two daughters married well.\n\nAnd Tom is as happy as a man can be!\n\n\n\n\nTHE CURMUDGEON\u2019S SKIN\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nIt is well known in old Ireland that a Four-leaved Shamrock has\nthe power to open a man\u2019s eyes so that he can see all kinds of\nenchantments, and this is what happened to Billy Thompson:--\n\nOne misfortune after another decreased his goods. His sheep died; and\nhis pig got the measles, so that he was obliged to sell it for little\nor nothing. But still he had his cow.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said Billy to his wife, for he was a good-humoured fellow, and\nalways made the best of things,--\u201cWell!\u201d said he, \u201cit can\u2019t be helped!\nAnyhow, we\u2019ll not want the drop of milk to our potatoes, as long as the\ncow\u2019s left to comfort us!\u201d\n\nThe words were hardly out of his mouth when a neighbour came running up\nto tell him that his cow had fallen from a cliff, and was lying dead in\nthe Horses\u2019 Glen. For Billy, you must know, had sent his cow that very\nmorning to graze on the cliff.\n\n\u201cOch! Ullagone!\u201d cried Billy. \u201cWhat\u2019ll we do now! Och! you cruel,\nunnatural beast as to clift yourself, when you knowed as well as\nmyself that we couldn\u2019t do without you at all! For sure enough now the\nchildren will be crying for the drop of milk to their potatoes!\u201d\n\nSuch was Billy\u2019s lament, as with a sorrowful heart he made the best\nof his way to the Horses\u2019 Glen. \u201cAnyway,\u201d thought he, \u201cI\u2019ll skin the\ncarcass, and the meat will make fine broth for the children.\u201d\n\nIt took him some time to find where the poor beast was lying, but at\nlast he did find her, all smashed to pieces at the foot of a big rock.\nAnd he began to skin her as fast as he could, but having no one to help\nhim, by the time the job was finished, the sun had gone down.\n\nNow Billy was so intent on his work that he did not perceive the lapse\nof time, but when he raised his head and saw the darkness coming on,\nand listened to the murmuring wind, all the tales he had ever heard\nof the Pooka, the Banshee, and Little Redcap, the mischievous Fairy,\nfloated through his mind, and made him want to get home as fast as\npossible. He snatched a tuft of grass, wiped his knife, and seized hold\nof the hide.\n\nIt so happened that in the little tuft of grass with which Billy wiped\nhis knife was a Four-leaved Shamrock. And whether from grief or fear,\nBilly, instead of throwing away the grass, put it in his pocket along\nwith his knife. And when he stood up and turned to take a last look at\nthe carcass he saw, instead of his poor cow, a little old Curmudgeon\nsitting bolt upright, looking as if he had just been skinned alive!\n\n\u201cBilly Thompson! Billy Thompson,\u201d cried the little old fellow in a\nshrill, squeaking voice. \u201cYou spalpeen! You\u2019d better come back with\nmy skin! A pretty time of day we\u2019ve come to, when a gentleman like me\ncannot take a bit of sleep but a rude fellow must come and strip the\nhide off him! But you\u2019d better bring it back, Billy Thompson, or I\u2019ll\nmake you remember how you dared to skin me, you spalpeen!\u201d\n\nNow Billy, though he was greatly frightened, remembered that he had a\nblack-handled knife in his pocket, and whoever has that, \u2019tis said, can\nlook all the Fairies of the world in the face without quaking. So he\nput his hand on the knife, and began backing away, with the skin under\nhis arm.\n\n\u201cWhy, then, your honour,\u201d said he, \u201cif it\u2019s this skin you\u2019re wanting,\nyou must know it\u2019s the skin of my poor cow that was clifted yonder\nthere. And sore and sorrowful the children will be for the want of her\nlittle drop of milk!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, then, if that\u2019s what you\u2019d be after, Billy, my boy,\u201d said the\nlittle fellow, at the same time jumping before him with the speed of a\ngreyhound, \u201cdo you think I\u2019m such a fool as to let you walk off with\nmy skin? If you don\u2019t drop it in the turn of a hand, you\u2019ll sup sorrow!\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d said Billy, drawing out his black-handled knife, and\nholding it so the little man could see it. \u201cNever a one of me will let\nyou have this skin till you give me back my cow. I know well enough she\nwas not clifted at all, at all, and that you and the other Curmudgeons\nhave got hold of her!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019d better keep a civil tongue in your head,\u201d said the little\nfellow, who seemed to get quite soft at the sight of the knife. \u201cBut\nyou\u2019re a brave boy, Billy Thompson, and I\u2019ve taken a fancy to you! I\ndon\u2019t say but I might get you your cow again, if you\u2019ll give me back my\nskin.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you kindly,\u201d said Billy, winking slyly. \u201cGive me the cow first;\nthen I will.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, there she is for you, you unbelieving hound!\u201d said the little\nCurmudgeon.\n\nAnd for sure and for certain, what did Billy Thompson hear but his own\ncow bellowing behind him for the bare life! And when he looked back\nwhat should he see but his cow running over rocks and stones with a\nlong rope hanging to one of her legs, and four little fellows, with red\ncaps on them, hunting her as fast as they could!\n\n\u201cThere\u2019ll be a battle for her, Billy! There\u2019ll be a battle!\u201d laughed\nthe little Curmudgeon.\n\nAnd sure enough, the little Redcaps began to fight, and in the\nmeantime the cow, finding herself at liberty, ran towards Billy, who\nlost not a minute, but, throwing the skin on the ground, seized the cow\nby the tail and began to drive her away.\n\n\u201cNot so fast, Billy!\u201d said the little Curmudgeon, who stuck close by\nhis side; \u201cnot so fast! Though I gave you the cow, I didn\u2019t give you\nthe rope that\u2019s hanging to her leg.\u201d\n\n\u201cA bargain\u2019s a bargain,\u201d said Billy, \u201cso as I\u2019ve got it, I\u2019ll keep rope\nand all.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you say that again,\u201d said the little fellow, \u201cI\u2019ll be after calling\nthe Redcaps that are fighting below there. But I don\u2019t want to be too\nhard on you, Billy, for if you have a mind for the rope, I\u2019ll give it\nto you for the little tuft of grass you have in your pocket.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere, take it,\u201d said Billy, throwing down the grass with the\nFour-leaved Shamrock in it.\n\nNo sooner was it out of his hand than he received such a blow that it\ndashed him to the ground, insensible. When he came to himself, the sun\nwas shining, and where should he be but near his own house with the cow\ngrazing beside him? Billy Thompson could hardly believe his eyes, and\nthought it was all a dream, till he saw the rope hanging to his cow\u2019s\nleg.\n\nAnd that was a lucky rope for him! For, from that day out, his cow gave\nmore milk than any six cows in the parish, and Billy began to look up\nin the world. He took farms, and purchased cattle till he became very\nrich. But no one could ever get him to go to the Horses\u2019 Glen. And\nto-day he never passes an old fort, or hears a blast of wind, without\ntaking off his hat in compliment to the Good People; and \u2019tis only\nright that he should.\n\n\n\n\nJUDY AND THE FAIRY CAT\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nLate one Hallowe\u2019en an old woman was sitting up spinning. There came a\nsoft knock at the door.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked she.\n\nThere was no answer, but another knock.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d she asked a second time.\n\nStill no answer, but a third knock. At that the old woman got up in\nanger.\n\n\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d she cried.\n\nA small voice, like a child\u2019s, sobbed: \u201cAh, Judy dear, let me in! I am\nso cold and hungry! Open the door, Judy dear, and let me sit by the\nfire and dry myself! Judy dear, let me in! Oh--let--me--in!\u201d\n\nJudy, thinking that it must be a small child who had lost its way, ran\nto the door, and opened it. In walked a large Black Cat waving her\ntail, and two black kittens followed her. They walked deliberately\nacross the floor, and sat down before the fire, and began to warm\nthemselves and lick their fur, purring all the time. Judy never said a\nword, but closed the door, and went back to her spinning.\n\nAt last the Black Cat spoke.\n\n\u201cJudy dear,\u201d said she, \u201cdo not sit up so late. This is the Fairies\u2019\nholiday, and they wish to hold a counsel in your kitchen, and eat their\nsupper here. They are very angry because you are still up, and they\ncannot come in. Indeed, Judy, they are determined to kill you. Only for\nmyself and my two daughters, you would now be dead. So take my advice\nand do not interfere with the Fairies\u2019 Hallowe\u2019en. But give me some\nmilk, for I must be off.\u201d\n\nWell, Judy got up in a great fright and ran as fast as she could, and\nbrought three saucers full of milk, and set them on the floor before\nthe cats. They lapped up all the milk, then the Black Cat called her\ndaughters and stood up.\n\n\u201cThank you, Judy dear,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have been very civil to me, and\nI\u2019ll not forget. Good night! Good night!\u201d\n\nAnd with that she and her kittens whisked up the chimney, and were gone.\n\nThen Judy saw something shining on the hearth. She picked it up; it was\na piece of silver money, more than she could earn in a month. She put\nout the light, and went to bed; and never again did she sit up late on\nHallowe\u2019en and interfere with Fairy hours.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOGGART\n\n_From Yorkshire_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Boggart lived in a farmer\u2019s house. He was a\nmischievous Elf, and specially fond of teasing the children. When\nthey were eating their supper, he would make himself invisible, and,\nstanding back of their chairs, would snatch away their bread and butter\nand drain their mugs of milk. On cold nights he would pull the clothes\nfrom their warm beds and tickle their feet.\n\nAnd the children liked to tease the Boggart in return. There was a\ncloset in the kitchen with a large knot-hole in its wall behind which\nthe Boggart lived. The children used to stick a shoehorn into the hole;\nand the Boggart would throw it back at them. The shoehorn made the\nlittle man so angry that one day he threw it at the youngest boy\u2019s head\nand hurt him badly.\n\nAt length the Boggart became such a torment that the farmer and his\nwife decided to move to another place and let the mischievous creature\nhave their house to himself.\n\nThe day of the moving came. All the furniture was piled into a wagon,\nand a neighbour called to say good-bye. \u201cSo, farmer,\u201d said he, \u201cyou\nare leaving the old house at last!\u201d\n\n\u201cHeigh-ho!\u201d sighed the farmer, \u201cI am forced to do it. That villain\nBoggart torments us so that we have no rest night or day! He almost\nkilled my youngest boy. So you see we are forced to flit.\u201d\n\nScarcely were the words out of his mouth when a squeaky voice cried\nfrom the bottom of the churn, that was in the wagon:--\n\n\u201cAye! Aye! We\u2019re flitting, you see!\u201d\n\n\u201cOds! Hang it!\u201d cried the poor farmer. \u201cThere is that villain Boggart\nagain! If he\u2019s going along with us, I shall not stir a peg. Nay! Nay!\nIt\u2019s no use, Molly,\u201d said he turning to his wife. \u201cWe may as well stay\nhere in the old house as to be tormented in the new one that is not so\nconvenient!\u201d\n\nAnd they stayed.\n\n\n\n\nOWNSELF\n\n_From Northumberland_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a widow and her little boy. Their home was\na small cottage in the wood. The mother worked hard from early morning\nuntil evening, and she was so tired that she liked to go to bed early.\nBut the little boy did not like to go to bed early at all.\n\nOne evening when his mother told him to undress, he begged her, saying:\n\u201cI\u2019m not sleepy. May I sit up just this once?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said she. \u201cSit up if you wish, but if the Fairies catch\nyou here alone, they will surely carry you off.\u201d Then she went to bed.\n\nThe little boy laughed, and sat down on the hearth before the fire,\nwatching the blaze and warming his hands.\n\nBy and by he heard a giggling and a laughing in the chimney, and the\nnext minute he saw a tiny girl, as big as a doll, come tumbling down\nand jump on to the hearth in front of him.\n\nAt first the little boy was dreadfully frightened, but the tiny girl\nbegan to dance so prettily, and to nod her head at him in such a\nfriendly way, that he forgot to be afraid.\n\n\u201cWhat do they call you, little girl?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cMy name is Ownself,\u201d said she proudly. \u201cWhat is yours?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy name,\u201d he answered, laughing very hard, \u201cis My Ownself.\u201d\n\nThen the two children began to play together as if they had known each\nother all their lives. They danced, and they sang, and they roasted\nchestnuts before the fire, and they tickled the house-cat\u2019s ears. Then\nthe fire commenced to flicker, and it grew dimmer and dimmer; so the\nlittle boy took the poker and stirred up the embers. And a hot coal\ntumbled out and rolled on to Ownself\u2019s tiny foot. And, oh! how she\nscreamed! Then she wept, and flew into such a rage that the little boy\ngot frightened and hid behind the door.\n\nJust then a squeaky voice called down the chimney: \u201cOwnself! Ownself!\nWhat wicked creature hurt you?\u201d\n\n\u201cMy Ownself! My Ownself!\u201d she screamed back.\n\n\u201cThen come here, you troublesome little Fairy,\u201d cried the voice angrily.\n\nAnd a Fairy mother, slipper in hand, came hurrying down the chimney;\nand catching Ownself, she whipped her soundly and carried her off,\nsaying:--\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s all this noise about, then? If you did it your ownself, there\u2019s\nnobody to blame but yourself!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE SICK-BED ELVES\n\n_From China_\n\n\nWang Little-Third-One lay stretched on his bed of bamboo laths, where\na low fever kept him. He complained to every one, especially to his\nfriend the Magician who came to see him.\n\nThe Magician was very wise, so he gave Wang a drink of something\ndelicious and cool, and went away.\n\nWhen Little-Third-One had drunk this, his fever fell, and he was able\nto enjoy a little sleep. He was awakened by a slight noise. The night\nwas come. The room was lighted by the full moon, which threw a bright\ngleam through the open door.\n\nThen he saw that the room was full of insects that were moving and\nflying hither and thither. There were white ants that gnaw wood,\nbad-smelling bugs, enormous cockroaches, mosquitoes, and many many\nflies. And they were all buzzing, gnashing their teeth, or falling.\n\nAs Little-Third-One looked, he saw something move on the threshold. A\nsmall man, not bigger than a thumb, advanced with cautious steps. In\nhis hand he held a bow; a sword was hanging by his side.\n\nLittle-Third-One, looking closer, saw two dogs as big as shirt-buttons,\nrunning in front of the little man. They suddenly stopped. The archer\napproached nearer to the bed, and held out his bow, and discharged\na tiny arrow. A cockroach that was crawling before the dogs, made a\nbound, fell on its back, kicked, and was motionless. The arrow had run\nthrough it.\n\nBehind the little man, other little men had come. Some rode on small\nhorses, and were armed with swords, and still others were on foot.\nAll these huntsmen scattered about the room, and ran or rode, to and\nfro, shooting arrows, and brandishing their swords; until hundreds and\nhundreds of insects were killed. At first the mosquitoes escaped, but,\nas they cannot fly for long, every time one of them settled on the\nwall, it was transfixed by a huntsman.\n\nSoon none were left of all the insects that had broken the silence with\ntheir buzzing, their gnashing of teeth, and their falling.\n\nA horseman then galloped around the room, looking from right to left.\nHe gave a signal. All the huntsmen called their dogs, went to the door,\nand disappeared.\n\nLittle-Third-One had not moved, for fear that he should disturb the\nhunt. At last he went peacefully to sleep, and woke the next day cured.\nWhen his friend the Magician came to see him, Little-Third-One told him\nabout the mysterious huntsmen, and his friend the Magician smiled.\n\n\n\n\nHOW PEEPING KATE WAS PISKEY-LED\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\n\u2019Tis Hallowe\u2019en Night, Teddy, my boy. Don\u2019t go out on the moor, or near\nthe Gump, for the Piskeys and the Spriggans are abroad, waiting to\nmislead straying mortals. Many are the men and women that the Little\nPeople have whisked away on Hallowe\u2019en Night; and the poor mortals have\nnever been heard of since.\n\nSit down, Teddy, my boy, crack these nuts, and eat these red apples;\nand I\u2019ll tell you how Peeping Kate was Piskey-led.\n\nI have heard the old folks say how long ago--maybe a hundred years or\nso--the Squire of Pendeen had a housekeeper, an elderly dame, called\nKate Tregeer.\n\nWell, one Hallowe\u2019en Night, some spices and other small things were\nwanted for the feasten-tide, and Kate would not trust any one to\ngo for them except herself. So she put on her red coat and high\nsteeple-crowned hat, and walked to Penzance. She bought the goods and\nstarted for home.\n\nIt was a bright moonlight night, and though no wind was blowing, the\nleaves of the trees were murmuring with a hollow sound. And Kate could\nhear strange rustlings in the bushes by the side of the road.\n\nShe had walked a very long time, and her basket was so heavy that she\nbegan to feel tired. Her legs bent under her and she could scarcely\nstand up. Just then she beheld, a little in front of her, a man on\nhorseback. And she could tell by the proud way he sat that he was a\ngentleman-born.\n\nShe was very glad to see him, and as he was going slowly, she soon\novertook him; and when she came up, his horse stood stock-still.\n\n\u201cMy dear Master,\u201d she said, \u201chow glad I am to see you. Don\u2019t you know\nme? I\u2019m Kate Tregeer of Pendeen; and I can\u2019t tell you how hard I\u2019ve\nworked all day.\u201d\n\nThen she explained to him how she had walked to Penzance, and was now\nso tired that she could not stand up. But the gentleman made no reply.\n\n\u201cMy dear Master,\u201d said she, \u201cI\u2019m footsore and leg-weary. I\u2019ve got as\nfar as here, you see, but I can get no farther. Do have pity on a poor\nunfortunate woman, and take her behind you. I can ride well enough on\nyour horse\u2019s back without a saddle or pillion.\u201d\n\nBut still the gentleman made no reply.\n\n\u201cMy dear Master,\u201d she said again, \u201cMy! but you\u2019re a fine-looking man!\nHow upright you sit on your horse! But why don\u2019t you answer me? Are you\nasleep? One would think you were taking a nap; and your horse, too, it\nis standing so still!\u201d\n\nNot having any word in reply to this fine speech, Kate called out as\nloud as she could: \u201cEven if you are a gentleman-born, you needn\u2019t be so\nstuck-up that you won\u2019t speak to a poor body afoot!\u201d\n\nStill he never spoke, though Kate thought that she saw him wink at her.\n\nThis vexed her the more. \u201cThe time was when the Tregeers were among the\nfirst in the parish, and were buried with the gentry! Wake up and speak\nto me!\u201d screamed she in a rage. And then she took up a stone, and threw\nit at the horse. The stone rolled back to her feet, and the animal did\nnot even whisk its tail.\n\nKate now got nearer, and saw that the rider had no hat on, nor was\nthere any hair on his bald head. She touched the horse, and felt\nnothing but a bunch of furze. She rubbed her eyes and saw at once, to\nher great astonishment, that it was no gentleman and horse at all, only\na smooth stone half buried in a heap of furze. And there she was still\nfar away from Pendeen, with her heavy basket, and her legs so tired\nthat she could scarcely move. And then she saw that she had come a\nshort distance only, and knew that she must be bewitched.\n\nWell, on she went; and seeing a light at her left hand she thought\nthat it shone from the window of a house where she might rest awhile.\nSo she made for it straight across the moor, floundering through bogs,\nand tripping over bunches of furze. And still the light was always just\nahead, and it seemed to move from side to side. Then suddenly it went\nout, and she was left standing in a bog. The next minute she found\nherself among furze-ricks and pigsties, in the yard of Farmer Boslow,\nmiles away from Pendeen.\n\nShe opened the door of an old outhouse, and entered, hoping to get a\nfew hours\u2019 rest. There she lay down on straw and fell asleep; but she\nwas soon wakened by some young pigs who were rooting around in the\nstraw. That was too much for Kate. So up she got, and as she did so she\nheard the noise of a flail. And seeing a glimmer of light in a barn\nnear by, she crept softly to a little window in the barn, and peeped to\nfind what was going on.\n\nAt first she could see only two rush-wicks burning in two old iron\nlamps. Then through the dim light she saw the slash-flash of a flail as\nit rose and fell, and beat the barn floor. She stood on tiptoes, and\nstuck her head in farther, and whom did she see, wielding the flail,\nbut a little old man, about three feet high, with hair like a bunch\nof rushes, and ragged clothes. His face was broader than it was long,\nand he had great owl-eyes shaded by heavy eyebrows from which his nose\npoked like a pig\u2019s snout. Kate noticed that his teeth were crooked\nand jagged, and that at each stroke of the flail, he kept moving his\nthin lips around and around, and thrusting his tongue in and out. His\nshoulders were broad enough for a man twice his height, and his feet\nwere splayed like a frog\u2019s.\n\n\u201cWell! Well!\u201d thought Kate. \u201cThis is luck! To see the Piskey threshing!\nFor ever since I can remember I have heard it said that the Piskey\nthreshed corn for Farmer Boslow on winter nights, and did other odd\njobs for him the year round. But I would not believe it. Yet here he\nis!\u201d\n\nThen she reached her head farther in, and beheld a score of little\nmen helping the Piskey. Some of them were lugging down the sheaves,\nand placing them handy for him; and others were carrying away the\nstraw from which the grain had been threshed. Soon a heap of corn was\ngathered on the floor, as clean as if it had been winnowed.\n\nIn doing this the Piskey raised such a dust that it set him and some of\nthe little men sneezing. And Kate, without stopping to think, called\nout:--\n\n\u201cGod bless you, little men!\u201d\n\nQuick as a wink the lights vanished, and a handful of dust was thrown\ninto her eyes, which blinded her so that for a moment she could not\nsee. And then she heard the Piskey squeak:--\n\n  \u201c_I spy thy face,\n  Old Peeping Kate,\n  I\u2019ll serve thee out,\n  Early and late!_\u201d\n\nKate, when she heard this, felt very uneasy, for she remembered that\nthe Little People have a great spite against any one who peeps at them,\nor pries into their doings.\n\nThe night being clear, she quickly found her way out of a crooked lane,\nand ran as fast as she could, and never stopped until she reached the\nGump. There she sat down to rest awhile.\n\nAfter that she stood up; and turn whichever way she might the same\nroad lay before her. Then she knew that the Piskey was playing her a\ntrick. So she ran down a hill as fast as she could, not caring in what\ndirection she was going, so long as she could get away from the Piskey.\n\nAfter running a long while, she heard music and saw lights at no great\ndistance. Thinking that she must be near a house, she went over the\ndowns toward the lights, feeling ready for a jig, and stopping now and\nthen to dance around and around to the strains of the music.\n\nBut instead of arriving at a house, in passing around some high rocks\nshe came out on a broad green meadow, encircled with furze and rocks.\nAnd there before her she saw a whole troop of Spriggans holding an\nElfin Fair. It was like a feasten-day. Scores of little booths were\nstanding in rows, and were covered with tiny trinkets such as buckles\nof silver and gold glistening with Cornish diamonds, pins with jewelled\nheads, brooches, rings, bracelets, and necklaces of crystal beads,\ngreen and red or blue and gold; and many other pretty things new to\nKate.\n\nThere were lights in all directions--lanterns no bigger than Foxgloves\nwere hanging in rows; and on the booths, rushlights in tulip-cups shone\namong Fairy goodies such as Kate had never dreamed of. Yet with all\nthese lights there was such a shimmer over everything that she got\nbewildered, and could not see as plainly as she wished.\n\nShe did not care to disturb the Little People until she had looked at\nall that was doing. So she crept softly behind the booths and watched\nthe Spriggans dancing. Hundreds of them, linked hand in hand, went\nwhirling around so fast as to make her dizzy. Small as they were, they\nwere all decked out like rich folk, the little men in cocked hats and\nfeathers, blue coats gay with lace and gold buttons, breeches and\nstockings of lighter hue, and tiny shoes with diamond buckles.\n\nKate could not name the colours of the little ladies\u2019 dresses, which\nwere of all the hues of Summer blossoms. The vain little things had\npowdered their hair, and decked their heads with ribbons, feathers, and\nflowers. Their shoes were of velvet and satin, and were high-heeled and\npointed. And such sparkling black eyes as all the little ladies had,\nand such dimpled cheeks and chins! And they were merry, sprightly, and\nlaughing.\n\nAll the Spriggans were capering and dancing around a pole wreathed with\nflowers. The pipers, standing in their midst, played such lively airs\nthat Kate never in all her life had wanted to dance more. But she kept\nquite still, for she did not wish the Little People to know that she\nwas there. She was determined to pocket some of the pretty things in\nthe booths, and steal softly away with them. She thought how nice a\nbright pair of diamond buckles would look on her best shoes, and how\nfine her Sunday cap would be ornamented with a Fairy brooch.\n\nSo she raised her hand and laid it on some buckles, when--oh! oh!--she\nfelt a palmful of pins and needles stick into her fingers like red-hot\npoints; and she screamed:--\n\n\u201cMisfortune take you, you bad little Spriggans!\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201cSHE SAW A WHOLE TROOP OF SPRIGGANS HOLDING AN ELFIN\nFAIR\u201d]\n\nImmediately the lights went out, and she felt hundreds of the Little\nPeople leap on her back, and her neck, and her head. At the same moment\nothers tripped up her heels, and laid her flat on the ground, and\nrolled her over and over.\n\nThen she caught sight of the Piskey mounted on a wild-looking colt, his\ntoes stuck in its mane. He was holding a rush for a whip. And there he\nsat grinning from ear to ear, and urging on the Spriggans to torment\nher, with \u201cHaw! Haw! Haw!\u201d and \u201cTee! Hee! Hee!\u201d\n\nShe spread out her arms and squeezed herself tight to the ground, so\nthat the Spriggans might not turn her over; but they squeaked and\ngrunted, and over and over she went. And every time that they turned\nher face downward, some of the little fellows jumped on her back, and\njigged away from her toe to her head.\n\nShe reached around to beat them off with a stick, but they pulled it\nout of her hand; and, balancing it across her body, strided it, and\nbobbed up and down, singing:--\n\n  \u201c_See-saw-pate!\n  Lie still old Peeping Kate!\n  See-saw-pate!\n  Here we\u2019ll ride, early and late,\n  On the back of Peeping Kate!_\u201d\n\nAnd with that, poor Kate, not to be beaten by the Spriggans, tossed\nback her feet to kick the little fellows away, but they pulled off her\nshoes and tickled and prickled the soles of her feet until she fell\na-laughing and a-crying by turns.\n\nKate was almost mad with their torment, when by good chance she\nremembered a charm that would drive away all mischievous spirits,\non Hallowe\u2019en. So she repeated it forwards and backwards, and in a\ntwinkling all the little Spriggans fled screeching away, the Piskey\ngalloping after them.\n\nThen she got on her feet and looked around. She saw, by the starlight\nof a clear frosty morning, that the place to which she had been\nPiskey-led was a green spot near the Gump, where folks said the\nSpriggans held their nightly revels. And although the spot was\nvery small, it had seemed to her like a ten-acre field because of\nenchantment.\n\nAnd her hat, and her shoes, and her basket were gone; and poor Kate,\nbarefooted and bareheaded, had to hobble home as best she could. And\nshe reached Pendeen gate more dead than alive.\n\n\n\n\nONE-EYED PRYING JOAN\u2019S TALE\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nSit down, Bobby, my boy. Eat some bread and cheese. Don\u2019t be afraid to\ndrink the cider. It\u2019s all my own making. Sit down, and I\u2019ll tell you\nhow I lost the sight of my right eye.\n\nThe last Christmas Eve I went to Penzance to buy a pair of shoes for\nmyself, and some thread and buttons, and things to mend Master\u2019s\nclothes. I dearly like company, and as I started out I thought of old\nBetty down at the cove, she that they say is a Witch, you know.\n\nThinks I to myself: \u201cIf she\u2019s a Witch, she\u2019ll not hurt me, as I never\ncrossed her in my life. Witch or no Witch, I\u2019ll stop and have a bite of\nsomething hot at her little house,\u201d thought I.\n\nWhen I came to the house, the door was tight shut, and I heard a\nstrange mumbling inside, but I could not make out what it was. So I\ntook a peep through the latch-hole. And what did I see but old Betty\nstanding by the chimney-piece with a little box in her hand, and she\nwas muttering something that sounded like a charm. She put her finger\ninto the box and pulled it out again, and smeared some ointment over\nher eyes. Then she put the box into a hole near the chimney.\n\nI lifted the latch and walked in. \u201cHow-de-do, Betty,\u201d said I.\n\n\u201cWelcome,\u201d said she, grinning and pleased. \u201cSit down by the fire. Now\nwe\u2019ll have a good drop of something hot to ourselves, seeing that it\u2019s\nChristmas Eve,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll take a thimbleful, just to drink your health and a Merry\nChristmas to you, with all my heart,\u201d said I; for I well knew that\nBetty made the best sweet drink, with sugar and spice and a roasted\napple bobbing around in it.\n\nI put down my basket, and took off my coat, and sat by the fire; while\nBetty stepped into a closet to fetch the cups.\n\nNow, I had often wondered what made her eyes so clear and piercing.\n\u201c\u2019Tis the Fairy ointment, or Witch salve in the box,\u201d thought I. \u201cIf\nit will do that to her eyes, it won\u2019t hurt me.\u201d So while she was gone,\nI took the box from the hole, where she had covered it with ferns, and\nput a bit of the ointment on my right eye. The stuff had no sooner\ntouched me than it burned like fire, or as if needles and pins were\nbeing thrust into my eyeball. Just then Betty came from the closet, and\nI dragged the brim of my hat down over my right eye, so she should not\nsee what had happened.\n\nAfter we had drunk each other\u2019s health three or four times, the pain\nwent off, and I ventured to open my anointed eye. And oh! what did I\nsee! The place was full of Spriggans! Troops of the Little People were\ncutting all sorts of capers in the folds of the nets and sails hung on\nthe walls, in the bunches of herbs that swung from the rafters, and\nin the pots and pans on the dresser. Some of them were playing seesaw\non the beams of the ceiling, tossing their heels and waving their\nfeathered caps, as they teetered up and down on bits of straw or green\ntwigs. Numbers of them were swinging in the cobwebs that festooned the\nrafters or riding mice in and out through holes in the thatch.\n\nI noted that all the little men were dressed in green tricked out with\nred, and had feathered caps and high riding-boots with silver spurs.\nTheir ladies, if you please, were all decked in grand fashion--their\ngowns were of green velvet with long trains and looped up with silver\nchains and bells. They wore high-crowned steeple-hats, with wreaths of\nthe most beautiful flowers around them; while sprigs of blossoms and\ngarlands decorated all parts of their dress, and were in their hands as\nwell. They were the sauciest Little People I ever did see. They pranced\naround on their high-heeled boots sparkling with diamond buckles.\n\nWhen I peeped into the wood-corner under Betty\u2019s bunk, I spied some\nof the ugly Spriggans sitting there looking very gloomy because they\nhave to watch the treasures that are hidden in the ground, and do other\ndisagreeable things that the merry Spriggans never have to do.\n\nWhile looking into the dark corner I heard strains of sweet, unearthly\nmusic outside the house. Glancing around the room, I saw that all was\nchanged. The walls were hung with tapestry, the chimney stools on\nwhich we sat were carved chairs. Betty and I sat under a canopy of\nembroidered satin, and our feet rested on a silken carpet. And wherever\nthe little Spriggans trod, they left circles like diamonds on the floor.\n\nThe sweet music was now close at hand under the little window, and a\nmoment after a troop of the Little People appeared on the window-sill,\nplaying on pipes, flutes, and other instruments made of green reeds\nfrom the brook and of shells from the shore.\n\nThe Fairy band stepped down most gracefully from the window-sill,\nand was closely followed by a long train of little men and women\nmagnificently dressed, and carrying bunches of flowers in their hands.\nAll walked in an orderly procession, two by two, and bowed or curtsied,\nto Betty, and cast the flowers in her lap. I saw their many bunches of\nFour-leaved Clover and sprigs of magic herbs. With these she makes her\nsalves and lotions.\n\nThen all the Spriggans who had been dancing and capering about the\nceiling and floor joined the others and came crowding around Betty.\nShe did not look surprised, and I did not say anything to let her know\nthat I saw. The Spriggans then began to pour dew over her dress out\nof flower-buds and from the bottles of the Foxglove. Immediately her\njacket was changed into the finest and richest cloth of a soft cream\ncolour, and her dress became velvet the colour of all the flowers, and\nit was draped over a petticoat of silk quilted with silver cord.\n\nThe Little People brought tiny nosegays of sky-blue Pimpernel,\nForget-me-nots, and dainty flower-bells, blue, pink, and white, and\nhundreds of other Fairy blossoms like stars and butterflies. These\ndelicate little sprigs they stitched all over Betty\u2019s silver-corded\npetticoat together with branching moss and the lace-like tips of the\nwild grass. All around the bottom of her skirt they made a wreath of\ntiny bramble leaves with roses and berries, red and black.\n\nMany of the Little People perched themselves on the top of the\nhigh-backed chair in which Betty sat, and even stood on her shoulders,\nso that they might arrange her every curl and every hair. Some took the\nlids off pretty little urns they carried in their hands, and poured\nperfume on her head, which spread the sweetest odours through the\nroom. I very much admired the lovely little urns, with their grooved\nlids, but when I picked one up, it was only a seed-pod of the wild\nPoppy. They placed no other ornament in her hair except a small twig of\nholly full of bright red berries. Yet Betty, decked out by her Fairy\nfriends, was more beautiful than the loveliest Queen of May.\n\nMy senses were overcome by the smell of the Fairy odours, and the scent\nof the flowers, and the sweet perfume of honey, with which the walls of\nthe house seemed bursting. And my head fell forward and I slept.\n\nHow long I dozed I do not know, but when I woke I saw that all the\nlittle Spriggans were glaring at me angrily. They thrust out their\ntongues and made the most horrid grimaces. I was so frightened that I\njumped up, and ran out of the house, and shut the door.\n\nBut for the life of me, I could not leave the place without taking\nanother peep. I put my left eye to the latch-hole--and would you\nbelieve it?--the house was just as it was when I entered it; the floor\nwas bare, and there sat Betty in her old clothes before the fire. Then\nI winked, and looked with the right eye, and there was the beautiful\nroom, and Betty seated in her fine flower-gown, beneath the silken\ncanopy, while all the little Spriggans were dancing and capering around\nher.\n\nI tore myself away, glad to get out of the cove, and hurried to\nPenzance to do my shopping, although it was so late. And as I was\nstanding in front of a booth, what should I see but a little Spriggan\nhelping himself to hanks of yarn, stockings, and all sorts of fine\nthings.\n\n\u201cAh! Ha! my little man!\u201d cried I. \u201cAre you not ashamed to be carrying\non this way, stealing all those goods?\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that thee, old Joan?\u201d said he. \u201cWhich eye canst thou see me with?\u201d\n\nAfter winking both my eyes, I said: \u201c\u2019Tis plain enough that I can see\nyou with my right eye.\u201d\n\nThen in a twinkling he pointed his finger at my right eye, and mumbled\na spell, and I just caught the words:--\n\n  \u201c_Joan the Pry\n  Shall nor peep nor spy,\n  But shall lose\n  Her charm\u00e8d eye!_\u201d\n\nThen he blew in my face, and was gone. And when I looked around, my\nright eye was blind. And from that day to this I have never seen a\nblink with my anointed eye.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY FOLK\n\n\n  Up the airy mountain,\n    Down the rushy glen,\n  We daren\u2019t go a-hunting\n    For fear of little men;\n  Wee folk, good folk,\n    Trooping all together;\n  Green jacket, red cap,\n    And white owl\u2019s feather!\n\n  Down along the rocky shore\n    Some make their home,\n  They live on crispy pancakes\n    Of yellow tide-foam;\n  Some in the reeds\n    Of the black mountain-lake,\n  With frogs for their watch-dogs,\n    All night awake.\n\n  High on the hill-top\n    The old King sits;\n  He is now so old and gray\n    He\u2019s nigh lost his wits.\n  With a bridge of white mist\n    Columbkill he crosses,\n  On his stately journeys\n    From Slieveleague to Rosses;\n  Or going up with music,\n    On cold starry nights,\n  To sup with the Queen\n    Of the gay Northern Lights.\n\n  They stole little Bridget\n    For seven years long;\n  When she came down again\n    Her friends were all gone.\n  They took her lightly back,\n    Between the night and morrow;\n  They thought that she was fast asleep,\n    But she was dead with sorrow.\n  They have kept her ever since\n    Deep within the lakes,\n  On a bed of flag leaves,\n    Watching till she wakes.\n\n  By the craggy hillside,\n    Through the mosses bare,\n  They have planted thorn-trees\n    For pleasure here and there.\n  Is any man so daring\n    As dig one up in spite?\n  He shall find their sharpest thorns\n    In his bed at night.\n\n  Up the airy mountain,\n    Down the rushy glen,\n  We daren\u2019t go a-hunting\n    For fear of little men;\n  Wee folk, good folk,\n    Trooping all together;\n  Green jacket, red cap,\n    And white owl\u2019s feather.\n\n                     _William Allingham_\n\n\n\n\nFAIRY SERVANTS IN THE HOUSE\n\n\n\n\n        _Their dwellings be\n  In corners of old houses least frequented\n  Or beneath stacks of wood; and these convented\n  Make fearful noise in butteries and in dairies;\n  Robin Goodfellows some, some call them Fairies.\n  In solitary rooms, these uproars keep;\n  And beat at doors to wake men from their sleep._\n\n         *       *       *       *       *\n\n  _Pots, glasses, trenchers, dishes, pans, and kettles,\n  They will make dance about the shelves and settles,\n  As if about the kitchen tossed and cast,\n  Yet in the morning nothing found misplaced!_\n\n      FROM THE HIERARCHIE OF THE BLESSED ANGELLS (1635)\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY\u2019S SERVANTS\n\n_From the Basque_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a poor woman who had three daughters.\n\nOne day the youngest said: \u201cMother, now that I am old enough, I wish to\ngo out to service.\u201d\n\nThe mother thought to herself: \u201cIf this one goes, why, there will be\nmore to eat for the rest of us,\u201d so she said: \u201cVery well, good luck go\nwith you.\u201d\n\nThe girl set out, and after she had walked a long way she came to a\nbeautiful city. A handsome lady met her, and asked:--\n\n\u201cWhere are you going, my child?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am going out to service,\u201d replied the girl.\n\n\u201cWill you come with me to my home?\u201d asked the lady.\n\n\u201cYes, indeed,\u201d said the girl, \u201cand I\u2019ll try to serve you faithfully.\u201d\n\nThe lady led her to a large and fine house, and told her what work she\nshould do that day.\n\n\u201cWe are Fairies,\u201d said she. \u201cI must go away for a short time, but do\nyou work in the kitchen while I am gone. Dig up the kitchen floor,\nsmash the pitcher, break the plates. Whip the children, throw dirt in\ntheir faces, and rumple their hair.\u201d Then the lady went away.\n\nThe girl, who thought these orders very strange, began to feed the\nchildren. Just then a little dog came creeping up to her, wagging his\ntail.\n\n\u201cBow! Bow! Bow!\u201d said he. \u201cI, too, want something to eat!\u201d\n\nSo the girl gave him a plateful of breakfast, and when he had eaten all\nhe wished, he said:--\n\n\u201cYou are a good girl, and I will tell you what to do to please my\nmistress. What she really meant was for you to sweep the kitchen floor,\nfill the pitcher, wash the dishes, and dress and feed the children. Do\nall this well, and she will give you the choice of a beautiful star\non your forehead or a donkey\u2019s tail hanging from your nose. Then she\nwill offer you a sack of gold or a bag of charcoal. You must choose the\ndonkey\u2019s tail and the bag of charcoal.\u201d\n\nWell, the girl did all as the little dog told her, and when the\nmistress came home she smiled and said:--\n\n\u201cChoose which you will have, a beautiful star on your forehead, or a\ndonkey\u2019s tail hanging from your nose.\u201d\n\n\u201cA donkey\u2019s tail is the same to me,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cWill you have a sack of gold or a bag of charcoal?\u201d asked the lady.\n\n\u201cThe bag of charcoal is the same to me,\u201d said the girl.\n\nThen the lady placed a beautiful star on her forehead, and gave her a\nbig sackful of gold, and told her she might go back to her mother.\n\nThe girl thanked the lady, and leaving the house hastened home. When\nher mother and sisters saw how pretty she was with the star on her\nforehead, and when they felt the big sack of gold on her shoulder, they\nwere astonished.\n\nThen the eldest sister began to cry and say: \u201cMother, I will go out and\nbe a servant, too!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo! no! my child,\u201d said the mother, \u201cI will not let you go.\u201d\n\nBut the girl wept, and would not leave her mother in peace until she\nsaid, \u201cGo\u201d; then she set off and walked until she came to the Fairy\ncity.\n\nThe handsome lady met her and asked:--\n\n\u201cWhere are you going, my child?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am going out to service,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cWill you come with me to my home?\u201d asked the lady.\n\nThe girl said she would, so the lady led her to the large and fine\nhouse and told her what work she should do that day.\n\n\u201cDig up the kitchen floor,\u201d said she, \u201csmash the pitcher, break the\nplates. Whip the children, throw dirt in their faces, and rumple their\nhair.\u201d Then she went away.\n\nAs soon as the lady was gone, the girl began to eat up all the good\nthings in the pantry. Just then the little dog came creeping up to her,\nwagging his tail.\n\n\u201cBow! Bow! Bow! I, too, want something to eat,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cGo away, you horrid little beast,\u201d answered the girl, and she gave him\na kick.\n\nBut the little dog would not leave her, and followed her about until\nshe drove him from the kitchen with blows. Then she dug up the kitchen\nfloor, smashed the pitcher, broke all the plates, whipped the children,\nthrew dirt in their faces, and rumpled their hair.\n\nBy and by the mistress came home, and when she saw what the girl had\nbeen doing she frowned and said:--\n\n\u201cChoose which you will have, a beautiful star on your forehead or a\ndonkey\u2019s tail hanging from your nose.\u201d\n\n\u201cA star on my forehead for me,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cWill you have a sack of gold or a bag of charcoal?\u201d asked the lady.\n\n\u201cA sack of gold for me,\u201d said the girl.\n\nThen the lady hung a donkey\u2019s tail on the end of her nose, and gave her\na big bag of charcoal, and sent her back to her home. And when her\nmother saw her she was so ashamed that she locked her in the cellar.\n\nAs for the youngest girl, she shared her sack of gold with her mother\nand other sister, and then she married a fine young man, and lived\nhappily ever after.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PIXIES\n\n_From England_\n\n\nThere was once a little cottage in the middle of a flower garden. Its\nwalls were covered with roses, and its porch was twined with clematis.\nThe bees buzzed over the flowers, and the butterflies fluttered about\nthe porch. And a hundred little green Pixies lived in the wood near by.\n\nIn this cottage two orphan sisters dwelt all alone. One morning the\nelder sister, Mary, got up at break of day. She milked the cow, churned\nthe butter, swept the hearth, and made the breakfast. Then she sat on\nthe porch to spin, and sang:--\n\n  \u201c_How merrily the wheel goes round,\n  With a whirring, humming sound!_\u201d\n\nBut the younger sister, Alice, lay in bed asleep. Then Mary put her\nspinning aside, and called:--\n\n\u201cWake, Alice, wake! There is much for you to do while I go to the\nmarket-town. I must sell our yarn, and buy your new dress. While I am\ngone, don\u2019t forget to bring in the firewood, drain the honeycomb, and\nfill the Pixies\u2019 water-pail.\u201d\n\nBut Alice did not answer. So Mary put on her hood and took her basket\nfull of yarn. She walked all the way to the market-town and sold her\nyarn, and bought the new dress. Then she walked home again.\n\nThe sun was set when she reached the cottage, and Alice was sitting\nidle on the porch. The honeycomb was not drained, the firewood was not\nbrought in, the bed was not made, and the supper was uncooked. And\nalthough Mary was tired and hungry, she had to cook the supper and make\nthe bed. Then the sisters went to sleep.\n\nBy and by, the hundred little green Pixies came creeping, creeping\ninto the kitchen. They pattered softly about and whispered so that the\nsisters should not hear them. Some ran to the spinning-wheel and began\nto spin, others built a fire under the oven, and mixed and kneaded the\nbread. One took a broom and swept the floor, and another brought in the\nfirewood.\n\nWhen all the yarn was spun, the bread baked, and the kitchen tidy, the\nPixies ran to the water-pail to get a drink. But there was not a drop\nof water in it! And, oh! how angry they were!\n\nThen Mary awoke, and cried: \u201cAlice! Alice! Don\u2019t you hear those angry\nbuzzings? Surely you did not forget to fill the Pixies\u2019 water-pail!\u201d\n\nBut Alice answered: \u201cI did not draw the water to-day. And I will not\nleave my bed now to fetch it for any little Pixy!\u201d Then she went to\nsleep again.\n\nBut Mary got up, and, though her feet were tired and sore, she took the\npail and ran through the garden to the spring. And as she stooped she\nsaw a hundred little faces laughing at her from the water. She dipped\nher pail, and they were gone. She lifted the full pail, and felt little\nhands seize it and bear it along. It was carried to the door, and into\nthe kitchen, and set down by the hearth. But she could see no one, so\nshe went to bed again.\n\nThe next morning early, Mary got up. She ran to the pail and looked\ninto it. Then she clapped her hands and called:--\n\n\u201cCome, Alice, come! See the silver pennies shining at the bottom of the\nclear water! There must be a hundred of them! Come, sister, dear!\u201d\n\nThen Alice, waking, tried to sit up. But she screamed with fright,\nfor she could not move her hands and feet. Indeed, she could not rise\nat all! And that day, and the next, and for many days after, she lay\nhelpless on her bed, and Mary fed and comforted her.\n\nAnd every night the hundred little green Pixies came creeping, creeping\ninto the kitchen. They swept, they baked, they sewed, they spun, and\nthey drank from Mary\u2019s water-pail. And every night they left one piece\nof silver there.\n\nAnd so a whole year passed, and Alice lay and thought, and thought, and\nthought about her idle ways. And one night she called Mary to her, and\nwept and said:--\n\n\u201cOh, sister, if only I could get up to-morrow, and feel the warm\nsunshine and play among the flowers! And if only I were strong enough\nto work for you, as you have worked for me!\u201d\n\nAnd Mary kissed and comforted her.\n\nThe next morning came, and Mary got up at break of day. She ran and\nlooked into the water-pail. Then she clapped her hands and called:--\n\n\u201cCome, Alice, come! See the silver pennies shining at the bottom of the\nclear water! There must be a hundred of them! Come, sister, dear!\u201d\n\nAnd Alice forgot that she could not move. She sprang lightly out of bed\nand ran into the kitchen. And she was all well and happy again!\n\nAnd oh, how glad the sisters were! How they kissed each other and\nlaughed with joy! They milked the cow, and churned, and baked, and\ncooked, and sat spinning on the porch. And the bees buzzed, and the\nbutterflies fluttered, and the sisters sang:--\n\n  \u201c_How merrily the wheels go round,\n  With a whirring, humming sound!_\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE BROWNIE OF BLEDNOCH\n\n_From Scotland_\n\n\nOLD MADGE\u2019S TALE\n\nHave you ever heard of the Brownie, Aiken-Drum? No? Well, I will tell\nyou how he came to Blednoch. It was in the Autumn time. The red sun was\nsetting, when through our town he passed crying, oh! so wearily:--\n\n  \u201c_Have ye work for Aiken-Drum?\n  Have ye work for Aiken-Drum?_\u201d\n\nHe tirled at the pin, and entered in. I trow the boldest there stood\nback! You should have heard the children scream. The black dog barked,\nthe lasses shrieked, at the sight of Aiken-Drum.\n\nHis matted head lay on his breast. A long blue beard fell to his waist.\nAround his hairy form was wrapped a cloth of woven rushes green. His\nlong, thin arms trailed on the ground. His hands were claws; his feet\nhad no toes. Oh, fearful to see was Aiken-Drum! And all the time he\ncried so wearily, so drearily:--\n\n  \u201c_Have ye work for Aiken-Drum?\n  Have ye work for Aiken-Drum?_\u201d\n\nThen the brave goodman stood forth, and said: \u201cWhat would you? Whence\ncome you by land or sea?\u201d\n\nThen what a groan gave Aiken-Drum! \u201cI come from a land where I\nnever saw the sky! But now I\u2019ll bide with you, if ye have work for\nAiken-Drum! I\u2019ll watch your sheep and tend your kine, each night till\nday. I\u2019ll thresh your grain by the light of the moon. I\u2019ll sing strange\nsongs to your bonny bairns, if ye\u2019ll but keep poor Aiken-Drum! I\u2019ll\nchurn the cream, I\u2019ll knead the bread, I\u2019ll tame the wildest colts ye\nhave, if ye\u2019ll but keep poor Aiken-Drum! No clothes nor gold is wage\nfor me. A bowl of porridge on the warm hearthstone is wage enough for\nAiken-Drum!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Brownie speaks well,\u201d said the old housewife. \u201cOur workers are\nscarce. We have much to do. Let us try this Aiken-Drum.\u201d\n\nThen should you have seen the Brownie work! By night he swept the\nkitchen clean. He scoured the pots until they shone. By the light of\nthe moon he threshed the grain. He gathered the crops into the barn. He\nwatched the sheep and tended the kine. By day he played with the bonny\nbairns, and sang them strange songs of the land without sky. So passed\nthe months away, and all farm-things throve for the goodman and the old\nhousewife.\n\nBut when the cold night winds blew hard, a lass, who saw the Brownie\u2019s\nclothes woven all of rushes green, made him a suit of sheep\u2019s wool\nwarm. She placed it by his porridge bowl. And that night was heard a\nwailing cry, so weary and so dreary:--\n\n  \u201c_Long, long may I now weep and groan!\n  Wages of clothes are now my own!\n  O luckless Aiken-Drum!_\u201d\n\nAnd down the street and through the town, his voice came back upon the\nwind:--\n\n  \u201c_Farewell to Blednoch!\n  Farewell! Farewell!_\u201d\n\nAnd never again in all that land was seen the Brownie Aiken-Drum!\n\n\n\n\nELSA AND THE TEN ELVES\n\n_From Sweden_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a little girl named Elsa lived on a farm. She was\npretty, sweet-tempered, and generous, but she did not like to work. Her\nfather was very proud of her, and sent her to school in the city. She\nlearned to read, write, sing, and dance, but still she did not know how\nto cook, sew, or care for a house.\n\nWhen she grew older, she was so good and beautiful that many young\nmen wished her for a wife, but she said \u201cNo\u201d to all except to her\nneighbour, Gunner, a handsome, industrious young farmer. Soon they were\nmarried, and went to live on his farm.\n\nAt first all was happiness, but as the days passed, and Elsa did not\ndirect the servants or look after the house, everything went wrong. The\nstorerooms were in disorder, the food was stolen, and the house dirty.\nPoor Gunner was at his wits\u2019 end; he loved Elsa too much to scold her.\n\nThe day before Christmas came, the sun had been up for a long time, and\nstill Elsa lay in bed. A servant ran into her room, saying:--\n\n\u201cDear mistress, shall we get ready the men\u2019s luncheon so that they may\ngo to the woods?\u201d\n\n\u201cLeave the room,\u201d said Elsa sleepily, \u201cand do not waken me again!\u201d\n\nAnother servant came running in. \u201cDear mistress,\u201d she cried, \u201cthe\nleaven is working, and if you come quickly the bread will be better\nthan usual.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want candlewicks, dear mistress,\u201d called a third.\n\n\u201cAnd what meat shall we roast for to-morrow\u2019s feast?\u201d shouted a fourth.\n\nAnd so it was; servant after servant came running into the room asking\nfor orders, but Elsa would neither answer nor get up.\n\nLast of all came Gunner, impatient because his men had not yet started\nfor the woods.\n\n\u201cDear Elsa,\u201d he said gently, \u201cmy mother used to prepare things the\nnight before, so that the servants might begin work early. We are now\ngoing to the woods, and shall not be back until night. Remember there\nare a few yards of cloth on the loom waiting to be woven.\u201d Then Gunner\nwent away.\n\nAs soon as he was gone, Elsa got up in a rage, and, dressing herself,\nran through the kitchen to the little house where the loom was kept.\nShe slammed the door behind her, and threw herself down on a couch.\n\n\u201cNo!\u201d she screamed. \u201cI won\u2019t!--I won\u2019t endure this drudgery any more!\nWho would have thought that Gunner would make a servant of me, and wear\nmy life out with work? Oh, me! Oh, me! Is there no one from far or near\nto help me?\u201d\n\n\u201cI can,\u201d said a deep voice.\n\nAnd Elsa, raising her head with fright, saw standing close to her an\nold man wrapped in a gray cloak and wearing a broad-brimmed hat.\n\n\u201cI am Old Man Hoberg,\u201d he said, \u201cand have served your family for many\ngenerations. You, my child, are unhappy because you are idle. To love\nwork is a joy. I will now give you ten obedient servants who shall do\nall your tasks for you.\u201d\n\nHe shook his cloak, and out of its folds tumbled ten funny little men.\nThey capered and pranced about, making faces. Then they swiftly put the\nroom in order and finished weaving the cloth on the loom. After all was\ndone they ran and stood in an obedient row before Elsa.\n\n\u201cDear child, reach hither your hands,\u201d said the old man.\n\nAnd Elsa, trembling, gave him the tips of her fingers.\n\nThen he said:--\n\n  \u201c_Hop-o\u2019-My-Thumb,\n  Lick-the-Pot,\n  Long-Pole,\n  Heart-in-Hand,\n  Little-Peter-Funny-Man,\n  Away all of you to your places!_\u201d\n\nAnd in the twinkling of an eye the little men vanished into Elsa\u2019s\nfingers, and the old man disappeared.\n\nElsa could hardly believe what had happened, and sat staring at her\nhands. Suddenly a wonderful desire to work came over her. She could sit\nstill no longer.\n\n\u201cWhy am I idling here?\u201d cried she cheerfully. \u201cIt is late in the\nmorning and the house is not in order! The servants are waiting.\u201d And\nup she jumped and hastened into the kitchen, and was soon giving orders\nand singing while she prepared the dinner.\n\nAnd when Gunner came home that night all was clean and bright to\nwelcome him, and the smell of good things to eat filled the house.\n\nAnd after that day Elsa rose early each morning, and went about her\nwork sweet-tempered and happy. No one was more pleased and proud than\nshe to see how the work of the farmhouse prospered under her hands. And\nhealth, wealth, and happiness came and stayed with Elsa and Gunner.\n\n\n\n\nPISKEY FINE! AND PISKEY GAY!\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\n\u2019Tis told in the west country, how the Piskey threshed the corn, and\ndid other odd jobs for Farmer Boslow as long as the old man lived. And\nafter his death the Piskey worked for his widow. And this is how she\nlost the little fellow.\n\nOne night, when the hills were covered with snow, and the wind was\nblowing hard, the Widow Boslow left in the barn, for the Piskey, a\nlarger bowl than usual full of milk thickened with oatmeal. It was\nclear moonlight, and she stopped outside the door, and peeped in to see\nif the Piskey would come to eat his supper while it was hot.\n\nThe moonlight shone through a little window on to the barn floor; and\nthere, sitting on a sheaf of oats, she saw the Piskey greedily eating\nhis thickened milk. He soon emptied the bowl and scraped it as clean\nwith the wooden spoon as if it had been washed. Then he placed them\nboth in a corner, and stood up and patted and stroked his stomach, and\nsmacked his lips, as if to say: \u201cThat\u2019s good of the old dear! See if I\ndon\u2019t thresh well for her to-night!\u201d\n\nBut when the Piskey turned around, the widow saw that he had nothing\non but rags, and very few of them.\n\n\u201cHow the poor Piskey must suffer!\u201d thought she. \u201cHe has to pass most\nof his time out among the rushes in the boggy moor, and his legs are\nnaked, and his breeches are full of holes. I\u2019ll make the poor fellow a\ngood warm suit of home-spun, at once!\u201d\n\nNo sooner thought than she went home and began the suit. In a day\nor two she had made a coat and breeches, and knitted a long pair of\nsheep\u2019s wool stockings, with garters and a nightcap all nicely knitted,\ntoo.\n\nWhen night came, the widow placed the Piskey\u2019s new clothes and a big\nbowl of thickened milk on the barn floor, just where the moonlight fell\nbrightest. Then she went outside, and peeped through the door.\n\nSoon she saw the Piskey eating his supper, and squinting at the new\nclothes. Laying down his empty bowl, he took the things, and put them\non over his rags. Then he began capering and jumping around the barn,\nsinging:--\n\n  \u201c_Piskey fine! and Piskey gay!\n  Piskey now will run away!_\u201d\n\nAnd sure enough, he bolted out of the door, and passed the widow,\nwithout so much as \u201cI wish you well till I see you again!\u201d And he never\ncame back to the farm.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY WEDDING\n\n_From Sweden_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a lovely young girl, daughter of rich\nparents, who was known for her gentleness and goodness.\n\nOne night, while she was lying awake in her bed, watching the moonbeams\ndance on the floor, her door was softly opened. Then in tripped a\nlittle Fairy man clad in a gray jacket and red cap. He came lightly\ntoward her bed, nodding in a most friendly way.\n\n\u201cDo not be afraid, dear lady,\u201d he said. \u201cI have come to ask a favour of\nyou.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I will do it willingly, if I can,\u201d answered the girl, who had\nbegun to recover from her fright.\n\n\u201cOh, it will not be difficult!\u201d said the Fairy man. \u201cFor many years I\nand mine have lived under the floor of your kitchen, just where the\nwater-cask stands. But the cask has become old and leaky, so that we\nare continually annoyed by the dripping of water. Our home is never\ndry.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat shall be seen to in the morning,\u201d said the girl.\n\n\u201cThank you, dear lady,\u201d said the Fairy man, and making an elegant bow,\nhe disappeared as softly as he had come.\n\nThe next day, at the girl\u2019s request, her parents had the water-cask\nremoved. And after that, to the surprise of the servants, the\nkitchen-work was done at night when all slept, and never a pitcher\nor glass was broken in the house from that day forth. So the Fairies\nshowed their gratitude.\n\nWell, a few months after this, the pretty young girl was again lying\nawake in her bed, watching the moonbeams dance on the floor, when again\nher door was opened softly, and the Fairy man stole in.\n\n\u201cDear lady,\u201d said he, smiling and bowing, \u201cnow I have another request\nto make, which, in your kindness, you will surely not refuse to grant.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked she.\n\n\u201cWill you honour me and my house, to-night,\u201d he replied, \u201cand stand at\nthe christening of my newly born daughter?\u201d\n\nThe girl arose and dressing herself, followed the Fairy man through\nmany passages and rooms that she had never known existed. At last they\nentered a small but elegant apartment, in which a host of Fairies were\nassembled. They immediately christened the Fairy baby. And as the\nlittle man was about to conduct the girl again to her room, the Fairies\nfilled her pockets with what looked like shavings.\n\nThe little man then led her back through the same winding passages, and\nas soon as she was safely in her room, he said:--\n\n\u201cIf we should meet at another time, you must never laugh at me and\nmine. We love you for your goodness and modesty, but if you laugh at\nus, you and I shall never see each other again.\u201d\n\nWhen he was gone the girl threw all the shavings into the fireplace,\nand lay down, and went to sleep. And, lo, the next morning when the\nmaid came in to build the fire, she found in the ashes the most\nbeautiful jewelry, all of pure gold set with gems, and of the finest\nworkmanship!\n\nNow, it happened, some time after this, that the girl\u2019s wedding day\narrived. There was great bustling, and preparations for a splendid\nfeast. At length the wedding hour came. The bride, beautifully dressed\nand wearing her Fairy jewels and a crown on her golden hair, was\nconducted to the hall where the guests were waiting.\n\nDuring the ceremony she chanced to glance around the hall. She saw,\nnear the fireplace, all her friends the Fairies gathered for a\nwedding feast. The bridegroom was a little Elf, and the bride was her\ngoddaughter, and the feast was spread on a golden table.\n\nNo one but the girl could see the Fairies. Just at that moment one of\nthe Elves, who was acting as waiter at the Fairy bridal, stumbled over\na twig that lay on the floor, and fell. Forgetting the caution that\nthe little man had given her, the girl burst into a hearty laugh.\n\nInstantly the golden table, the Elfin bridegroom and bride, and all the\nFairy guests vanished. And from that day to this, no work was ever done\nat night in that kitchen, nor were any Fairies ever seen about that\nhouse.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TOMTS\n\n_From Sweden_\n\n\nEvery child knows--or ought to know if he does not know--that the Tomt\nis a queer little Elfin man, old and wizen, and clad in gray clothes\nand red cap. He lives in the pantry or in the barn. At night he washes\nthe dishes and sweeps the kitchen floor, or threshes the farmer\u2019s corn\nand looks after his sheep. Oh, the Tomt is a very friendly Elf, but his\nfeelings are easily hurt! And if any one is impolite to him, he runs\naway, and is never seen again.\n\nNow, it happened, once upon a time, that there was a farmer whose crops\nand flocks and herds prospered so well that all knew he was aided by\na Tomt. In fact he became the richest farmer in his neighbourhood.\nAlthough he had few servants, his house was always in order, and his\ngrain nicely threshed. But he never saw the Elf who did all these\nthings for him.\n\nOne night he decided to watch and see who worked in his barn. He hid\nbehind a door. By and by he saw, not _one_ Tomt, but a _multitude_ of\nTomts come into the barn. Each carried a stalk of rye; but the littlest\nTomt of all, not bigger than a thumb, puffed and breathed very hard,\nalthough he carried but a straw on his shoulder.\n\n\u201cWhy do you puff so hard?\u201d cried the farmer from his hiding-place.\n\u201cYour burden is not so great!\u201d\n\n\u201cHis burden is according to his strength, for he is but one night old,\u201d\nanswered one of the Tomts. \u201cHereafter you shall have less!\u201d\n\nAnd with that all the little men vanished, and the grain lay unthreshed\non the barn floor.\n\nAnd from that day all luck disappeared from the farmer\u2019s house, and he\nwas soon reduced to beggary.\n\n\n\n\nSONG OF THE ELFIN MILLER\n\n\n  Full merrily rings the millstone round,\n    Full merrily rings the wheel,\n  Full merrily gushes out the grist--\n    Come, taste my fragrant meal!\n  As sends the lift its snowy drift,\n    So the meal comes in a shower;\n  Work, Fairies, fast, for time flies past--\n    I borrowed the mill an hour.\n\n  The miller he\u2019s a worldly man,\n    And maun hae double fee;\n  So draw the sluice of the churl\u2019s dam,\n    And let the stream come free.\n  Shout, Fairies, shout! see, gushing out,\n    The meal comes like a river:\n  The top of the grain on hill and plain\n    Is ours, and shall be ever.\n\n  One Elf goes chasing the wild bat\u2019s wing\n    And one the white owl\u2019s horn;\n  One hunts the fox for the white o\u2019 his tail,\n    And we winna hae him till morn.\n  One idle Fay, with the glow-worm\u2019s ray,\n    Runs glimmering \u2019mong the mosses:\n  Another goes tramp wi\u2019 the Will-o-wisps\u2019 lamp,\n    To light a lad to the lasses.\n\n  Oh, haste, my brown Elf, bring me corn\n    From Bonnie Blackwood plains;\n  Go, gentle Fairy, bring me grain\n    From green Dalgona mains;\n  But, pride of a\u2019 at Closeburn ha\u2019,\n    Fair is the corn and fatter;\n  Taste Fairies, taste, a gallanter grist\n    Has never been wet with water.\n\n  Hilloah! my hopper is heaped high;\n    Hark to the well-hung wheels!\n  They sing for joy; the dusty roof\n    It clatters and it reels.\n  Haste, Elves, and turn yon mountain burn--\n    Bring streams that shine like siller;\n  The dam is down, the moon sinks soon,\n    And I maun grind my miller.\n\n  Ha! bravely done, my wanton Elves,\n    That is a foaming stream:\n  See how the dust from the mill flies,\n    And chokes the cold moon-beam.\n  Haste, Fairies, fleet come baptized feet,\n    Come sack and sweep up clean,\n  And meet me soon, ere sinks the moon,\n    In thy green vale, Dalreen.\n\n                          _Allan Cunningham_\n\n\n\n\nFAYS OF WATER, WOOD, AND MEADOW\n\n\n\n\n  _Over hill, over dale,\n    Through bush, through briar,\n  Over park, over pale,\n    Through flood, through fire,\n    I do wander everywhere,\n    Swifter than the moon\u2019s sphere;\n  And I serve the Fairy Queen,\n  To dew her orbs upon the green.\n  The Cowslips tall her pensioners be;\n  In their gold coats spots you see;\n  Those be rubies, Fairy favours,\n  In those freckles live their savours.\n  I must go seek some dew-drops here,\n  And hang a pearl in every Cowslip\u2019s ear._\n\n                                SHAKESPEARE\n\n\n\n\nKINTARO THE GOLDEN BOY\n\n_From Japan_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a poor widow and her little boy lived in a cave in the\nmidst of a great forest. The little one\u2019s name was Kintaro the Golden\nBoy. He was a sturdy fellow with red cheeks and laughing eyes. He was\ndifferent from other boys. When he fell down, he sang cheerily; if he\nwandered away from the cave, he could always find his way home again;\nand while he was yet very small, he could swing a heavy axe in circles\nround his head.\n\nKintaro grew to be ten years old, and a handsome, manly lad he was.\nThen his mother looked at him often and sighed deeply. \u201cMust my child\ngrow up in this lonely forest!\u201d thought she sadly. \u201cWill he never take\nhis place in the world of men! Alas! Alas!\u201d\n\nBut Kintaro was perfectly happy. The forest was full of his playmates.\nEvery living thing loved him. When he lay on his bed of ferns, the\nbirds flew nestling to his shoulder, and peeped into his eyes. The\nbutterflies and moths settled on his face, and trod softly over his\nbrown body. But his truest friends were the bears that dwelt in the\nforest. When he was tired of walking, a mother-bear carried him on\nher back. Her cubs ran to greet him, and romped and wrestled with him.\nSometimes Kintaro would climb up the smooth-barked monkey-tree, and\nsit on the topmost bough, and laugh at the vain efforts of his shaggy\ncub-friends to follow him. Then came the bears\u2019 supper-time, and the\nfeast of golden liquid honey!\n\nNow, it happened, one Summer, that there was to be a great day of\nsports for the forest creatures. Soon after dawn, a gentle-eyed stag\ncame to waken Kintaro. The boy, with a farewell kiss to his mother, and\na caress to the stag, leaped on his friend\u2019s back, and wound his arms\naround his soft neck. And away they went with long, noiseless bounds\nthrough the forest.\n\nUp hill, across valleys, through thickets they bounded, until they\nreached a leafy spot in a wide, green glade near a foaming cataract.\nThere the stag set Kintaro down; and the boy seated himself on a mossy\nstone, and began to whistle sweetly.\n\nImmediately the forest rustled with living things. The song-birds came\nswiftly to his call. The eagle and the hawk flew from distant heights.\nThe crane and the heron stepped proudly from their hyacinth-pools and\nhastened to the glade. All Kintaro\u2019s feathered friends flocked thither\nand rested in the cedar branches. Then through the undergrowth came\nrunning the wolf, the bear, the badger, the fox, and the martin, and\nseated themselves around Kintaro.\n\nThey all began to speak to him. He listened as they told their joys and\nsorrows, and he spoke graciously to each. For Kintaro had learned the\nlanguages of beasts, birds, and flowers.\n\nAnd who had taught Kintaro all this? The Tengus, the Wood-Elves.\nAnd even while he was listening to the forest creatures, the Tengus\nthemselves came tumbling out of the trees, or popping up from behind\nstones. Very strange little Elves they were! Each had the body of a\nman, the head of a hawk, powerful claws, and a long, long nose that\nusually trailed on the ground. And every little Tengu wore on his feet\ntiny stilt-like clogs.\n\nAll these queer Wood-Elves came toward Kintaro, walking very proudly\nwith their arms crossed, heads well thrown back, and long noses held\nerect in the air. At their head was the Chief Tengu, very old, with a\ngray beard and a sharp beak.\n\nThe Chief Tengu seated himself beside Kintaro on the mossy stone, and\nwaved a seven-feathered fan in the air. Immediately the sports began.\n\nThe young Tengus were fond of games. They found their long noses most\nuseful. They now fenced with them, and balanced bowls full of goldfish\non them. Then two of the Tengus straightened their noses, and joined\nthem together, and so made a tight rope. On this a young Tengu, with a\npaper umbrella in one hand, and leading a little dog with the other,\ndanced and jumped through a hoop. And all the time an old Tengu sang a\ndance-song, and another Tengu beat time with a fan.\n\nKintaro cheered loudly, and clapped his hands; and the beasts and birds\nbarked, hissed, growled, or sang for pleasure. So the morning passed\nswiftly and delightfully, and the time came for the forest animals to\ntake part in the sports. They did so running, leaping, tumbling, and\nflying.\n\nLast of all stood up a great father-bear to wrestle with Kintaro. Now,\nthe boy had been taught to fight by his friends the Tengus; and he\nhad learned from them many skilful tricks. So he and the bear gripped\neach other, and began to wrestle very hard. The bear was powerful and\nstrong, and his claws like iron, but Kintaro was not afraid. Backward\nand forward they swayed, and struggled, while the Tengus and the forest\ncreatures sat watching.\n\nNow, it happened that the great Hero Raiko was just returning from\nslaying many horrible ogres and hags. His way lay through the forest,\nand at that moment he heard the noise of the wrestling. He stopped his\nhorse and peered through the trees into the glade. There he saw the\ncircle of animals and little Tengus, and Kintaro struggling with the\npowerful bear. Just at that moment the boy, with a skilful movement,\nthrew the clumsy creature to the ground.\n\n\u201cI must have that boy for my son,\u201d thought Raiko. \u201cHe will make a great\nhero! He must be mine!\u201d\n\nSo he waited until Kintaro had mounted the stag and bounded away\nthrough the forest. Then Raiko followed him on his swift steed to the\ncave.\n\nWhen Kintaro\u2019s mother learned that Raiko was the mighty warrior who had\nslain the ogres and hags, she let him take her son to his castle. But\nbefore Kintaro went, he called together all his friends, the Tengus,\nthe birds, and the beasts, and bade them farewell, in words that they\nremember to this day.\n\nHis mother did not follow her son to the land of men, for she loved the\nforest best; but Kintaro, when he became a great hero, often came to\nsee her in her home. And all the people of Japan called him \u201cKintaro\nthe Golden Boy.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE FLOWER FAIRIES\n\n_From China_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, high on a mountain-side, there was a place where many\nbeautiful flowers grew, mostly Peonies and Camellias. A young man named\nHwang, who wished to study all alone, built himself a little house near\nby.\n\nOne day he noticed from his window a lovely young girl dressed in\nwhite, wandering about among the flowers. He hastened out of the house\nto see who she was, but she ran behind a tall white Peony, and vanished.\n\nHwang was very much astonished, and sat down to watch. Soon the girl\nslipped from behind the white Peony, bringing another girl with her who\nwas dressed in red. They wandered about hand in hand until they came\nnear Hwang, when the girl in red gave a scream, and together the two\nran back among the flowers, their robes and long sleeves fluttering in\nthe wind and scenting all the air. Hwang dashed after them, but they\nhad vanished completely.\n\nThat evening, as Hwang was sitting over his books, he was astonished to\nsee the white girl walk into his little room. With tears in her eyes\nshe seemed to be pleading with him to help her. Hwang tried to comfort\nher, but she did not speak. Then, sobbing bitterly, she suddenly\nvanished.\n\nThis appeared to Hwang as very strange. However, the next day a visitor\ncame to the mountain, who, after wandering among the flowers, dug up\nthe tall white Peony, and carried it off. Hwang then knew that the\nwhite girl was a Flower Fairy; and he became very sad because he had\npermitted the Peony to be carried away. Later he heard that the flower\nhad lived only a few days. At this he wept, and, going to the place\nwhere the Peony had stood, watered the spot with his tears.\n\nWhile he was weeping, the girl in red suddenly stood before him,\nwringing her hands, and wiping her eyes.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried she, \u201cthat my dear sister should have been torn from my\nside! But the tears, Hwang, that you have shed, may be the means of\nrestoring her to us!\u201d\n\nHaving said this, the red girl disappeared. But that very night Hwang\ndreamed that she came to him, and seemed to implore him to help her,\njust as the white girl had done. In the morning he found that a new\nhouse was to be erected close by, and that the builder had given orders\nto cut down a beautiful tall red Camellia.\n\nHwang prevented the destruction of the flower; and that same evening,\nas he sat watching the Camellia, from behind its tall stem came the\nwhite girl herself, hand in hand with her red sister.\n\n\u201cHwang,\u201d said the red girl, \u201cthe King of the Flower Fairies, touched by\nyour tears, has restored my white sister to us. But as she is now only\nthe ghost of a flower, she must dwell forever in a white Peony, and you\nwill never see her again.\u201d\n\nAt these words Hwang caught hold of the white girl\u2019s hand, but it\nmelted away in his; and both the sisters vanished forever from his\nsight. In despair he looked wildly around him, and all that he saw was\na tall white Peony and a beautiful red Camellia.\n\nAfter that Hwang pined, and fell ill, and died. He was buried at his\nown request, by the side of the white Peony; and before very long\nanother white Peony grew up very straight and tall on Hwang\u2019s grave; so\nthat the two flowers stood lovingly side by side.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY ISLAND\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nIn ancient days, in the land of Wales, there was a blue lake on a high\nmountain. No one had ever seen a bird fly near it. And over its waves\ncame faint strains of delicious music, that seemed to float from a\ndimly seen island in its centre. No one had ever ventured to sail on\nits water, for every one knew that it was the abode of the Tylwyth Teg,\nthe Water Fairies.\n\nIt happened, one lovely Summer day, that a hunter was wandering along\nthe margin of the lake, and found himself before an open door in a\nrock. He entered, and walked along a dark passage that led downward. He\nfollowed this for some time, and suddenly found himself passing through\nanother door, that opened on the mysterious, lovely island, the home of\nthe Tylwyth Teg.\n\nAll around him was a most enchanting garden, where grew every sort\nof delicious fruit and fragrant flower. The next moment a number of\nFairies advanced toward him, and graciously welcomed him to their\nabode. They bade him eat as much fruit as he wished, and pick the\nflowers, but told him not to take anything away with him.\n\nAll day he remained on the island, listening to the most ravishing\nmusic, and feasting and dancing with the Fairies.\n\nWhen it came time for him to leave, he hid a flower in his bosom, for\nhe wished to show it to his friends at home. He then said farewell to\nthe Fairies, and returned through the dark passage to the margin of the\nlake. But when he put his hand in his bosom to pull out the flower, he\nfound to his amazement that it had vanished. At the same moment he fell\ninsensible to the ground.\n\nWhen he came to himself, the door in the rock had disappeared. And\nthough he searched day after day, he never again found the passage to\nthe Fairy Island.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nSome years ago, in Cornwall, there was a farmer who owned a fine red\ncow, named Rosy. She gave twice as much milk as any ordinary cow. Even\nin Winter, when other cows were reduced to skin and bone, Rosy kept in\ngood condition, and yielded richer milk than ever.\n\nOne Spring, Rosy continued to give plenty of milk every morning,\nbut at night, when Molly the maid tried to milk her, she kicked the\nbucket over and galloped away across the field. This happened night\nafter night, and such behaviour was so strange, that Dame Pendar, the\nfarmer\u2019s wife, decided to see what she could do. But no sooner did she\ntry to milk Rosy than the cow put up her foot, kicked the bucket to\nbits, and raced away, bellowing, tail-on-end.\n\nDuring this Spring the farmer\u2019s cattle and fields thrived wonderfully.\nAnd so things continued until May Day. Now, on May Day night, when\nMolly attempted, as usual, to milk Rosy, she was surprised to see\nthe cow stand quietly and to hear her begin to moo gently; and, more\nwonderful still, the pail was soon full of foaming new milk. Molly rose\nfrom her stool, and, pulling a handful of grass, rolled it into a pad,\nand tucked it in her hat, so that she might the more easily carry the\nbucket on her head.\n\nShe put the hat on again, when what was her amazement to see whole\nswarms of little Fairies running around Rosy, while others were on\nher back, neck, and head, and still others were under her, holding up\nclover blossoms and buttercups in which to catch the streams of milk\nthat flowed from her udder. The little Fairies moved around so swiftly\nthat Molly\u2019s head grew dizzy as she watched them. Rosy seemed pleased.\nShe tried to lick the Little People. They tickled her behind the horns,\nran up and down her back, smoothing each hair or chasing away the\nflies. And after all the Fairies had drunk their fill, they brought\narmfuls of clover and grass to Rosy; and she ate it all, and lowed for\nmore.\n\nMolly stood with her bucket on her head, like one spell-bound, watching\nthe Little People; and she would have continued to stand there, but\nDame Pendar, the farmer\u2019s wife, called her loudly to know why she had\nnot brought the milk, if there was any.\n\nAt the first sound of Dame Pendar\u2019s voice, all the Fairies pointed\ntheir fingers at Molly, and made such wry faces that she was frightened\nalmost to death. Then--_whisk!_ and they were gone!\n\nMolly hurried to the house, and told her mistress, and her master, too,\nall that she had seen.\n\n\u201cSurely,\u201d said Dame Pendar, \u201cyou must have a Four-leaved Clover\nsomewhere about you. Give me the wad of grass in your hat.\u201d\n\nMolly took it out, and gave it to her; and sure enough there was the\nFour-leaved Clover which had opened Molly\u2019s eyes on that May Day.\n\nAs for Rosy, she kicked up her heels, and, bellowing like mad, galloped\naway. Over meadows and moors she went racing and roaring, and was never\nseen again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GILLIE DHU\n\n_From Scotland_\n\n\nOnce upon a time a little girl, named Jessie, was wandering in the\nwood, and lost her way. It was Summer time, and the air was warm. She\nwandered on and on, trying to find her way home, but she could not find\nthe path out of the wood. Twilight came, and weary and footsore she sat\ndown under a fir tree, and began to cry.\n\n\u201cWhy are you crying, little girl?\u201d said a voice behind her.\n\nJessie looked around, and saw a pretty little man dressed in moss and\ngreen leaves. His eyes were dark as dark, and his hair was black as\nblack, and his mouth was large and showed a hundred white teeth as\nsmall as seed pearls. He was smiling merrily, and his cream-yellow\ncheeks were dimpled, and his eyes soft and kindly. Indeed, he seemed so\nfriendly that Jessie quite forgot to be afraid.\n\n\u201cWhy are you crying, little girl?\u201d he asked again. \u201cYour tear-drops are\nfalling like dew on the blue flowers at your feet!\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve lost my way,\u201d sobbed Jessie, \u201cand the night is coming on.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo not cry, little girl,\u201d said he gently. \u201cI will lead you through\nthe wood. I know every path--the rabbit\u2019s path, the hare\u2019s path, the\nfox\u2019s path, the goat\u2019s path, the path of the deer, and the path of men.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, thank you! Thank you!\u201d exclaimed Jessie, as she looked the tiny\nman up and down, and wondered to see his strange clothes.\n\n\u201cWhere do you dwell, little girl?\u201d asked he.\n\nSo Jessie told him, and he said: \u201cYou have been walking every way but\nthe right way. Follow me, and you\u2019ll reach home before the stars come\nout to peep at us through the trees.\u201d\n\nThen he turned around, and began to trip lightly in front of her, and\nshe followed on. He went so fast that she feared she might lose sight\nof him, but he turned around again and again and smiled and beckoned.\nAnd when he saw that she was still far behind, he danced and twirled\nabout until she came up. Then he scampered on as before.\n\nAt length Jessie reached the edge of the wood, and, oh, joy! there was\nher father\u2019s house beside the blue lake. Then the little man, smiling,\nbade her good-bye.\n\n\u201cHave I not led you well?\u201d said he. \u201cDo not forget me. I am the Gillie\nDhu from Fairyland. I love little girls and boys. If you are ever lost\nin the wood again, I will come and help you! Good-bye, little girl!\nGood-bye!\u201d\n\nAnd laughing merrily, he trotted away, and was soon lost to sight among\nthe trees.\n\n\n\n\nHOW KAHUKURA LEARNED TO MAKE NETS\n\n_From New Zealand_\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a man named Kahukura. One evening, when he\nwas on his way to a distant village, he came to a lonely spot on the\nseashore. As he was walking slowly along, he saw a large pile of the\nheads and tails of fishes lying on the beach. Now, in those days men\nhad no nets and were obliged to catch fish with spears and hooks; and\nwhen Kahukura saw the pile he was very much astonished.\n\n\u201cWho has had such luck!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cIt is hard to catch one fish!\nHere must be the heads and tails of a thousand!\u201d\n\nThen he looked closely at the footprints in the sand. \u201cNo mortals have\nbeen fishing here!\u201d he cried. \u201cFairies must have done this! I will\nwatch to-night and see what they do.\u201d\n\nSo when darkness came, he returned to the spot, and hid behind a rock.\nHe waited a long time, and at last he saw a fleet of tiny canoes come\nspinning over the waves. They ranged themselves in a line at a distance\nfrom the shore, and Kahukura could see many little figures in them\nbending and pulling. He could even hear small voices shouting: \u201cThe\nnet here! The net there!\u201d Then the little figures dropped something\noverboard, and began to haul it toward the shore, singing very sweetly\nthe while.\n\nWhen the canoes drew near land, Kahukura saw that each was crowded with\nFairies. They all sprang out upon the beach, and began to drag ashore a\ngreat net filled with fishes.\n\nWhile the Fairies were struggling with the net Kahukura joined them,\nand hauled away at a rope. He was a very fair man, so that his skin\nseemed almost as white as the Fairies\u2019, and they did not notice him. So\nhe pulled away, and pulled away, and soon the net was landed.\n\nThe Fairies ran forward to divide the catch. It was just at the peep\nof dawn, and they hurried to take all the fish they could carry, each\nFairy stringing his share by running a twig through the gills. And as\nthey strung the fish they kept calling out to one another:--\n\n\u201cHurry! hurry! We must finish before the sun rises.\u201d\n\nKahukura had a short string with a knot in the end, and he strung his\nshare on it, until it was filled. But when he lifted the string the\nknot gave way, and all the fish slid to the ground. Then some of the\nFairies ran forward to help him, and tied the knot. Again he filled the\nstring and all the fish slid off, and again the Fairies tied the knot.\n\nMeanwhile day began to break over the sea, and the sun to rise. Then\nthe Fairies saw Kahukura\u2019s face, and knew that he was a man. They gave\nlittle cries of terror. They ran this way and that in confusion. They\nleft their fish and canoes, they abandoned their net. And shrieking\nthey all vanished over the sea.\n\nKahukura, seeing that he was alone, made haste to examine the canoes.\nThey were only the stems of flax! He lifted the net. It was woven of\nrushes curiously tied. He carried it home, and made some like it for\nhis neighbours. After that he taught his children how to weave nets.\nAnd so, say the Maori folk, they all learned to make nets. And from\nthat day to this they have caught many fish.\n\n\n\n\nECHO, THE CAVE FAIRY\n\n_From the Island of Mangaia_\n\n\nIn the very long ago, Rangi the Brave came from the\nLand-of-the-Bright-Parrot-Feathers to the Island of Mangaia. Swiftly\nover the blue waves sped his canoe. He stepped out upon the land, and\nlay down to rest in the shade of a broad-leaved tree covered with\ngorgeous blooms. And after he had slept and was refreshed, he arose and\nwandered about the island.\n\nBeautiful was the place with cocoa palms waving their tall fronds in\nthe air, and with banana trees heavy with golden fruit. But though\nRangi walked all that day and the next, he saw no human being. He\nheard no sounds except the beat of the sea against the shore, and the\nwhirring of hundreds of bright-winged birds that passed like flashes of\nblue, green, and crimson, from tree to tree, and from grove to grove.\nSoftly the perfumed breezes fanned his cheek, and played in his hair.\n\n\u201cLike a lovely dream is this island!\u201d thought he, \u201cbut as lonely as the\nsea on a moonlit night!\u201d\n\nThen to comfort himself he threw back his head and called: \u201cHalloo!\nHalloo!\u201d\n\nAnd from a pile of rocks overhanging a deep gorge, a voice answered:\n\u201cHalloo!\u201d\n\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d cried Rangi in wonder. \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d\n\nAnd the voice answered more softly: \u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere art thou? Where art thou hidden?\u201d he shouted.\n\nAnd the voice answered mockingly: \u201cWhere art thou hidden?\u201d\n\nThen Rangi in anger shouted fiercely: \u201cAccursed be thou, hide-and-seek\nspirit!\u201d\n\nAnd the voice screamed back as if in derision: \u201cAccursed be thou!\u201d\n\nThereupon Rangi grasped his spear tighter, and strode toward the rocks,\ndetermined to punish the insolent one. Leaping from boulder to boulder,\nhe entered the gorge. And ever as he proceeded, he shouted threats; and\never the mocking voice answered from some distant spot.\n\nThe gorge grew darker and narrower, until Rangi suddenly found himself\nin a wide-mouthed cavern. Its walls and roof glittered with pendant\ncrystals from which fell, drop by drop, clear water like dew. A white\nmist rose from the rocky floor, and through it Rangi saw dimly a lovely\nFairy face gazing roguishly at him. It was wreathed in rippling hair,\nand crowned with flowers. Archly it smiled, then melted away in the\nmist.\n\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d whispered Rangi in awe. \u201cArt thou Echo indeed?\u201d\n\nAnd from the glittering walls and roof came a thousand sweet answers:--\n\n\n\u201cEcho indeed!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE ISLES OF THE SEA FAIRIES\n\n\n  Among the Isles of the Golden Mist,\n    I lived for many a year;\n  And all that chanced unto me there\n    \u2019Tis well that ye should hear.\n\n   *       *       *       *       *\n\n  I dwelt in a hall of silvery pearl,\n    With rainbow-light inlaid;\n  I sate on a throne, old as the sea,\n    Of the ruby coral made.\n\n  They made me King of the Fairy Isles,\n    That lie in the Golden Mist,\n  Where the coral rocks and the silvery sand\n    By singing waves are kissed.\n\n  Far off, in the ocean solitudes,\n    They lie, a glorious seven;\n  Like a beautiful group of sister stars,\n    In the untraced heights of heaven.\n\n  Oh, beautiful Isles! where the coral rocks\n    Like an ancient temple stand,\n  Like a temple of wondrous workmanship\n    For a lofty worship planned!\n\n  Oh, beautiful Isles! And a Fairy race,\n    As the dream of a poet, fair,\n  Now hold the place by a charm\u00e8d spell,\n    With power o\u2019er sea and air.\n\n  Their boats are made of the large pearl-shell\n    That the waters cast to land;\n  With carv\u00e8d prows more richly wrought\n    Than works of mortal hand.\n\n  They skim along the silver waves\n    Without or sail or oar;\n  Whenever the Fairy voyager would,\n    The pearl-ship comes to shore.\n\n  I loved that idle life for a time;\n    But when that time was by,\n  I pined again for another change,\n    For the love in a human eye.\n\n  They brought me then a glorious form,\n    And gave her for my bride;\n  I looked on her, and straight forgot\n    That I was to earth allied.\n\n   *       *       *       *       *\n\n  For many a year and more, I dwelt\n    In those Isles of soft delight;\n  Where all was kind and beautiful,\n    With neither death nor night.\n\n  We danced on the sands when the silver moon\n    Through the coral arches gleamed,\n  And pathways broad of glittering light\n    O\u2019er the azure waters streamed.\n\n  Then shot forth many a pearly boat,\n    Like stars, across the sea;\n  And songs were sung, and shells were blown\n    That set wild music free.\n\n  For many a year and more, I dwelt\n    With neither thought nor care,\n  Till I forgot almost my speech,\n    Forgot both creed and prayer.\n\n  At length it chanced that as my boat\n    Went on its charm\u00e8d way,\n  I came unto the veil of mist\n    Which round the Seven Isles lay.\n\n  Even then it was a Sabbath morn;\n    A ship was passing by,\n  And I heard a hundred voices raise\n    A sound of psalmody.\n\n  A mighty love came o\u2019er my heart,\n    A yearning toward my kind,\n  And unwittingly I spoke aloud\n    The impulse of my mind.\n\n  \u201cOh, take me hence, ye Christian men!\u201d\n    I cried in spiritual want;\n  Anon the Golden Mist gave way,\n    That had been like adamant.\n\n  The little boat wherein I sate\n    Seemed all to melt away;\n  And I was left upon the sea,\n    Like Peter, in dismay.\n\n  Those Christian mariners, amazed,\n    Looked on me in affright;\n  Some cried I was an evil Ghost,\n    And some a Water-Sprite.\n\n  But the chaplain seized the vessel\u2019s boat,\n    With mercy prompt and boon,\n  And took me up into the ship\n    As I fell into a swoon.\n\n  In vain I told of what had happed;\n    No man to me would list;\n  They jested at the Fairy Isles,\n    And at the Golden Mist.\n\n  They swore I was a shipwrecked man,\n    Tossed on the dreary main;\n  And pitied me, because they thought\n    My woes had crazed my brain.\n\n  And soon a wondrous thing I saw;\n    I now was old and gray,\n  A man of threescore years and ten,--\n    A weak man in decay!\n\n  And yesterday, and I was young!\n    Time did not leave a trace\n  Upon my form, whilst I abode\n    Within the charm\u00e8d place!\n\n              _Mary Howitt_ (_Condensed_)\n\n\n\n\nAWAY! AWAY! TO FAIRYLAND\n\n\n\n\n  _But we that live in Fairyland\n    No sickness know, nor pain;\n  I quit my body when I will,\n    And take to it again._\n\n  _Our shapes and size we can convert\n    To either large or small,\n  An old nut-shell\u2019s the same to us\n    As is the lofty hall._\n\n  _We sleep in rose-buds soft and sweet,\n    We revel in the stream,\n  We wanton lightly on the wind,\n    Or glide on a sunbeam._\n\n                            _Old Ballad_\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAGIC FERNS\n\n_From Cornwall_\n\n\nNot many years since there lived in Cornwall a pretty young girl named\nCherry. As she and her mother were poor, Cherry determined to go out to\nservice. So one morning early, she took her little bundle of clothes,\nand started out to find a place with some respectable family. She\nwalked until she came to four cross-roads, and, not knowing which to\nfollow, she sat down on a boulder to think.\n\nThe spot where she sat was covered with beautiful ferns that curled\ntheir delicate fronds over the boulder. And while she was lost in\nthought, she unconsciously picked a few fronds and crushed them in her\nhand.\n\nImmediately she heard a strange voice at her elbow say:--\n\n\u201cMy pretty young woman, what are you looking for?\u201d\n\nShe glanced up, and saw standing near her a handsome young man, who was\nholding a bunch of the ferns.\n\n\u201cI am looking for a place, sir,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cAnd what kind of a place do you wish?\u201d asked he, with a sweet and\nwinning smile.\n\n\u201cI am not particular,\u201d answered she. \u201cI can make myself generally\nuseful.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed!\u201d said the stranger. \u201cAnd do you think you could look after one\nlittle boy?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I\u2019d love to do!\u201d said she, smiling.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d replied he, \u201cI wish to hire you for a year and a day. My home\nis not far from here. Will you go with me, Cherry, and see it?\u201d\n\nCherry stared in astonishment to hear him speak her name; and he\nadded:--\n\n\u201cOh! I see you thought that I did not know you! I watched you one day\nwhile you were dressing your hair beside one of my ponds; and I saw\nyou pluck some of my sweetest-scented violets to put in those lovely\ntresses! But will you go with me, Cherry?\u201d\n\n\u201cFor a year and a day?\u201d asked she.\n\n\u201cYou need not be alarmed,\u201d said he very kindly. \u201cJust kiss the fern\nleaf that is in your hand, and say:--\n\n  \u2018_For a year and a day\n  I promise to stay!_\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that all!\u201d said Cherry. So she kissed the fern leaf, and said the\nwords as he told her to.\n\nInstantly the young man passed the bunch of ferns that he held over\nboth her eyes. The ground in front of her seemed to open; and, though\nshe did not feel herself move from the boulder where she sat, yet she\nknew that she was going down rapidly into the earth.\n\n\u201cHere we are, Cherry,\u201d said the young man. \u201cIs there a tear of sorrow\nunder your eyelid? If so, let me wipe it away, for no human tear can\nenter our dwelling.\u201d\n\nAnd as he spoke he brushed Cherry\u2019s eyes with the fern leaves. And, lo!\nbefore her was such a country as she had never dreamed of!\n\nHills and valleys were covered with flowers strangely brilliant, so\nthat the whole country appeared to be sown with gems that glittered in\na light as clear as that of the Summer sun, yet as mild as moonshine.\nThere were glimmering rivers, and singing waterfalls, and sparkling\nfountains; while everywhere beautiful little ladies and gentlemen,\ndressed in green and gold, were walking, or sitting on banks of\nflowers. Oh! it was a wonderful world!\n\n\u201cHere we are at home!\u201d said the young man--and strangely enough he was\nchanged! He had become the handsomest little man Cherry had ever seen,\nand he wore a green silk coat covered with spangles of gold.\n\nHe led her into a noble mansion, the furniture of which was of ivory\nand pearl, inlaid with gold and silver and studded with emeralds. After\npassing through many rooms they came to one whose walls were hung with\nlace as fine as the finest cobwebs, and most beautifully twined with\nflowers. In the middle of the room was a cradle of wrought sea-shell,\nreflecting so many colours that Cherry could scarcely bear to look at\nit. The little man led her to this, and in it was lying asleep a little\nboy so beautiful that he ravished the sight.\n\n\u201cThis is your charge,\u201d said the little man. \u201cI am King of this country,\nand I wish my son to know something of human nature. You have nothing\nto do but to wash and dress the boy when he wakes, to take him walking\nin the garden, to tell him stories, and to put him to sleep when he is\nweary.\u201d\n\nCherry was delighted beyond words, for at first sight she loved the\ndarling little boy. And when he woke, he seemed to love her just as\ndearly. She was very happy, and cared tenderly for him; and the time\npassed away with astonishing rapidity. In fact it seemed scarcely a\nweek later, when she opened her eyes and found everything about her\nchanged. Indeed, there she was lying in her own bed in her mother\u2019s\ncottage!\n\nShe heard her mother calling her name with joy; and the neighbours came\ncrowding around her bed. It was just one year and a day from the time\nwhen she had sat on the boulder, and had met the fine young man. She\ntold her adventures to all, but they would not believe her. They shook\ntheir heads and went away, saying: \u201cPoor Cherry is certainly mad!\u201d\n\nFrom that day on, she was never happy, but sat pining, and dreaming of\nthe hour when she had picked the magic ferns. And though she often went\nback to the boulder, she never again saw the young man, nor found the\nway to Fairyland.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SMITH AND THE FAIRIES\n\n_From Scotland_\n\n\nYears ago there lived in Scotland an honest, hard-working smith. He had\nonly one child, a boy, fourteen years of age, cheerful, strong, and\nhealthy.\n\nSuddenly the boy fell ill. He took to his bed, and moped away whole\ndays. No one could tell what was the matter with him. Although he had a\ntremendous appetite, he wasted away, getting thin, yellow, and old.\n\nAt last one morning, while the smith was standing idly at his forge,\nwith no heart for work, he was surprised to see a Wise-man, who lived\nat some distance, enter his shop. The smith hastened to tell him about\nhis son, and to ask his advice.\n\nThe Wise-man listened gravely, then said: \u201cThe boy has been carried\naway by the Little People, and they have left a Changeling in his\nplace.\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! And what am I to do?\u201d asked the smith. \u201cHow am I ever to see my\nown son again?\u201d\n\n\u201cI will tell you how,\u201d answered the Wise-man. \u201cBut first, to make\nsure that it is not your own son you have, gather together all the\negg-shells you can get. Go into the room where the boy is, and spread\nthem out carefully before him. Then pour water in them, and carry them\ncarefully in your hands, two by two. Carry them as though they were\nvery heavy, and arrange them around the fireplace.\u201d\n\nThe smith, accordingly, collected as many egg-shells as he could find.\nHe went into the room, and did as the Wise-man had said.\n\nHe had not been long at work, before there came from the bed where the\nboy lay, a great shout of laughter, and the boy cried out:--\n\n\u201cI am now eight hundred years old, and I have never seen the like of\nthat before!\u201d\n\nThe smith hurried back, and told this to the Wise-man.\n\n\u201cDid I not assure you,\u201d said the Wise-man, \u201cthat it is not your son\nwhom you have? Your son is in a Fairy Mound not far from here. Get rid\nas soon as possible of this Changeling, and I think I may promise you\nyour son again.\n\n\u201cYou must light a very great and bright fire before the bed on which\nthis stranger is lying. He will ask you why you are doing so. Answer\nhim at once: \u2018You shall see presently when I lay you upon it.\u2019 If you\ndo this, the Changeling will become frightened and fly through the\nroof.\u201d\n\nThe smith again followed the Wise-man\u2019s advice; kindled a blazing\nfire, and answered as he had been told to do. And, just as he was going\nto seize the Changeling and fling him on the fire, the thing gave an\nawful yell, and sprang through the roof.\n\nThe smith, overjoyed, returned to the Wise-man, and told this to him.\n\n\u201cOn Midsummer Night,\u201d said the Wise-man, \u201cthe Fairy Mound, where your\nboy is kept, will open. You must provide yourself with a dirk and a\ncrowing cock. Go to the Mound. You will hear singing and dancing and\nmuch merriment going on. At twelve o\u2019clock a door in the Mound will\nopen. Advance boldly. Enter this door, but first stick the dirk in the\nground before it, to prevent the Mound from closing. You will find\nyourself in a spacious apartment, beautifully clean; and there working\nat a forge, you will see your son. The Fairies will then question you,\nand you must answer that you have come for your son, and will not go\nwithout him. Do this, and see what happens!\u201d\n\nMidsummer Night came, and the smith provided himself with a dirk and\na crowing cock. He went to the Fairy Mound, and all happened as the\nWise-man had said.\n\nThe Fairies came crowding around him, buzzing and pinching his legs;\nand when he said that he had come for his son, and would not go away\nwithout him, they all gave a loud laugh. At the same minute the\ncock, that was dozing in the smith\u2019s arms, woke up. It leaped to his\nshoulder, and, clapping its wings, crowed loud and long.\n\nAt that the Fairies were furious. They seized the smith and his son and\nthrew them out of the Mound, and pulled up the dirk and flung it after\nthem. And in an instant all was dark.\n\nFor a year and a day the boy never spoke, nor would he do a turn of\nwork. At last one morning as he was watching his father finish a sword,\nhe exclaimed:--\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not the way to do it!\u201d\n\nAnd taking the tools from his father\u2019s hands, he set to work, and soon\nfashioned a glittering sharp sword, the like of which had never been\nseen before.\n\nFrom that day on, the boy helped his father, and showed him how to make\nFairy swords, and in a few years they both became rich and famous. And\nthey always lived together contentedly and happily.\n\n\n\n\nTHE COAL-BLACK STEED\n\n_From England_\n\n\nLate one night--a bright, quiet, moonlit night--old Dame Moll lay\nsnugly sleeping in her bed, when suddenly she was wakened by a noise\nlike a rushing storm. The next minute there came a loud _rap! rap!\nrap!_ at her cottage door.\n\nStartled and frightened she sprang out of bed, and opened the door on a\ncrack.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid, good woman,\u201d said a squeaky voice. \u201cOpen wide! Open\nwide!\u201d\n\nSo she opened a bit wider, and saw a strange, squint-eyed, ugly little\nfellow standing on the door-stone. Somehow the look in his eyes seemed\nto cast a spell over her, and made her, willy-nilly, open the door very\nwide.\n\n\u201cMy wife has sent for you, good woman,\u201d said he. \u201cYou must come with me\nand bathe and dress our new-born child.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour wife!\u201d thought the poor Dame. \u201cHeaven defend me! Sure as I live I\nam going to care for a little Imp!\u201d\n\nBut she could not refuse to go, for the spell in the little man\u2019s eyes\ndrew her, and she was forced to walk toward a coal-black steed that\nstood snorting before the door. Its eyes were red-hot balls, and its\nbreath was like smoke.\n\nAnd how Dame Moll got to the place she never could tell. But suddenly\nshe found herself set down by a neat but poor cottage, and saw two tidy\nchildren playing before the door. In a minute she was seated in front\nof a roaring hearth-fire, washing and dressing a small baby. But a very\nactive and naughty baby it was, though only an hour old; for it lifted\nits fist and gave the good Dame such a rousing box on her ear, that it\nmade her head ring.\n\n\u201cAnoint its eyes with this salve, my good woman,\u201d said the mother, who\nwas lying in a neat white bed.\n\nSo Dame Moll took the box of salve, and rubbed a bit on the child\u2019s\neyes.\n\n\u201cWhy not a drop on mine,\u201d thought she, \u201csince it must be Elfin\nointment.\u201d So she rubbed her finger over her right eye.\n\nO ye powers of Fairyland! What did she see!\n\nThe neat but homely cottage had become a great and beautiful room. The\nmother, dressed in white silk, lay in an ivory bed. The babe was robed\nin silvery gauze. The two older children, who had just come into the\ncottage, were seated one on either side of the mother\u2019s pillow. But\nthey, too, were changed! For now they were little flat-nosed Imps who,\nwith mops and mows, and with many a grin and grimace, were pulling the\nmother\u2019s ears with their long, hairy paws.\n\nWhen Dame Moll saw this, she knew that she was in a place of\nenchantment, and without saying a word about having anointed her own\neye, she made haste to finish dressing the Elfin babe.\n\nThen the squint-eyed little old fellow once more placed her behind him\non the coal-black steed, and away they went sailing through the air.\nAnd he set her down safely before her door.\n\nOn the next market-day, when Dame Moll was selling eggs, what did she\nsee but the little old fellow himself busied, like a rogue, stealing\nsome things from the market-stalls.\n\n\u201cOh! Ho!\u201d cried she; \u201cI\u2019ve caught you, you thief!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d exclaimed he. \u201cDo you see me to-day?\u201d\n\n\u201cSee you! To be sure I do!--as plain as the sun in the sky! And I see\nyou very busy stealing, into the bargain!\u201d\n\n\u201cWith which eye do you see me?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cWith my right eye, to be sure,\u201d answered Dame Moll.\n\n\u201cThe ointment! The ointment!\u201d exclaimed the little man. \u201cTake that for\nmeddling with what did not belong to you!\u201d\n\nAnd he struck her in the eye as he spoke. And from that day to this old\nDame Moll has been blind in the right eye. And surely it served her\nright for stealing the Fairy ointment.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GIRL WHO WAS STOLEN BY THE FAIRIES\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nNever go near an Elfin Mound on May Day. For in the month of May the\nFairies are very powerful, and they wander about the meadows looking\nfor pretty maidens to carry off to Fairyland.\n\nOne beautiful May Day in old Ireland, a young girl fell asleep at\nnoonday on an Elfin Mound. The Fairies saw how pretty she was, so they\ncarried her off to Fairyland, and left in her stead an image that\nlooked exactly like her.\n\nEvening fell, and as the girl did not return home, her mother sent the\nneighbours to look for her in all directions. They found the image,\nand, thinking that it was the girl herself, they carried it home, and\nlaid it in her bed. But the image neither moved nor spoke, and lay\nthere silently for two days.\n\nOn the morning of the third day an old Witch-woman entered the house,\nand looking at the image, said:--\n\n\u201cYour daughter is Fairy-struck. Rub this ointment on her forehead, and\nsee what you shall see!\u201d\n\nThen the old woman placed a vial of green ointment in the mother\u2019s\nhand, and disappeared.\n\nThe mother immediately rubbed the forehead of the image, and the girl\nherself sat up in bed, weeping and wringing her hands.\n\n\u201cOh, mother!\u201d she cried. \u201cOh, why did you bring me back! I was so\nhappy! I was in a beautiful palace where handsome Princesses and\nPrinces were dancing to the sweetest music. They made me dance with\nthem, and threw a mantle of rich gold over my shoulders. Now it is all\ngone, and I shall never see the beautiful palace any more!\u201d\n\nThen the mother wept, and said: \u201cOh, my child, stay with me! I have no\nother daughter but you! And if the Fairies take you, I shall die!\u201d\n\nThe girl wept loudly at this, and throwing her arms around her mother\u2019s\nneck, kissed her, and promised that she would not go near the Elfin\nMound. And she kept her word, so she never saw the Fairies again.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GIRL WHO DANCED WITH THE FAIRIES\n\n_From Ireland_\n\n\nOne must never wander about alone on Hallowe\u2019en, for then the Fairies\nare abroad looking for mortals to trick and lead astray.\n\nNow, there was once a girl, the prettiest girl in all Ireland, who late\none Hallowe\u2019en was going to a spring to fetch some water. Her foot\nslipped, and she fell. When she got up, she looked about her, and saw\nthat she was in a very strange place. A great fire was burning near,\naround which a number of people, beautifully dressed, were dancing.\n\nA handsome young man, like a Prince, with a red sash, and a golden band\nin his hair, left the fire, and came toward her. He greeted her kindly,\nand asked her to dance.\n\n\u201cIt is a foolish thing, sir, to ask me to dance,\u201d replied she, \u201csince\nthere is no music.\u201d\n\nAt that the young man lifted his hand, and instantly the most delicious\nmusic sounded. Then he took her by the fingers and drew her into the\ndance. Around and around they whirled, and they danced and danced until\nthe moon and stars went down. And all the time, the girl seemed to\nfloat in the air, and she forgot everything except the sweet music and\nthe young man.\n\nAt last the dancing ceased, and a door opened in the earth. The young\nman, who seemed to be the King of all, led the girl down a pair of\nstairs, followed by all the gay company. At the end of a long passage\nthey came to a hall bright and beautiful with gold and silver and\nlights. A table was covered with every good thing to eat, and wine was\npoured out in golden cups.\n\nThe young man lifted a cup, and offered it to the girl; at the same\nmoment some one whispered in her ear:--\n\n\u201cDo not drink! Do not eat! If you do either, you will never see your\nhome again!\u201d\n\nWell, the girl, when she heard that, set the cup down and refused to\ndrink. Immediately all the company grew angry. A great buzzing arose.\nThe lights went out. And the girl felt something grasp her, and rush\nher forth from the hall and up the stairs; and in a minute she found\nherself beside the spring holding her pitcher in her hand.\n\nShe did not wait for anything, but ran home as fast as she could, and\nlocked herself in tight, and crept into bed. Then she heard a great\nclamour of little voices outside her door, and she could hear them\ncry:--\n\n\u201cThe power we had over you to-night is gone, because you refused to\ndrink! But wait until next Hallowe\u2019en Night, when you dance with us on\nthe hill! Then we shall keep you forever!--forever!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nELIDORE AND THE GOLDEN BALL\n\n_From Wales_\n\n\nOnce upon a time, in the land of Wales, near the fall of the Tawe into\nthe sea, there lived a boy called Elidore. He was a bright lad, but so\nfond of play that he would not study at all. His teacher flogged him so\noften and so hard that one morning Elidore ran away from home, and hid\nunder a hollow bank by the side of the river.\n\nThere he stayed two nights and two days, getting hungrier and thirstier\nevery moment. At last, when it seemed as if he could stand his\nsufferings no longer, he saw a little door open in the side of the bank\nand two Elfin Men step out. They stood before him, and, bowing low,\nsaid:--\n\n\u201cCome with us, dear boy, and we will lead you to a land full of\ndelights and sports, where you may play all the time.\u201d\n\nElidore was overjoyed. He rose and followed the Elfin Men through the\ndoor. They conducted him down a long, dark passage through the hill.\nAt length they came out into a beautiful country adorned with singing\ncrystal streams and flowery meadows. But it was always twilight there,\nfor the light of the sun, moon, and stars could not reach that land.\n\nThe Elfin Men led Elidore to a golden palace, and presented him to the\nKing of the Elves, who was seated upon his throne and was surrounded\nby a train of little people richly clad. The King questioned Elidore\nkindly, then, calling his eldest son, the Elfin Prince, bade him take\nthe earth-boy and make him happy.\n\nSo Elidore dwelt in Elfinland, and day after day was fed with milk and\nsaffron; and he played with the Elfin Prince, tossing gold and silver\nballs. When he walked in the meadows to pick flowers, he saw everywhere\nabout him the Elfin people, with long, flowing yellow hair, riding on\nlittle horses and chasing tiny deer with Fairy hounds. For all the\npeople in Elfinland played and rode about night and day, and they never\nworked. Sometimes on moonlit nights they rode through the dark passage\nto the upper world, and danced in Fairy Rings on the grass. And when\nthey went to their dances, they took Elidore with them.\n\nAfter Elidore had lived in Elfinland for some time, the King permitted\nhim one moonlit night to go alone through the dark passage to visit\nhis mother. He did so, and she was delighted to see him, for she had\nthought him dead. He told her about the wonders of Elfinland, and how\nhe was fed on milk and saffron, and played with gold and silver toys.\nShe begged him, the next time he came, to bring her a bit of Fairy\nGold. He promised to do so, and returned to Elfinland.\n\nIt so happened, one day soon after this, that Elidore was playing with\nthe Elfin Prince. He snatched a beautiful golden ball from the Prince\u2019s\nhands, and hastened with it through the dark passage. As he ran he\nheard behind him the shouts of many angry Elves and the sound of their\nhorses\u2019 hoofs, and the barking of the Fairy dogs; and knew that he was\nbeing pursued.\n\nFaster he ran in terror, but nearer came the patter of a thousand\nlittle feet, and the Elfin shouts. Still more terrified, he rushed\nthrough the door in the hill and sped homeward. As he sprang into his\nmother\u2019s house his foot caught, and he fell over the threshold. At the\nsame moment two Elves, who had outrun the others, leaped over him and\nsnatched the golden ball from his hands.\n\n\u201cThief!\u201d \u201cRobber!\u201d \u201cThief!\u201d they screamed, and vanished.\n\nAs for Elidore, he rose up too ashamed to eat or sleep that night. The\nnext day he went to the river bank and searched for the door, but could\nfind no trace of it. And though he searched every day for a year, he\nnever again found the entrance to Elfinland.\n\nBut from that time he was a changed boy. He studied hard, loved truth,\nand hated lying and stealing. And, when he grew up, he became a great\nman in Wales.\n\n\n\n\nAT THE COURT OF FAIRYLAND\n\n\nI\n\nQUEEN MAB\n\n  This is MAB, the mistress Fairy,\n  That doth nightly rob the dairy,\n  And can hurt or help the churning\n  (As she please) without discerning.\n  She that pinches country wenches,\n  If they rub not clean their benches,\n  And with sharper nails remembers\n  When they rake not up their embers.\n  But, if so they chance to feast her,\n  In a shoe she drops a tester.\n\n                          _Ben Jonson_\n\n\nII\n\nQUEEN MAB\u2019S CHARIOT\n\n  Her chariot ready straight is made;\n  Each thing therein is fitting laid,\n  That she by nothing might be stayed,\n    For nought must be her letting:\n  Four nimble gnats the horses were,\n  Their harnesses of gossamer,\n  Fly Cranion, her charioteer,\n    Upon the coach-box getting.\n\n  Her chariot of a snail\u2019s fine shell,\n  Which for the colours did excel;\n  The fair Queen Mab becoming well,\n    So lively was the limning:\n  The seat, the soft wool of the bee,\n  The cover (gallantly to see)\n  The wing of a pied butterflee;\n    I trow \u2019twas simple trimming.\n\n  The wheels composed of crickets\u2019 bones,\n  And daintily made for the nonce;\n  For fear of rattling on the stones,\n    With thistle-down they shod it:\n  For all her maidens much did fear,\n  If Oberon had chanced to hear,\n  That Mab his Queen should have been there,\n    He would not have abade it.\n\n  She mounts her chariot with a trice,\n  Nor would she stay for no advice,\n  Until her maids that were so nice,\n    To wait on her were fitted,\n  But ran herself away alone;\n  Which when they heard, there was not one,\n  But hasted after to be gone,\n    As she had been diswitted.\n\n                          _Michael Drayton_\n\n\nIII\n\nMAB\u2019S ELFIN MAIDS OF HONOUR\n\n  Hop, and Mop, and Drop so clear,\n  Pip, and Trip, and Skip, that were\n  To Mab their sovereign ever dear,\n    Her special maids of honour.\n  Fib, and Tib, and Pinck, and Pin,\n  Tick, and Quick, and Jil, and Jin,\n  Tit, and Nit, and Wap, and Win,\n    The train that wait upon her.\n\n  Upon a grasshopper they got,\n  And, what with amble and with trot,\n  For hedge nor ditch they spared not,\n    But after her they hie them.\n  A cobweb over them they throw,\n  To shield the wind, if it should blow,\n  Themselves they wisely could bestow,\n    Lest any should espy them.\n\n                       _Michael Drayton_\n\n\nIV\n\nKING OBERON\u2019S PALACE\n\n  This palace standeth in the air,\n  By necromancy placed there,\n  That it no tempests needs to fear,\n    Which way so e\u2019er it blow it:\n  And somewhat southward toward the noon\n  Whence lies a way up to the Moon,\n  And thence the Fairy can as soon\n    Pass to the earth below it.\n\n  The walls of spiders\u2019 legs are made,\n  Well morticed and finely laid;\n  He was the master of his trade,\n    It curiously that builded.\n  The windows of the eyes of cats,\n  And for the roof, instead of slats,\n  Is covered with the skins of bats,\n    With moonshine that are gilded.\n\n                       _Michael Drayton_\n\n\nV\n\nTHE FAIRIES\u2019 UMBRELLA\n\n  I spied King Oberon and his beauteous Queen\n    Attended by a nimble-footed train\n  Of Fairies tripping o\u2019er the meadow\u2019s green,\n    And to mewards (methought) they came amain.\n      I couched myself behind a bush to spy,\n      What would betide the noble company.\n\n  It \u2019gan to rain, the King and Queen they run\n    Under a mushroom, fretted overhead,\n  With glow-worms artificially done,\n    Resembling much the canopy of a bed\n      Of cloth of silver: and such glimmering light\n      It gave, as stars do in a frosty night.\n\n                                         _Old Poem_\n\n\nVI\n\nA FAIRY\u2019S ARMOUR\n\n  He put his acorn helmet on;\n  It was plumed of the silk of the thistle down;\n  The corslet-plate that guarded his breast\n  Was once the wild bee\u2019s golden vest;\n  His cloak, of a thousand mingled dyes,\n  Was formed of the wings of butterflies;\n  His shield was the shell of a lady-bug queen,\n  Studs of gold on a ground of green;\n  And the quivering lance which he brandished bright,\n  Was the sting of a wasp he had slain in fight.\n  Swift he bestrode his fire-fly steed;\n    He bared his blade of the bent-grass blue;\n  He drove his spurs of the cockle-seed,\n    And away like a glance of thought he flew,\n  To skim the heavens, and follow far\n  The fiery trail of the rocket-star.\n\n                               _Joseph Rodman Drake_\n\n\nVII\n\nFAIRY REVELS\n\n    Come, follow, follow me,\n    You Fairy Elves that be,\n    Which circle on the green,\n    Come, follow Mab your Queen.\n  Hand in hand let\u2019s dance around,\n  For this place is Fairy ground.\n\n    When mortals are at rest\n    And snoring in their nest,\n    Unheard and unespied,\n    Through keyholes we do glide;\n  Over tables, stools, and shelves,\n  We trip it with our Fairy Elves.\n\n    And if the house be foul\n    With platter, dish, or bowl,\n    Upstairs we nimbly creep,\n    And find the maids asleep:\n  There we pinch their arms and thighs;\n  None escapes, nor none espies.\n\n    But if the house be swept\n    And from uncleanness kept,\n    We praise the household maid,\n    And duly she is paid;\n  For we use before we go\n  To drop a tester in her shoe.\n\n    Upon a mushroom\u2019s head\n    Our table-cloth we spread;\n    A grain of rye or wheat\n    Is manchet which we eat;\n  Pearly drops of dew we drink\n  In acorn cups filled to the brink.\n\n    The brains of nightingales,\n    With unctuous fat of snails,\n    Between two cockles stewed,\n    Is meat that\u2019s easily chewed;\n  Tails of worms and marrow of mice\n  Do make a dish that\u2019s wondrous nice.\n\n    The grasshopper, gnat, and fly\n    Serve for our minstrelsy;\n    Grace said, we dance awhile,\n    And so the time beguile:\n  And if the moon doth hide her head,\n  The glow-worm lights us home to bed.\n\n    On tops of dewy grass\n    So nimbly do we pass,\n    The young and tender stalk\n    Ne\u2019er bends when we do walk;\n  Yet in the morning may be seen\n  Where we the night before have been.\n\n                          _Old Ballad_\n\n\nVIII\n\nFAIRY SONGS\n\n  Where the bee sucks, there suck I:\n  In a cowslip\u2019s bell I lie;\n  There I couch, when owls do cry:\n  On the bat\u2019s back I do fly\n  After summer merrily.\n    Merrily, merrily, shall I live now,\n    Under the blossom that hangs on the bough!\n\n                                 _Shakespeare_\n\n\n  From Oberon in Fairyland,\n    The King of ghosts and shadows there,\n  Mad Robin, I, at his command,\n    Am sent to view the night-sports here.\n        What revel rout\n        Is kept about,\n    In every corner where I go,\n      I will o\u2019ersee, and merry be,\n    And make good sport, with ho! ho! ho!\n\n  More swift than lightning can I fly\n    About this airy welkin soon,\n  And in a minute\u2019s space descry\n    Each thing that\u2019s done below the moon.\n        There\u2019s not a hag\n        Or ghost shall wag,\n    Or cry, ware Goblins! where I go;\n      But Robin, I, their feats will spy,\n    And send them home with ho! ho! ho!\n\n   *       *       *       *       *\n\n  By wells and rills, in meadows green,\n    We nightly dance our hey-day guise,\n  And to our Fairy King and Queen\n    We chant our moonlight minstrelsies.\n        When larks \u2019gin sing,\n        Away we fling,\n  And babes new-born steal as we go,\n      And Elf in bed we leave instead,\n    And wend us laughing, ho! ho! ho!\n\n               _Old Ballad_ (_Condensed_)\n\n\n\n\nPART TWO\n\nFAIRY STORIES\n\n\n\n\n_Fairy Godmothers and Wonderful Gifts_\n\n\n\n\n  _Rap! Rap! Rap!\n  \u201cWho\u2019s tirling at the pin?\u201d\n  \u201cI\u2019m your Fairy Godmother.\n  Will you let me in?\u201d_\n\n  _\u201cPointed red cap,\n  Long peak\u00e8d chin,\n  Twinkling black eyes,\n  Why should I let you in?\u201d_\n\n  _Rap! Rap! Rap!--\n  \u201cOpen wide your door,\n  I\u2019m your Fairy Godmother,\n  With gifts threescore!\u201d_\n\n\n\n\nCINDERELLA\n\nOR\n\nTHE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a gentleman who married for his second wife\na woman who was the haughtiest and proudest ever seen. She had two\ndaughters who resembled her in temper. The husband, however, had a\nyoung daughter by his first wife, who was of a sweetness and goodness\nwithout limit. She was like her own mother, who had been the most\nsweet-tempered woman in the world.\n\nThe wedding was no sooner over than the stepmother began to show her\nbad disposition. She could not endure the young girl, whose sweetness\nmade her own daughters seem more detestable. She forced her to do the\nhardest work in the house. It was she who washed the dishes and put\nthem in their places. It was she who polished the bedroom floors for\nher stepmother and two sisters. She slept under the eaves in a garret,\non a wretched mattress; while her sisters lay in elegant rooms where\nthe beds were soft and white, and the walls were lined with long\nmirrors in which the sisters could see themselves from head to foot.\n\nThe poor girl suffered all this with patience. And she did not dare\ncomplain to her father, for he would have scolded her, as he was\ncompletely governed by his wife.\n\nEach day, after the girl had finished her work, she sat down in the\nchimney-corner among the cinders--so they called her Cinderella.\nNevertheless, Cinderella, in spite of her shabby clothes, was more\npolite and a hundred times more beautiful than her sisters, although\nthey were magnificently dressed.\n\nIt happened one day that the King\u2019s son gave a ball, and that he\ninvited everybody of rank. The ugly sisters were also invited, because\nthey always made a grand figure at all Court festivities. They were\nvery glad at the thought of attending the royal ball, and busied\nthemselves in choosing the robes and head-dresses which should be most\nbecoming. But, alas! it was more trouble and work for Cinderella, for\nit was she who did her sisters\u2019 ironing, and fluted their ruffles.\nNight and morning, they talked only of their clothes.\n\n\u201cI,\u201d said the eldest, \u201cshall wear my red velvet robe with rich lace\ntrimming.\u201d\n\n\u201cI,\u201d said the younger, \u201cshall have only my plain skirt, but to make up\nfor its plainness, I shall put on my cloak flowered with gold, and my\ntiara of diamonds.\u201d\n\nThey called in Cinderella to ask her advice, for she had excellent\ntaste. Cinderella gave them the best counsel in the world, and even\noffered to do their hair, for which they were very glad. And while she\nwas arranging their locks in two rows of puffs, they asked:--\n\n\u201cCinderella, would you not be delighted to go to the ball?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, you are mocking me!\u201d replied she. \u201cIt would be no place for me!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right,\u201d answered the sisters, laughing scornfully. \u201cEverybody\nwould laugh well to see such a scrub-girl as you at the ball!\u201d\n\nAny one but Cinderella would have done their hair crooked out of rage,\nbut she was so sweet that she did her very best. They went two days\nwithout eating, so excited were they with joy. They broke a dozen\nlacings trying to make their waists smaller, and they spent all their\ntime before the mirrors.\n\nAt last the happy day arrived, and as they departed for the ball,\nCinderella followed them with her eyes as long as she could. Then she\nburst into tears.\n\nHer Godmother, who saw her in tears, asked what was the matter.\n\n\u201cI wish--I wish--\u201d and Cinderella sobbed so that she could not finish.\n\nHer Godmother, who was a Fairy, said: \u201cYou wish to go to the ball,\ndon\u2019t you?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas! Yes!\u201d sighed Cinderella.\n\n\u201cThen be a good girl,\u201d said her Godmother, \u201cand you shall go. Now, run\ninto the garden and bring me a pumpkin.\u201d\n\nCinderella went, and picked the biggest she could find; and as she\ncarried it to her Godmother, she wondered how that pumpkin could help\nher go to the ball.\n\nHer Godmother scooped out all the inside, leaving only the rind which\nshe struck with her wand. Instantly it became a golden coach. Then she\nwent to look at the mousetrap in which she found six mice. She bade\nCinderella open the trap, and, as each mouse sprang out, she touched it\nwith her wand. And instantly it was changed into a handsome horse.\n\nAs the Godmother was wondering out of what to make a coachman,\nCinderella said: \u201cI will go and see if there is a rat in the trap--then\nwe can make a coachman.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is a good thought,\u201d said her Godmother, \u201cgo and see.\u201d\n\nCinderella brought the trap in which were three large rats. Her\nGodmother chose one of the three because of his long whiskers; and when\nshe touched him, he was instantly changed into a big coachman who had\nthe handsomest moustaches ever seen.\n\nThen she said to Cinderella: \u201cGo into the garden. You will find there\nsix lizards behind the watering-pot. Bring them to me.\u201d\n\nCinderella had no sooner brought them than they were changed into six\nfootmen in gold-laced coats, who sprang up behind the coach with the\nair of never having done anything else in their lives.\n\nThen the Fairy said to Cinderella: \u201cHere is a fine coach in which to go\nto the ball! Are you not glad?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied she, \u201cbut must I go in these ugly clothes?\u201d\n\nHer Godmother, in answer, touched her with her wand, and instantly her\nold clothes were changed into robes of gold and silver embroidered with\ngems. Then her Godmother presented her with a pair of glass slippers,\nthe prettiest in the world.\n\nNow that Cinderella was all dressed, she got into the coach; but her\nGodmother told her above all things not to remain a minute later than\nmidnight. For if she remained a single minute longer, her coach would\nbecome a pumpkin; her horses, mice; her coachman, a rat; and her\nfootmen, lizards; while all her fine clothes would change to rags.\n\nCinderella promised her Godmother that she would not fail to return\nbefore midnight.\n\nShe departed for the ball, so joyful that she did not know herself.\nThe King\u2019s son, who was informed by his servants of the arrival of a\nbeautiful Princess whom nobody knew, ran to receive her. He assisted\nher to descend from the coach, and led her into the hall where the\nguests were assembled.\n\nThere was a great silence. People stopped dancing, and the violins\nceased playing, while all crowded around to see the beauty of the\nunknown one. Then a confused murmur arose. \u201cOh, how beautiful she is!\u201d\nThe King even, old as he was, could not take his eyes off her, and\nhe whispered to the Queen that it was long since he had seen such a\nhandsome and amiable person.\n\nAll the ladies were anxious to examine her head-dress and robes,\nand they decided to have some made like them the very next morning,\nprovided, of course, that they could procure beautiful enough materials\nand needlewomen sufficiently skilful.\n\nThe King\u2019s son led Cinderella to the place of honour, and asked her to\ndance with him. She danced with such grace that she was more admired\nthan ever. A superb banquet was served, but the young Prince did not\ntaste it, so much was he occupied in gazing at her. She seated herself\nby her sisters, and showed them a thousand attentions. She offered them\na share of the oranges and lemons that the Prince had given her, which\ngreatly surprised them, for they did not know her.\n\nWhile they were chatting, Cinderella heard the clock strike a quarter\nbefore twelve. She immediately bowed to the company, and hastened away\nas fast as she could.\n\nWhen she arrived at home, she found her Fairy Godmother, and having\nthanked her, told her how she longed to go again the next night, for\nthe Prince had invited her. And while she was relating all the things\nthat had happened at the ball, she heard the two sisters rap at the\ndoor.\n\nCinderella opened it. \u201cHow late you are,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cIf you had been at the ball,\u201d replied one of the sisters, \u201cyou would\nnot think it late! There came the most beautiful Princess you have ever\ndreamed of. She was devoted to us, and gave us oranges and lemons.\u201d\n\nCinderella could scarcely contain herself for joy. She asked the name\nof the Princess.\n\n\u201cWe do not know,\u201d they said. \u201cEven the King\u2019s son is curious to learn\nwho she is.\u201d\n\nCinderella smiled and said to the elder sister: \u201cWas she so beautiful\nthen! How happy you are!\u201d\n\nThe next night the sisters went to the ball. Cinderella went, too,\neven more magnificently attired than the first time. The King\u2019s son\nwas constantly by her side, and never ceased whispering sweet things.\nCinderella was not at all weary, and she forgot what her Godmother had\ntold her; so that when she heard the first stroke of midnight, she\ncould not believe that it was more than eleven o\u2019clock.\n\nShe sprang up, and fled as swiftly as a deer. The Prince followed her,\nbut could not catch her. She lost one of her glass slippers, which he\ntenderly picked up.\n\nCinderella reached home breathless, without coach or footmen, and clad\nin rags. Nothing remained of all her splendour but one little glass\nslipper, for she had dropped the other.\n\nThe Prince\u2019s attendants asked the palace guards if they had seen a\nPrincess pass by. They said that they had seen no one except a poorly\ndressed girl, who looked more like a peasant than a Princess.\n\nWhen her sisters returned, Cinderella asked if they had had a good time\nagain, and if the lovely Princess had been present. They said yes, but\nthat she had fled as soon as twelve o\u2019clock had sounded, and that she\nhad dropped one of her little glass slippers--it was the prettiest\nthing!--and that the Prince had picked it up. And that he had done\nnothing but look at it for the rest of the night! Assuredly he must be\nvery much in love with the Princess to whom it belonged!\n\nAnd they were right. A few days after this the King\u2019s son sent a herald\nwho announced, by sound of a trumpet, that the Prince would marry any\nlady whom the glass slipper fitted.\n\nThen commenced a great trying-on by Princesses and Duchesses and all\nthe ladies of the Court--but it was of no use. At last they brought the\nglass slipper to the two sisters, who did their best to get their feet\ninto it, but they could not do so.\n\nCinderella, who was looking on and recognized her slipper, said\nsmilingly: \u201cLet me see if it will fit me.\u201d\n\nHer sisters began to laugh scornfully and to ridicule her; but the\nattendant who held the slipper, looking attentively at Cinderella, saw\nthat she was very beautiful, and said that she had a right to do so,\nfor he had been ordered to try the slipper on every girl in the Kingdom.\n\nHe made Cinderella seat herself, and, placing the slipper on her little\nfoot, saw that it went on easily and fitted her like wax. The amazement\nof the sisters was great, but was greater still when Cinderella drew\nthe other slipper from her pocket and put it on her other foot.\n\nImmediately the Fairy Godmother arrived, and, having touched\nCinderella\u2019s clothes with her wand, changed them into garments more\nmagnificent than those she had worn before.\n\nThen the two sisters recognized her for the beautiful Princess whom\nthey had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet, and\nbegged forgiveness for the cruel treatment she had suffered. Cinderella\nraised and embraced them, and assured them that she pardoned them with\nall her heart, and that she now entreated them to love her dearly.\n\nShe was then conducted to the palace of the Prince, adorned as she was\nin all her magnificence. The Prince found her more beautiful than ever,\nand a few days after he married her with great pomp.\n\nCinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, lodged her sisters in\nthe palace, and married them on the same day to two great lords of the\nCourt.\n\n                                                      _Charles Perrault_\n\n\n\n\nTHE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a King and Queen who were most miserable\nbecause they had no children; but when a lovely baby girl was born to\nthem, they were two of the happiest people in the world. And in order\nto make all things as propitious as possible for the little Princess,\nthey invited seven Fairies who lived in the Kingdom, to be her\nGodmothers.\n\nWhen the christening ceremony was over, there was a magnificent banquet\ngiven for the Fairies. Before each of them was laid a plate of massive\ngold, and a case--also of massive gold--containing a spoon, a fork,\nand a knife, all of the same precious metal, and richly studded with\ndiamonds and rubies.\n\nBut just as everybody was seated at the table, who should enter but an\nold Fairy, who had not been invited because for more than fifty years\nshe had been shut up in a tower, and was supposed to be either dead or\nenchanted.\n\nThe King immediately commanded that a chair should be placed for her\nat the table, but he could not offer her a golden plate and case, for\nonly seven had been made for the seven Fairies. The unreasonable old\ncreature considered herself insulted, and began to mutter frightful\nthreats between her teeth. The youngest of the Fairies, hearing\nthis, concealed herself behind the tapestry, in order to be the last\nto speak, and so perhaps prevent any harm being done to the little\nPrincess.\n\nMeanwhile the Godmothers began to bestow their gifts.\n\nOne said: \u201cMy Godchild shall be the most beautiful girl in the whole\nworld.\u201d The second added: \u201cAnd she shall have the disposition of an\nangel.\u201d The third said: \u201cI give her the gift of perfect grace and\ngraciousness.\u201d The fourth added: \u201cAnd she shall dance like a sylph.\u201d\nThe fifth said: \u201cShe shall sing like a nightingale.\u201d The sixth added:\n\u201cShe shall excel in playing on every sort of musical instrument.\u201d\n\nThen came the turn of the old Fairy, who screamed like a cockatoo,\nwhile her head shook more from rage than from age: \u201cThe Princess shall\npierce her hand with a spindle, and shall die!\u201d\n\nThese dreadful words made the whole company--every one--shudder; and\nthere was no one there who was not drowned in tears. At that moment the\nyoungest Fairy appeared from behind the tapestry, and said sweetly:--\n\n\u201cDo not weep, Your Majesties, your daughter will not die. It is true\nthat I have not power enough to entirely undo the evil that my elder\nsister has done. The Princess will hurt her hand with a spindle, but,\ninstead of dying, she will fall asleep for a hundred years, and then a\nroyal Prince will come and waken her.\u201d\n\nThe King, hoping to prevent this calamity, forbade any person in the\nKingdom either to spin or even to keep a spindle in the house. Any one\nwho disobeyed was to be punished with death.\n\nSixteen years after this, the King and Queen went with their Court to\na castle in the country, when it happened that the young Princess,\nwandering curiously from room to room, mounted to the top of a tower.\nThere she found an old woman sitting alone before her wheel. This old\nwoman had never heard that the King had forbidden any one to spin.\n\n\u201cWhat are you doing, my good mother?\u201d asked the Princess.\n\n\u201cI am spinning, my beautiful child,\u201d answered the old woman.\n\n\u201cOh, how pretty it is!\u201d exclaimed the Princess. \u201cHow do you do it? Give\nthat to me, so I may see if I can do as well!\u201d\n\nAnd as she spoke, she took the spindle so eagerly and so quickly,\nthat it pierced her hand, and she sank fainting to the floor. The\npoor old woman, in the greatest distress, cried for help. People\ncame hurrying from all sides. They dashed water on the Princess. They\nunlaced her robes. They bathed her temples with perfumes. But she did\nnot move. Then the King, who, hearing the commotion, was come into the\ntower-room, remembered the malediction of the old Fairy. He perceived\nthat the misfortune was a thing that had to come about, since the\nFairies had foretold it.\n\nHe caused the Princess to be carried to the most splendid apartment\nin the castle, and to be laid on a couch of down and on pillows of\ndown embroidered with gold and silver. Her eyes were closed, but her\nsoft breathing showed that she was not dead. Then, too, her cheeks\nwere flushed a delicate rose-colour, and her lips were like coral. She\nseemed a sleeping angel, she was so beautiful.\n\nThe kind Fairy, who had saved the Princess\u2019s life, was in the Kingdom\nof Mataquin, twelve thousand miles away, but the King instantly\nsent word of the misfortune, by a little dwarf, who travelled in\nseven-league boots--which are boots that pass over seven leagues at\neach step--and she arrived directly at the castle, in a chariot of fire\ndrawn by dragons.\n\nShe approved of all that the King had done. But being exceedingly wise,\nshe knew that the poor Princess would be in a pitiable condition when\nat the end of a hundred years she awoke to find herself alone in that\nold castle. She knew of but one thing to do, and she did it. At a wave\nof her wand every one fell asleep--ladies of honour, waiting-maids,\nsquires, pages, stewards, cooks, scullions, porters, footmen,--every\nbreathing thing, even the horses in the stables with the grooms, the\nmastiffs in the courtyard, and little Pouffi, the Princess\u2019s lap dog,\nwho was nestling beside her on the couch--all slept. The spits full of\npartridges over the fire, and even the fire itself, waited silently to\nserve their mistress when she should wake and need them.\n\nOnly the King and Queen were left to kiss their darling child, and go\naway from the castle. The King forbade any one to approach the place,\nbut this command was not necessary, for within a quarter of an hour\nthere was grown up around the castle park, such a vast wood, whose\ntrees, great and small, were so interlaced with briars and thorns, that\nneither man nor beast could pass through. It was plain that the Fairy\nhad arranged matters after Fairy fashion, taking care that the young\nPrincess should not be disturbed while she slept.\n\nWhen the hundred years were gone, a King, not of the family of the\nPrincess, reigned over the land. One day his son was hunting near the\nFairy wood, and asked what were those turrets he saw rising above the\ntrees. People told him everything that they had heard. One said that\nit was an enchanted castle. Another said that all the witches in the\ncountry held their revels there. The most common belief, however,\nseemed to be that it was the dwelling-place of an ogre, who carried off\nall the children he could catch, and devoured them at his leisure; for\nno one could follow him, as only he could pass through the wood.\n\nWhile the Prince was lost in wonder at these tales, an old peasant\napproached him, and said: \u201cYour Highness, more than fifty years ago\nI heard my father say that in yonder castle was the most beautiful\nPrincess on earth, and that she would sleep a hundred years and then be\nwakened by the son of a King, and that she would marry him.\u201d\n\nThat was enough to set the Prince on fire for the adventure. In fact,\nhe felt in his heart that he was the chosen one. He did not delay\nfor an instant. No sooner had he taken a step toward the wood than\nthe trees great and small, and the thorns and briars, disentangled\nthemselves and opened a path.\n\nHe walked toward the castle which stood at the end of a broad avenue.\nHe saw, with surprise, that none of his attendants had been able to\nfollow him, for the wood had closed again behind him; but all the same\nhe went on boldly.\n\nHe entered a spacious outer court, where a person less brave than he\nwould have been paralyzed by fear. A deathlike silence reigned, and\nmany dead men lay stretched upon the ground. But the Prince saw, at\na second glance, that the men had only the appearance of being dead,\nthat, indeed, they were really men-at-arms, who had fallen asleep with\ntheir half-emptied wine-glasses beside them.\n\nHe ascended the stairway. He entered an antechamber, where the guard,\nranged in line, with their muskets on their shoulders, were snoring\ncontentedly. He crossed a presence-chamber where many lords and ladies\nwere sleeping, some standing and some sitting.\n\nThen he found himself in a magnificent apartment where on a couch,\nwhose curtains were lifted, slept a young Princess as lovely as if she\nhad strayed from Paradise!\n\nThe Prince knelt beside her, and pressed his lips on her white hand\nthat lay on the coverlet. The spell was broken! The Princess opened her\neyes, and, looking at the Prince as if he was no stranger, said:--\n\n\u201cIs it you, my Prince! I know you, for the Fairy has sent me such happy\ndreams in order that I might know the one who should free me from\nenchantment.\u201d\n\nThen they talked together. Each had so much to say. The Prince forgot\nthe flight of time, and the Princess certainly did, it was so long\nsince she had talked with any one.\n\nMeanwhile the whole castle had awakened when the Princess did; and all\nthe people had returned to their regular duties. They were naturally\nhalf-starved. Dinner was prepared.\n\nThen the maid of honour, who was as hungry as the others, and who\nreally had difficulty to keep her voice from being as sharp as her\nappetite, went to the Princess\u2019s apartment, and said in a gentle tone:\n\u201cPardon, Your Highness, but dinner is served.\u201d\n\nThe Princess was superbly dressed, and the Prince was careful not to\nsay that her robe was like that of his great-grandmother. He did not\nfind her any the less beautiful for all that. They dined in the Hall\nof Mirrors, and were served by the pages and ladies-in-waiting of the\nPrincess. The violins and hautboys played delightfully considering that\nthey had lain untouched for a hundred years. After dinner, the Prince\nand Princess were married in the chapel of the castle. And on the death\nof the Prince\u2019s father, which occurred soon after the marriage, the\nPrince and Princess reigned happily over all that land.\n\n                                                      _Charles Perrault_\n\n\n\n\nPRINCE CH\u00c9RI\n\n\nLong ago there lived a monarch, who was such a very honest man that his\nsubjects entitled him \u201cthe Good King.\u201d One day when he was out hunting,\na little white rabbit, which had been half killed by his hounds, leaped\nright into His Majesty\u2019s arms. Said he, caressing it, \u201cThis poor\ncreature has put itself under my protection, and I will allow no one\nto injure it.\u201d So he carried it to his palace, had prepared for it a\nneat little rabbit-hutch, with abundance of the daintiest food, such as\nrabbits love, and there he left it.\n\nThe same night, when he was alone in his chamber, there appeared to\nhim a beautiful lady. She was dressed neither in gold nor silver\nnor brocade; but her flowing robes were white as snow, and she wore\na garland of white roses on her head. The Good King was greatly\nastonished at the sight, for his door was locked, and he wondered how\nso dazzling a lady could possibly enter; but she soon removed his\ndoubts.\n\n\u201cI am the Fairy Candide,\u201d said she, with a smiling and gracious air.\n\u201cPassing through the wood, where you were hunting, I took a desire to\nknow if you were as good as men say you are. I therefore changed myself\ninto a white rabbit, and sought refuge in your arms. You saved me; and\nnow I know that those who are merciful to dumb beasts will be ten times\nmore so to human beings. You merit the name your subjects give you: you\nare the Good King. I thank you for your protection, and shall be always\none of your best friends. You have but to say what you most desire, and\nI promise you your wish shall be granted.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied the King, \u201cif you are a Fairy, you must know, without\nmy telling you, the wish of my heart. I have one well-beloved son,\nPrince Ch\u00e9ri: whatever kindly feeling you have toward me, extend it to\nhim.\u201d\n\n\u201cWillingly,\u201d said Candide. \u201cI will make him the handsomest, richest, or\nmost powerful Prince in the world. Choose whichever you desire for him.\u201d\n\n\u201cNone of the three,\u201d returned the father. \u201cI only wish him to be\ngood--the best Prince in the world. Of what use would riches, power, or\nbeauty be to him if he were a bad man?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are right,\u201d said the Fairy; \u201cbut I cannot make him good: he must\ndo that himself. I can only change his external fortunes. For his\npersonal character, the utmost I can promise is to give good counsel,\nreprove him for his faults, and even punish him, if he will not punish\nhimself. You mortals can do the same with your children.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, yes!\u201d said the King, sighing.\n\nStill, he felt that the kindness of a Fairy was something gained for\nhis son, and died not long after, content and at peace.\n\nPrince Ch\u00e9ri mourned deeply, for he dearly loved his father, and would\nhave gladly given all his kingdoms and treasures to keep him in life a\nlittle longer.\n\nTwo days after the Good King was no more, Prince Ch\u00e9ri was sleeping in\nhis chamber, when he saw the same dazzling vision of the Fairy Candide.\n\n\u201cI promised your father,\u201d said she, \u201cto be your best friend, and in\npledge of this take what I now give you.\u201d And she placed a small gold\nring upon his finger. \u201cPoor as it looks, it is more precious than\ndiamonds; for whenever you do ill it will prick your finger. If after\nthat warning you still continue in evil, you will lose my friendship,\nand I shall become your direst enemy.\u201d\n\nSo saying she disappeared, leaving Ch\u00e9ri in such amazement that he\nwould have believed it all a dream, save for the ring on his finger.\n\nHe was for a long time so good that the ring never pricked him at all;\nand this made him so cheerful and pleasant in his humour that everybody\ncalled him \u201cHappy Prince Ch\u00e9ri.\u201d But one unlucky day he was out\nhunting and found no sport, which vexed him so much that he showed his\nill-temper by his looks and ways. He fancied his ring felt very tight\nand uncomfortable, but as it did not prick him, he took no heed of\nthis; until, re\u00ebntering his palace, his little pet dog, Bibi, jumped up\nupon him, and was sharply told to get away. The creature, accustomed to\nnothing but caresses, tried to attract his attention by pulling at his\ngarments, when Prince Ch\u00e9ri turned and gave it a severe kick. At this\nmoment he felt in his finger a prick like a pin.\n\n\u201cWhat nonsense!\u201d said he to himself. \u201cThe Fairy must be making game of\nme. Why, what great evil have I done? I, the master of a great empire,\ncannot I kick my own dog?\u201d\n\nA voice replied, or else Prince Ch\u00e9ri imagined it: \u201cNo, sire; the\nmaster of a great empire has a right to do good, but not evil. I--a\nFairy--am as much above you as you are above your dog. I might punish\nyou, kill you, if I chose; but I prefer leaving you to amend your ways.\nYou have been guilty of three faults to-day--bad temper, passion,\ncruelty. Do better to-morrow.\u201d\n\nThe Prince promised, and kept his word awhile; but he had been brought\nup by a foolish nurse, who indulged him in every way, and was always\ntelling him that he would be a King one day, when he might do as he\nliked in all things. He found out now that even a King cannot always\ndo that; it vexed him, and made him angry. His ring began to prick him\nso often that his little finger was continually bleeding. He disliked\nthis, as was natural, and soon began to consider whether it would not\nbe easier to throw the ring away altogether than to be constantly\nannoyed by it. It was such a queer thing for a King to have always a\nspot of blood on his finger!\n\nAt last, unable to put up with it any more, he took his ring off, and\nhid it where he would never see it; and believed himself the happiest\nof men, for he could now do exactly what he liked. He did it, and\nbecame every day more and more miserable.\n\nOne day he saw a young girl, so beautiful that, being always accustomed\nto have his own way, he immediately determined to marry her. He never\ndoubted that she would be only too glad to be made a Queen, for she\nwas very poor. But Zelia--that was her name--answered, to his great\nastonishment, that she would rather not marry him.\n\n\u201cDo I displease you?\u201d asked the Prince, into whose mind it had never\nentered that he could displease anybody.\n\n\u201cNot at all, my Prince,\u201d said the honest peasant-maiden. \u201cYou are very\nhandsome, very charming; but you are not like your father the Good\nKing. I will not be your Queen, for you would make me miserable.\u201d\n\nAt these words the Prince\u2019s love seemed all to turn to hatred. He gave\norders to his guards to convey Zelia to a prison near the palace, and\nthen took counsel with his foster-brother, the one of all his ill\ncompanions who most incited him to do wrong.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said this man, \u201cif I were in Your Majesty\u2019s place, I would never\nvex myself about a poor silly girl. Feed her on bread and water till\nshe comes to her senses; and if she still refuses you, let her die in\ntorment, as a warning to your other subjects should they venture to\ndispute your will. You will be disgraced should you suffer yourself to\nbe conquered by a simple girl.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Prince Ch\u00e9ri, \u201cshall I not be disgraced if I harm a\ncreature so perfectly innocent?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo one is innocent who disputes Your Majesty\u2019s authority,\u201d said the\ncourtier, bowing; \u201cand it is better to commit an injustice than allow\nit to be supposed you can ever be contradicted with impunity.\u201d\n\nThis touched Ch\u00e9ri on his weak point--his good impulses faded. He\nresolved once more to ask Zelia if she would marry him, and, if she\nagain refused, to sell her as a slave. Arrived at the cell in which she\nwas confined, what was his astonishment to find her gone! He knew not\nwhom to accuse, for he had kept the key in his pocket the whole time.\nAt last, the foster-brother suggested that the escape of Zelia might\nhave been contrived by an old man, Suliman by name, the Prince\u2019s former\ntutor, who was the only one who now ventured to blame him for anything\nthat he did. Ch\u00e9ri sent immediately, and ordered his old friend to be\nbrought to him, loaded heavily with irons.\n\nThen, full of fury, he went and shut himself up in his own chamber,\nwhere he went raging to and fro, till startled by a noise like a clap\nof thunder. The Fairy Candide stood before him.\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d said she, in a severe voice, \u201cI promised your father to give\nyou good counsels, and to punish you if you refused to follow them.\nMy counsels were forgotten, my punishments despised. Under the figure\nof a man, you have been no better than the beasts you chase: like a\nlion in fury, a wolf in gluttony, a serpent in revenge, and a bull in\nbrutality. Take, therefore, in your new form the likeness of all these\nanimals.\u201d\n\nScarcely had Prince Ch\u00e9ri heard these words, than to his horror he\nfound himself transformed into what the Fairy had named. He was a\ncreature with the head of a lion, the horns of a bull, the feet of\na wolf, and the tail of a serpent. At the same time he felt himself\ntransported to a distant forest, where, standing on the bank of a\nstream, he saw reflected in the water his own frightful shape, and\nheard a voice saying:--\n\n\u201cLook at thyself, and know thy soul has become a thousand times uglier\neven than thy body.\u201d\n\nCh\u00e9ri recognized the voice of Candide, and in his rage would have\nsprung upon her and devoured her; but he saw nothing, and the same\nvoice said behind him:--\n\n\u201cCease thy feeble fury, and learn to conquer thy pride by being in\nsubmission to thine own subjects.\u201d\n\nHearing no more, he soon quitted the stream, hoping at least to get rid\nof the sight of himself; but he had scarcely gone twenty paces when he\ntumbled into a pitfall that was laid to catch bears. The bear-hunters,\ndescending from some trees hard by, caught him, chained him, and only\ntoo delighted to get hold of such a curious-looking animal, led him\nalong with them to the capital of his own Kingdom.\n\nThere great rejoicings were taking place, and the bear-hunters, asking\nwhat it was all about, were told that it was because Prince Ch\u00e9ri, the\ntorment of his subjects, had been struck dead by a thunderbolt--just\npunishment of all his crimes. Four courtiers, his wicked companions,\nhad wished to divide his throne among them; but the people had risen\nup against them, and offered the crown to Suliman, the old tutor whom\nCh\u00e9ri had ordered to be arrested.\n\nAll this the poor monster heard. He even saw Suliman sitting upon his\nown throne, and trying to calm the populace by representing to them\nthat it was not certain Prince Ch\u00e9ri was dead; that he might return one\nday to reassume with honour the crown which Suliman only consented to\nwear as a sort of viceroy.\n\n\u201cI know his heart,\u201d said the honest and faithful old man; \u201cit is\ntainted, but not corrupt. If alive, he may reform yet, and be all his\nfather over again to you, his people, whom he has caused to suffer so\nmuch.\u201d\n\nThese words touched the poor beast so deeply that he ceased to beat\nhimself against the iron bars of the cage in which the hunters carried\nhim about, became gentle as a lamb, and suffered himself to be taken\nquietly to a menagerie, where were kept all sorts of strange and\nferocious animals--a place which he had himself often visited as a boy,\nbut never thought he should be shut up there himself.\n\nHowever, he owned he had deserved it all, and began to make amends\nby showing himself very obedient to his keeper. This man was almost\nas great a brute as the animals he had charge of, and when he was in\nill-humour he used to beat them without rhyme or reason. One day,\nwhile he was sleeping, a tiger broke loose and leaped upon him, eager\nto devour him. Ch\u00e9ri at first felt a thrill of pleasure at the thought\nof being revenged; then, seeing how helpless the man was, he wished\nhimself free, that he might defend him. Immediately the doors of his\ncage opened.\n\nThe keeper, waking up, saw the strange beast leap out, and imagined,\nof course, that he was going to be slain at once. Instead, he saw the\ntiger lying dead, and the strange beast creeping up and laying itself\nat his feet to be caressed. But as he lifted up his hand to stroke it,\na voice was heard saying, \u201cGood actions never go unrewarded.\u201d And,\ninstead of the frightful monster, there crouched on the ground nothing\nbut a pretty little dog.\n\nCh\u00e9ri, delighted to find himself thus transformed, caressed the keeper\nin every possible way, till at last the man took him up into his\narms and carried him to the King, to whom he related this wonderful\nstory from beginning to end. The Queen wished to have the charming\nlittle dog; and Ch\u00e9ri would have been exceedingly happy, could he have\nforgotten that he was originally a man and a King. He was lodged most\nelegantly, had the richest of collars to adorn his neck, and heard\nhimself praised continually. But his beauty rather brought him into\ntrouble, for the Queen, afraid lest he might grow too large for a pet,\ntook advice of dog-doctors, who ordered that he should be fed entirely\nupon bread, and that very sparingly; so poor Ch\u00e9ri was sometimes nearly\nstarved.\n\nOne day, when they gave him his crust for breakfast, a fancy seized\nhim to go and eat it in the palace-garden; so he took the bread in his\nmouth, and trotted away toward a stream which he knew, and where he\nsometimes stopped to drink. But instead of the stream he saw a splendid\npalace, glittering with gold and precious stones. Entering the doors\nwas a crowd of men and women, magnificently dressed; and within there\nwas singing and dancing, and good cheer of all sorts. Yet, however\ngrandly and gaily the people went in, Ch\u00e9ri noticed that those who\ncame out were pale, thin, ragged, half-naked, covered with wounds and\nsores. Some of them dropped dead at once; others dragged themselves on\na little way and then lay down, dying of hunger, and vainly begged a\nmorsel of bread from others who were entering in--who never took the\nleast notice of them.\n\nCh\u00e9ri perceived one woman, who was trying feebly to gather and eat some\ngreen herbs. \u201cPoor thing!\u201d said he to himself; \u201cI know what it is to\nbe hungry, and I want my breakfast badly enough; but still it will not\nkill me to wait till dinner-time, and my crust may save the life of\nthis poor woman.\u201d\n\nSo the little dog ran up to her, and dropped his bread at her feet; she\npicked it up, and ate it with avidity. Soon she looked quite recovered,\nand Ch\u00e9ri, delighted, was trotting back again to his kennel, when he\nheard loud cries, and saw a young girl dragged by four men to the door\nof the palace, which they were trying to compel her to enter. Oh, how\nhe wished himself a monster again, as when he slew the tiger! For the\nyoung girl was no other than his beloved Zelia. Alas! what could a\npoor little dog do to defend her? But he ran forward and barked at the\nmen and bit their heels, until at last they chased him away with heavy\nblows. And then he lay down outside the palace-door, determined to\nwatch and see what had become of Zelia.\n\nConscience pricked him now. \u201cWhat!\u201d he thought, \u201cI am furious against\nthese wicked men, who are carrying her away; and did I not do the same\nmyself? Did I not cast her into prison, and intend to sell her as a\nslave? Who knows how much more wickedness I might not have done to her\nand others, if Heaven\u2019s justice had not stopped me in time?\u201d\n\nWhile he lay thinking and repenting, he heard a window open, and saw\nZelia throw out of it a bit of dainty meat. Ch\u00e9ri, who felt hungry\nenough by this time, was just about to eat it, when the woman to whom\nhe had given his crust snatched him up in her arms.\n\n\u201cPoor little beast!\u201d cried she, patting him, \u201cevery bit of food in that\npalace is poisoned; you shall not touch a morsel.\u201d\n\nAnd at the same time the voice in the air repeated again, \u201cGood actions\nnever go unrewarded.\u201d And Ch\u00e9ri found himself changed into a beautiful\nlittle white pigeon. He remembered with joy that white was the colour\nof the Fairy Candide, and began to hope that she was taking him into\nfavour again.\n\nSo he stretched his wings, delighted that he might now have a chance\nof approaching his fair Zelia. He flew up to the palace windows, and,\nfinding one of them open, entered and sought everywhere, but he could\nnot find Zelia. Then, in despair, he flew out again, resolved to go\nover the world until he beheld her once more.\n\nHe took flight at once, and traversed many countries, swiftly as a bird\ncan, but found no trace of his beloved. At length in a desert, sitting\nbeside an old hermit in his cave and partaking with him of his frugal\nrepast, Ch\u00e9ri saw a poor peasant girl and recognized Zelia. Transported\nwith joy, he flew in, perched on her shoulder, and expressed his\ndelight and affection by a thousand caresses.\n\nShe, charmed with the pretty little pigeon, caressed it in her turn,\nand promised it that, if it would stay with her, she would love it\nalways.\n\n\u201cWhat have you done, Zelia?\u201d said the hermit, smiling. And while he\nspoke the white pigeon vanished, and there stood Prince Ch\u00e9ri in his\nown natural form. \u201cYour enchantment ended, Prince, when Zelia promised\nto love you. Indeed, she has loved you always, but your many faults\nconstrained her to hide her love. These are now amended, and you may\nboth live happy if you will, because your union is founded upon mutual\nesteem.\u201d\n\nCh\u00e9ri and Zelia threw themselves at the feet of the hermit, whose form\nalso began to change. His soiled garments became of dazzling whiteness,\nand his long beard and withered face grew into the flowing hair and\nlovely countenance of Fairy Candide.\n\n\u201cRise up, my children,\u201d said she; \u201cI must now transport you to your\npalace, and restore to Prince Ch\u00e9ri his father\u2019s crown, of which he is\nnow worthy.\u201d\n\nShe had scarcely ceased speaking when they found themselves in the\nchamber of Suliman, who, delighted to find again his beloved pupil and\nmaster, willingly resigned the throne, and became the most faithful of\nhis subjects.\n\nKing Ch\u00e9ri and Queen Zelia reigned together for many years, and it is\nsaid that the former was so blameless and strict in all his duties\nthat, though he constantly wore the ring which Candide had restored to\nhim, it never once pricked his finger enough to make it bleed.\n\n                                          _Madame Le Prince de Beaumont_\n                                                   (_After Miss Mulock_)\n\n\n\n\nTOADS AND DIAMONDS\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was\nso exactly like her mother in disposition and in face that whoever saw\none, saw the other. They were both so disagreeable and so proud that\nnobody could endure them.\n\nThe younger was the image of her dead father. She was sweet and\nkind-hearted, besides being very beautiful. While her mother loved the\nelder daughter to distraction, she hated the younger. The poor child\nhad to eat in the kitchen, and work day and night. And twice every day\nshe had to walk several miles to a distant fountain to fetch home a\nlarge pitcher of water.\n\nOne morning, while she was resting beside the fountain, a poor woman\npassing by, stopped and asked her for a drink.\n\n\u201cYes, indeed!\u201d said the obliging young girl. And immediately dipping\nher pitcher, she filled it where the water was coldest, and held it\ncarefully up so that the woman might easily drink from it.\n\nWhen the woman had finished drinking, she said: \u201cYou are so beautiful,\nso good, and so kind, that I must bestow a gift upon you. For every\nword that you speak, there shall fall from your lips either a flower or\na jewel.\u201d\n\nNow the woman was not really a poor peasant, but a Fairy who had taken\nthat form in order to find how kind-hearted the young girl was. She\nthen vanished.\n\nAs soon as the daughter arrived at home, her mother scolded her for\nbeing absent so long.\n\n\u201cI beg your pardon, my mother, for being gone such a long time,\u201d\nanswered the girl. And as she spoke there fell from her lips three\nroses, three lilies, three pearls, and three large diamonds.\n\n\u201cWhat do I see!\u201d exclaimed her mother in amazement. \u201cWhere did you get\nthem, my child?\u201d It was the first time in her life that she had ever\ncalled her \u201cmy child.\u201d \u201cI do believe those jewels came from your mouth!\u201d\n\nThe poor girl told her in a few words what had happened, and while she\nwas talking a shower of blossoms and gems fell to the ground.\n\n\u201cTruly!\u201d exclaimed the mother; \u201cI must send my darling there! Look!\u201d\ncalled she to the elder daughter; \u201csee what comes out of your sister\u2019s\nmouth. Would you not be glad to have the same Fairy gifts? You have\nonly to go and draw some water from the fountain, and when a poor woman\nasks for a drink to give it to her very politely.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt would certainly look fine for me to carry a great pitcher to the\nfountain!\u201d answered the elder daughter angrily.\n\n\u201cI wish you to go there at once,\u201d said her mother.\n\nSo the girl went, but grumbling. She took the prettiest silver pitcher\nthat there was in the house; and she was no sooner arrived at the\nfountain than she saw, stepping out of the wood, a magnificent lady\nattired in rich robes. She approached the girl and asked her for a\ndrink. It was the same Fairy who had appeared to her sister, but who\nhad taken the form of a Princess in order to find how rude the girl\nwould be.\n\n\u201cOh, indeed!\u201d answered the insolent girl; \u201cdo you think that I am come\nhere on purpose to give you a drink? I suppose you think that I have\nbrought a silver pitcher expressly to draw water for you! Draw the\nwater yourself, my fine lady!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are rude,\u201d replied the Fairy without becoming in the least angry.\n\u201cSince you are so utterly disobliging, I bestow on you a gift. It is\nthis, for every word that you speak, there shall fall from your mouth\neither a viper or a toad.\u201d\n\nThen the Fairy vanished.\n\nWhen her mother saw the girl returning, she cried out: \u201cWell, my\ndaughter!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, my mother!\u201d snapped the hateful girl, and as she spoke there\nsprang from her mouth two snakes and one toad.\n\n\u201cWhat do I see!\u201d shrieked her mother. \u201cYour sister is the cause of\nthis, and she shall pay for it!\u201d\n\nAnd she rushed to beat the poor child, who fled into the neighbouring\nwood. The son of the King was returning from the chase, and met her as\nshe was running away. Seeing how beautiful she was, he asked her why\nshe was there alone, and why she wept.\n\n\u201cAh, sir,\u201d she said, \u201cit is because my mother has driven me from home.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s son, seeing five or six pearls and as many diamonds fall\nfrom her lips, begged her to explain how such a marvel could be. When\nshe told him about the Fairy\u2019s gift, he thought that such a wedding\nportion was more than he could expect with a Princess, so he led the\ngirl to his palace, and married her.\n\nAs for the sister, she made herself so hated, and so many vipers and\ntoads sprang from her mouth, that at last her mother drove her from\nhome. And, after having been refused shelter by all the neighbours, she\ndied in a dark corner of the wood.\n\n                                                      _Charles Perrault_\n\n\n\n\nBLANCHE AND ROSE\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a poor widow, who had two charming\ndaughters. She named the elder Blanche, and the younger Rose, because\nthey had the most beautiful complexions in the world.\n\nOne day, while the mother sat spinning at the door of her cottage, she\nsaw a poor, bent, old woman hobbling by on a crutch. She pitied her,\nand said:--\n\n\u201cYou are very tired. Sit down a minute and rest.\u201d\n\nThen she called her daughters to fetch a chair. They both hastened, but\nRose ran faster than her sister and brought it.\n\n\u201cWill you not have a drink?\u201d asked the mother kindly.\n\n\u201cIndeed, I will,\u201d replied the old woman. \u201cAnd it seems to me that I\ncould eat a morsel, too, if you will give me something to strengthen\nme.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will gladly give you all that I have,\u201d said the mother, \u201cbut as I am\npoor, it will not be much.\u201d\n\nThen she bade her daughters wait on the old woman, who had seated\nherself at the table. She told Blanche to go and pick some plums from\nthe plum tree that Blanche herself had planted, and of which she was\nvery proud. But instead of obeying her mother pleasantly, she went away\ngrumbling, and thinking, \u201cWhat a shame that I have taken such care of\nmy tree just for this greedy old woman!\u201d However, she did not dare\nrefuse to fetch some plums, and she brought them with a very bad grace,\nand evidently much against her will.\n\n\u201cAnd you, Rose,\u201d said the mother, \u201cyou have no fruit to give this good\nlady, for your grapes are not yet ripe!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d answered Rose, \u201cbut I hear my hen cackling. She has\njust laid an egg, and I will give that with all my heart!\u201d\n\nAnd without allowing the old woman time to speak, Rose ran out to seek\nthe egg. But when she came back the old woman had disappeared, and in\nher place stood the most beautiful lady--a Fairy.\n\n\u201cGood woman,\u201d said she to the mother, \u201cI am about to reward your two\ndaughters as they deserve. The elder shall become a great Queen, and\nthe younger shall be a farmer\u2019s wife.\u201d\n\nThen the lady waved a wand and in a twinkling the little cottage was\nchanged into a pretty farmhouse surrounded by a flourishing farm.\n\n\u201cThis is your wedding portion,\u201d said she to Rose. \u201cI know I am giving\nto each of you what you like best.\u201d\n\nSo saying the Fairy disappeared, leaving the mother and daughters\nspeechless with surprise and joy. They were delighted with the\nspotlessness of all the furniture. The chairs were of wood, but they\nwere so well polished that they shone like mirrors. The beds were\ncovered with linen as white as snow. In the stables there were twenty\nsheep, as many lambs, four oxen, four cows; and in the yard were\nchickens, ducks, and pigeons. There was also a pretty garden full of\nfruits and flowers.\n\nBlanche saw without jealousy all that the Fairy had given her sister.\nShe was taken up with the thought of the delightful times she should\nhave when she became a Queen. Just then a party of royal hunters passed\nby. And while she stood in the door to look at them, she appeared so\nwonderfully beautiful in the eyes of the King that he determined to\nmarry her.\n\nAfter she became Queen, she said to Rose: \u201cI do not wish you to be a\nfarmer\u2019s wife. Come with me, sister, and I will wed you to a great\nlord.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am much obliged to you, my sister,\u201d answered Rose, \u201cbut I am used to\nthe country, and wish always to remain here.\u201d\n\nDuring the first months of her marriage Queen Blanche was so occupied\nwith fine clothes, balls, and the theatre, that she thought of nothing\nelse. But afterward she became accustomed to the gay doings of the\nCourt, and nothing amused her. On the contrary, she had many troubles.\n\nAt first the courtiers paid her great deference, but she knew that when\nshe was not present, they said to each other: \u201cSee how this little\npeasant puts on the airs of a fine lady! The King must have very low\ntaste to choose such a wife!\u201d\n\nTalk like this came to the King, and he began to think that he had made\na mistake in marrying Blanche, so he ceased to love her, and neglected\nher sadly. When the courtiers saw this, they no longer did her honour.\nShe had not one true friend to whom she might confide her sorrows.\nShe always had a doctor near her who examined her food and took away\neverything she liked. They put no salt in her soups. She was forbidden\nto walk when she wished to. In a word, she was interfered with from\nmorning to night. The King took her children from her, and gave them in\ncharge of governesses who brought them up badly. But the Queen dared\nnot say a word.\n\nPoor Blanche! She was dying of grief. She became so thin that everybody\npitied her. She had not seen her sister for several years, because she\nthought that it would disgrace a Queen to visit a farmer\u2019s wife. But\nnow feeling herself so unhappy, she asked the King\u2019s permission to\npass a few days in the country. He gladly gave his consent, for he was\ndelighted to be rid of her.\n\nWhen she arrived in the evening at the home of Rose, a band of\nshepherds and shepherdesses were dancing gaily on the grass. \u201cThere\nwas a time,\u201d sighed Blanche, \u201cwhen I amused myself like these simple\npeople! Then there was no one to prevent it!\u201d\n\nWhile she was thinking thus, her sister ran to embrace her, looking so\nhappy and plump that Blanche could not help weeping as she gazed at her.\n\nRose had married a young farmer, who loved her dearly; and together\nthey managed the farm that was the Fairy\u2019s marriage portion. Rose had\nnot many servants, but those she had she treated so kindly that they\nwere as devoted to her as if they were her children. Her neighbours,\ntoo, were so fond of her that they were always trying to show it. She\nhad not much money, but she had no need of it, for her farm produced\nwheat, wine, and oil; her flocks furnished milk; and she made butter\nand cheese. She spun the wool of her sheep into clothing for her\nhousehold, all of whom enjoyed the best of health. When the day\u2019s work\nwas done, the whole family amused themselves with games, music, and\ndancing.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried Queen Blanche, \u201cthe Fairy made me but a sad gift when\nshe gave me a crown! People do not find happiness in magnificent\npalaces, but in the simple joys and labour of the country!\u201d\n\nAs she finished speaking, the Fairy herself appeared before her.\n\n\u201cI did not intend to reward you by making you a Queen,\u201d she said, \u201cbut\nto punish you because you gave your plums with such bad grace. In order\nto be truly happy it is necessary to possess, like your sister, only\nthose things that are simple and joyful, and not to wish for more.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, madame!\u201d cried Blanche, \u201cyou are sufficiently avenged! Pray put an\nend to my misery!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is ended,\u201d replied the Fairy. \u201cEven now the King, who has ceased\nto love you, is sending his officers to forbid your returning to the\npalace.\u201d\n\nAll happened as the Fairy had said. And Blanche passed the rest of her\nlife with Rose. She was happy and contented, never even thinking of the\nroyal Court, except when she thanked the Fairy for taking her from it,\nand bringing her back to the pretty farm and to her dear sister.\n\n                                          _Madame Le Prince de Beaumont_\n\n\n\n\nTHE ENCHANTED WATCH\n\n\nThere once lived a gay young girl named Fannie, who never knew what\ntime it was. Did she care? That I cannot say. And it is impossible for\nme to tell you how often she kept her father waiting, and caused him\nto be late for his appointments. And such a kind father as he was to\nFannie, for she was his only child and he loved her very much. Indeed,\nhe loved her so much that he overlooked her faults when he should have\nreproved them. Whole half-hours she used to keep the carriage waiting\nin front of the door, while she prinked before her mirror. And because\nshe was never prompt, every one called her \u201cMiss Tardy.\u201d Yet, after\nkeeping people waiting, she would excuse herself in the sweetest manner\npossible, and blame herself for thoughtlessness.\n\nOne day her old Godmother wrote that she was coming the next morning\nto lunch with Fannie at noon. She was a Fairy so celebrated for her\npromptness that people called her \u201cthe Fairy Prompt,\u201d of which name she\nwas very proud. With her, _noon_ was not ten minutes after twelve, nor\nten minutes before twelve, but it was _exactly twelve o\u2019clock_.\n\nSo the next morning, at the first stroke of twelve, she set her foot\non the bottom step of Fannie\u2019s house, and, as the last stroke died\naway, she entered the dining-room. The table was beautifully laid,\nand all was ready, but Fannie was not there. Indeed, Miss Tardy had\nforgotten all about her Godmother, and was calling on a friend. She was\ntrying on her friend\u2019s beautiful new clothes and having such a fine\ntime that the Godmother was utterly forgotten, as if she had never been\nin the world.\n\nBut at last hunger reminded Fannie of luncheon, and she hurried home.\nThe servants informed her that her Godmother had arrived, but as\nFannie\u2019s shoes pinched her, she rushed to her room and put on a pretty\nlittle pair of slippers. Then, as her street clothes were not suitable\nfor slippers, she changed her dress for a becoming house-gown. By this\ntime it was two o\u2019clock.\n\nShe found her Godmother asleep in a comfortable chair, such as is not\nmade any more; and, I think, she was snoring a little. She awoke as\nFannie opened the door hurriedly.\n\n\u201cMy dear Godmother,\u201d said she, \u201cI am so sorry!--so ashamed!--I am\nindeed a thoughtless creature to keep you waiting this way!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is all right,\u201d said the Godmother, who was very kind and\nindulgent to Fannie. \u201cI have slept a little, while waiting for you.\nThat will do me no harm. What time is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, please do not ask me!\u201d begged Fannie, \u201cyou will make me die with\nshame!\u201d\n\nAnd like a playful child she ran and stood in front of the clock, but\nher Fairy Godmother, who had good eyes, saw that the hand had passed\ntwo o\u2019clock.\n\nThe dinner, as you may well imagine, was overdone, but the Fairy,\nwho really loved her goddaughter, took it all as good-naturedly as\npossible, and made many gay jokes as she tried to eat the burnt roasts\nand the scorched creams.\n\nIt was soon four o\u2019clock, and Fannie\u2019s father hurriedly entered the\ndrawing-room, where she was chatting with her Godmother.\n\n\u201cWell, Fannie!\u201d he cried. \u201cAre you ready? Are you ready?\u201d Then he\nstarted back when he saw his daughter, in her pretty pink and blue\nhouse-gown, stretched indolently on a sofa, her feet to the fire, while\nshe daintily sipped her coffee.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d exclaimed her father. \u201cHave you forgotten that you were to be\nready at four o\u2019clock!\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you not see my Godmother with me, Papa?\u201d said Fannie reproachfully.\n\n\u201cPardon me, madame,\u201d said the father, turning to the Fairy and bowing,\nalthough his face was red with anger. \u201cExcuse my rudeness, but my\ndaughter will cause me to die with grief!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd what has the poor child done?\u201d asked the Godmother.\n\n\u201cJudge for yourself,\u201d said he. \u201cPrince Pandolph has invited us to his\nvilla. Fannie is to sing for his guests. They are all assembled and\nexpecting her. The Prince has sent his carriage which is now waiting\nbefore the door.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Papa,\u201d said Fannie, \u201ccannot you go without me?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know that cannot be, child,\u201d said her father sadly. \u201cIt is you who\nare invited, and it is your fine voice that the Prince wishes for his\nmusicale. He will now be offended for ever, since you cannot go in this\ndress.\u201d\n\n\u201cCalm yourself, my good sir,\u201d said the Godmother, seeing Fannie\u2019s\nconfusion. \u201cIt is because of me that this dear little one has forgotten\nyou. It is for me to repair this evil.\u201d\n\nSo saying she passed her hand over the unfortunate house-gown and it\nwas instantly transformed into the most ravishing robe embroidered with\ngold and pearls. Fannie, who was naturally very pretty, shone like a\nstar in this brilliant costume.\n\n\u201cWait a minute,\u201d said the Fairy to the impatient father, who was\nalready leading his daughter away. \u201cLet me finish my work.\u201d And she put\naround the neck of her goddaughter a magnificent golden chain at the\nend of which hung an exquisite little watch the size of a locket, and\nall of chased gold studded with diamonds.\n\n\u201cNow, little one,\u201d said she, kissing the forehead of the spoilt child,\n\u201chere is something that will aid your naughty memory. With this you\nwill never again forget an engagement. Be sure to come home by ten\no\u2019clock.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, indeed!\u201d said Fannie, kissing her Godmother joyfully.\n\nIt is necessary to say here that it was the Fairy Prompt who invented\nwatches in her youth. But hers were not like those sold nowadays in the\nshops. There was a magic virtue in each watch, for when the hour of an\nengagement arrived, it made so loud a ticking that the owner of it had\nno peace until he kept his engagement.\n\nSo it happened that while Fannie was listening to the praises of the\nPrince and his guests, who were saying that she had the most delightful\nvoice in the world, she heard a gentle sound, but very distinct:--\n\n\u201c_Tic! Tic! Tic!_\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is ten o\u2019clock!\u201d exclaimed Fannie joyously to her father. \u201cOh! my\ndear, good, little watch, that my Godmother gave me, it has told me so!\nWe must hurry home.\u201d\n\nHer father, who was very much pleased because she had charmed the\nPrince and his guests with her sweet voice, said as they drove away:--\n\n\u201cMy dear child, to-morrow I am going to take you to the finest jeweller\nin town, and buy for you the bracelet of antique cameos that you have\nbeen begging me for. At what time do you wish to go? At ten o\u2019clock?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no!\u201d cried Fannie, her eyes sparkling with delight, \u201cat nine\no\u2019clock, please! Ever since I saw the bracelet I have been dying to\npossess it!\u201d\n\n\u201cVery good! At nine o\u2019clock, then. And what shall we do with the rest\nof our morning?\u201d\n\n\u201cAt exactly ten I am to go to the dressmaker\u2019s to order some new\ngowns,\u201d said Fannie, \u201cbut may we not lunch together at eleven?\u201d\n\n\u201cJust as you say, dear little nightingale,\u201d answered her father\naffectionately. \u201cAnd order all the gowns and furbelows you wish, for\nthe plumage should match the warbling. And since it suits you, I will\nmeet you promptly at eleven, for at twelve I have an important business\nengagement.\u201d\n\n\u201cAt eleven o\u2019clock, then, dear Papa,\u201d said Fannie, \u201cbut do not forget\nto return in time this evening to escort me to the Baron\u2019s ball!\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t worry!\u201d said her father, smiling, \u201cfor nothing in the world\nwould I make a pearl of a daughter like you wait for an escort!\u201d\n\nThe next morning Fannie rose early and dressed more rapidly than\nusual, and was ready waiting for her father at nine. They drove to\nthe jeweller\u2019s. How her eyes sparkled as her father clasped the cameo\nbracelet on her arm! But the jeweller, who hoped to sell Fannie a\nnecklace as well, took from his showcase such beautiful collars of\npearls, rubies, amethysts, and other gems and precious stones that she\nforgot how the time was flying.\n\n\u201c_Tic! Tic! Tic! Tic!_\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, dear watch, for warning me!\u201d said Fannie gaily, \u201cbut the\ndressmaker must wait!\u201d\n\n\u201c_Tic! Tic! Tic! Tic! Tic!_\u201d\n\n\u201cYou insupportable thing!\u201d cried she, and taking the watch from her\nneck she handed it to her father, saying: \u201cI beg you, dear Papa, to put\nthis in your pocket. It is very annoying!\u201d\n\nHe took the watch, and seeing a friend on the street, went to the door\nto speak with him.\n\n\u201c_Toc! Toc! Toc! Toc!_\u201d\n\nThe watch raised its voice so that Fannie should hear it. The people\nin the shop all asked where the noise came from. And her father,\nmortified, said good-bye to his friend, gave back the watch to Fannie,\nand hurried her into the carriage.\n\nShe was soon at the dressmaker\u2019s, and her ill-humour passed as she\nordered a dress of pink brocade trimmed with rich lace, and a robe of\ngarnet velvet embroidered with gold threads, and a cloak of silver\ncloth trimmed with pearls. She was not yet through when she glanced at\nthe clock, and saw that it was eleven.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d thought she, \u201cthat horrid watch is going to disturb me again! But\nI\u2019ll finish my ordering!\u201d\n\n\u201c_Toc! Toc! Toc! Toc!_\u201d\n\nThe dressmaker turned her head. \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Miss?\u201d she exclaimed with\nfright.\n\n\u201cIt is nothing, let us go on!\u201d said Miss Tardy.\n\n\u201c_Toc! Toc! Toc! Toc!_\u201d louder than before.\n\n\u201cIt is thieves! It is thieves!\u201d cried the dressmaker.\n\n\u201cIt is nothing I tell you--unfold this gown.\u201d\n\n\u201c_Toc!--Toc!--Toc!--Toc!_\u201d louder and louder!\n\nAnd the poor dressmaker, half dead with fright, was in such a state\nthat she could show no more clothes. And Fannie put on her hat and\ncoat, and hurried away to the restaurant where she found her father\nwalking nervously up and down.\n\n\u201cAh! how thoughtful of you, dear child, to be prompt!\u201d he said, as he\nled her to a table. And the delicious food soon made her forget her\nannoyance.\n\nWhen Fannie returned home she was so fatigued that she put on a\ncharming wrapper, and lay down to rest. Then she remembered that she\nhad an engagement to see a poor man at two o\u2019clock, whose want she had\npromised to relieve. She took the fatal watch from her neck, and giving\nit to the maid, said:--\n\n\u201cTake this, and carry it to the cellar, so that I may be rid of it!\u201d\n\nTwo o\u2019clock struck, and the poor old man, who had had nothing to eat\nfor three days, presented himself. The maid told him that Miss Fannie\nwas sleeping and would not see him. With tears streaming down his\ncheeks, he bowed humbly and was turning away, when everybody in the\nhouse jumped to the ceiling.\n\n\u201c_Paf! Paf! Paf! Paf!_\u201d It was like so many shots from a pistol.\n\nThe neighbours commenced screaming. The servants ran frantically to and\nfro.\n\nFannie sprang up from her couch.\n\n\u201c_Paf! Paf! Paf! Paf!_\u201d\n\n\u201cIt must be that wretched watch!\u201d cried she.\n\n\u201c_Paf!--Paf!--Paf!--Paf!_\u201d\n\n\u201cYes! Yes! I am coming! I am coming!\u201d And she hurried to the cellar\nand, picking up the watch, returned to her room in silence.\n\nThen she called the poor old man, fed him, and comforted him, and sent\nhim away with a full purse.\n\nEvening arrived, and Fannie, all dressed for the Baron\u2019s ball, shone\nmore beautifully than ever in her magnificent gown. And just as her\nfather was leading her to the carriage, a clumsy wagon drove up, and\nan old countrywoman descended from it, crying out that she must see her\ndear child--her Fannie--just once more before she died. It was Fannie\u2019s\nold nurse who had come all the way from her village miles distant to\nhold her dear child in her arms. When she saw that Fannie was ready to\ngo out, she screamed loudly and would have made herself ill, if Fannie\nhad not embraced her tenderly, and promised to return before midnight.\nOn the strength of this promise the old woman grew calm, and Fannie and\nher father went away to the ball.\n\nBut as the carriage drove through the streets, Fannie regretted her\npromise, and slipping her little hand under her cloak, she loosened the\nfatal watch, and flung it into a deep ditch.\n\n\u201cAt last! At last!\u201d she said to herself, with a sigh of relief.\n\nMidnight sounded, and found her breathlessly twirling around in the\ndance, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks glowing.\n\n\u201c_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_\u201d\n\nThe orchestra stopped suddenly. The thunderclaps--for so they seemed to\nbe--continued to follow each other without interruption.\n\n\u201c_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_\u201d\n\nAll the city was awake. Women cried out that the end of the world was\ncome.\n\nThe unfortunate Fannie knew in a minute what it was. Fright seized her,\nand she lost her head. Instead of returning home quietly, which would\nhave put an end to the horrible racket, she ran out into the street,\nand, wild with fright, hastened with all speed to the spot where she\nhad thrown the watch.\n\n\u201c_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_\u201d\n\nThe houses were lighted. The amazed people thrust their heads out\nthe windows. All that they saw was a young girl running through the\nstreets, her neck and head bare, and her ball-gown flying in the wind.\n\n\u201c_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_\u201d--every stroke was\nlouder and more fearful.\n\nThe firemen came hurrying up to see if there was a fire, and one of\nthem held his lantern under Fannie\u2019s nose, and cried out: \u201cWhy, it is\nlittle Miss Tardy! She has doubtless lost the time, and is hunting for\nit! Ha! Ha!\u201d\n\nMeanwhile Fannie ran on, and arrived breathlessly at the ditch into\nwhich she had flung the watch. Guided by its thunderous blows, she\nquickly laid her fingers on it. In a fury she was about to dash it\nagainst a stone when she felt a hand on her arm.\n\nIt was her Fairy Godmother, who, in gentle tones of reproach, said:\n\u201cWhat are you doing, my child? You can never succeed!\u201d\n\nThen she took the watch from Fannie, which instantly became quiet, and\npassed the chain around the neck of her goddaughter, who was trembling\nwith penitence and shame.\n\n\u201cNeither violence nor trickery,\u201d said her Godmother, \u201chave any power\nover my gift to you. All you can do is to take it, and obey. And then\nyou will find yourself happy.\u201d\n\nAt the same moment Miss Tardy felt herself being transported through\nthe air, and found herself once more in her own room, holding the hand\nof her old nurse, who was weeping with tenderness and joy.\n\nI have no need to tell you that Fannie never again attempted to disobey\nthe protecting tyrant that she wore around her neck. And as the watch\nno longer had to warn her with its loud ticking, she learned in time to\nenjoy sacrificing her whims to her duty.\n\n                                                 _Jean Mac\u00e9_ (_Adapted_)\n\n\n\n\nQUEEN MAB\n\n\n  A little Fairy comes at night;\n    Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown,\n  With silver spots upon her wings,\n    And from the moon she flutters down.\n\n  She has a little silver wand;\n    And when a good child goes to bed,\n  She waves her wand from right to left,\n    And makes a circle round its head.\n\n  And then it dreams of pleasant things,\n    Of fountains filled with Fairy fish,\n  And trees that bear delicious fruit,\n    And bow their branches at a wish;\n\n  Of arbours filled with dainty scents\n    From lovely flowers that never fade;\n  Bright flies that glitter in the sun\n    And glow-worms shining in the shade;\n\n  And talking birds with gifted tongues\n    For singing songs and telling tales,\n  And pretty Dwarfs to show the way\n    Through Fairy hills and Fairy dales.\n\n  But when a bad child goes to bed,\n    From left to right she weaves her rings,\n  And then it dreams all through the night\n    Of only ugly horrid things!\n\n  Then wicked children wake and weep,\n    And wish the long black gloom away;\n  But good ones love the dark, and find\n    The night as pleasant as the day.\n\n                _Thomas Hood_ (_Condensed_)\n\n\n\n\nFAIRY ADVENTURES\n\n\n\n\n  _A little knight and little maid\n    Met on the rim of Fairyland;\n  A rippling stream betwixt them played;\n    The little knight reached out his hand,_\n\n  _And said: \u201cNow, may I cross to you,\n    Or will you come across to me?\u201d\n  Out spoke the little maiden true:\n    \u201cSir knight, nor this nor that can be:_\n\n  _\u201cFor I am here white flowers to sow,\n    That little maidens far behind,\n  Or wandering on the plains below,\n    Their pathway up the hill may find._\n\n  _\u201cAnd you are there good work to do;\n    To clear the brambles from the way,\n  That little knights who follow you\n    May not upon the mountains stray.\u201d_\n\n                               LUCY LARCOM\n\n\n\n\nFAIRY DO-NOTHING AND GIANT SNAP-\u2019EM-UP\n\n\nIn the days of yore there lived a very idle, greedy, naughty boy such\nas we never hear of in these times. His name was Master No-Book. The\nyoung gentleman hated lessons like mustard, both of which brought\ntears to his eyes. And during school hours he sat gazing at his books,\npretending to be busy, while he considered where he could get the\nnicest pies, pastries, ices, and jellies. He smacked his lips at the\nvery thought of them.\n\nWhenever Master No-Book spoke, it was to ask for a piece of cake, or\nan apple, or a bit of plum pudding. Indeed, very frequently when he\ndid not get permission to eat the goodies, this naughty glutton helped\nhimself without leave.\n\nOne afternoon Master No-Book, having played truant from school, was\nlolling on his mamma\u2019s best sofa, with his leather boots tucked up on\nthe satin cushions, and nothing to do but to suck a few oranges, and\nnothing to think of but how much sugar to put into them, when suddenly\nan event took place which filled him with astonishment.\n\nA sound of soft music stole into the room, becoming louder and louder,\nthe longer he listened, till at length a large hole burst open in the\nwall of the room. Then there stepped into his presence two magnificent\nFairies, just arrived from their castles in the air, to pay him a\nvisit. They had travelled all the way on purpose to talk with Master\nNo-Book.\n\nThe Fairy Do-Nothing was gorgeously dressed with a wreath of flames\nround her head, a robe of gold tissue, a necklace of rubies, and a\nbouquet of glittering diamonds in her hand. Her teeth were gold, her\nhair was of the most brilliant purple, and her eyes were green. In fact\nshe was a most fine and fashionable Fairy.\n\nThe Fairy Teach-All, who followed next, was simply dressed in white\nmuslin, with bunches of natural flowers in her brown hair; and she\ncarried a few, neat, small books, which made Master No-Book shudder.\n\nThe two Fairies now informed him that they very often invited large\nparties of children to spend some time at their palaces. Therefore they\nhad now come to invite Master No-Book, but as they lived in opposite\ndirections, he would have to choose which he would visit first.\n\n\u201cIn my house,\u201d said the Fairy Teach-All, speaking with a very sweet\nsmile, and a soft, pleasing voice, \u201cmy young friends rise at seven\nevery morning, and amuse themselves with working in a beautiful garden\nof flowers, raising fruits of all kinds, visiting the poor, playing\ntogether, and learning to know the world they live in and how to\nfulfill the purposes for which they have been brought into it. In\nshort, all our amusements tend to some useful object; and you will\ngrow wiser, better, and happier every day you remain in the Palace of\nKnowledge.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut in the Castle Needless, where I live,\u201d interrupted the Fairy\nDo-Nothing, rudely pushing her companion aside, \u201cwe never think of\nworking. No one is ever asked a question. We lead the most fashionable\nlife imaginable. Each of my visitors sits with his back to as many\nof the company as possible, and whenever he can, he sits in the most\ncomfortable chair. If he takes the trouble to wish for anything, he\ngets it. Clothes are provided of the most magnificent kinds, which\ngo on by themselves without buttons or strings. Delicious dishes are\nserved smoking hot under his nose, at all hours, while any rain that\nfalls is of lemonade, chocolate, and cider. And in Winter it generally\nsnows ice-cream and tutti-frutti, for an hour during the forenoon.\u201d\n\nNobody need be told which Fairy Master No-Book preferred. And quite\ncharmed at his good fortune in receiving such a delightful invitation,\nhe eagerly gave his hand to his splendid new acquaintance, who promised\nhim so much pleasure and ease. He gladly proceeded with her in a\ncarriage lined with velvet, stuffed with downy pillows, and drawn by\nmilk-white swans, to that magnificent residence, Castle Needless, which\nwas lighted by a thousand windows during the day and by a million lamps\nat night.\n\nHere Master No-Book enjoyed a constant holiday and a continual feast. A\nbeautiful lady, covered with jewels, was ready to tell him stories from\nmorning till night. Servants waited to pick up his playthings if they\nfell, and to draw out his purse or pocket handkerchief when he wished\nto use them.\n\nThus Master No-Book lay dozing for hours and days on richly embroidered\ncushions, never stirring from his place in the garden, but admiring\nthe view of trees covered with the richest burnt almonds, the grottoes\nof sugar-candy, a fountain of lemonade, and a bright clear pond filled\nwith goldfish that let themselves be caught.\n\nNothing could be more complete, yet strange to say Master No-Book did\nnot seem particularly happy. Every day he became more peevish. No\nsweetmeats were worth the trouble of eating, no game was pleasant to\nplay, and he wished that it were possible to sleep all day as well as\nnight.\n\nNot a hundred miles from the Fairy Do-Nothing\u2019s palace, there lived a\ncruel monster called the Giant Snap-\u2019Em-Up. When he stood erect, he\nlooked like the tall steeple of a great church. He raised his head so\nhigh that he could peep over the loftiest mountains; and he was obliged\nto climb a ladder to comb his own hair.\n\nEvery morning this prodigiously great Giant walked round the world\nbefore breakfast, looking for something to eat. He lived in fine style,\nand his dinners were most magnificent, consisting of an elephant\nroasted whole, ostrich patties, a tiger smothered in onions, stewed\nlions, and whale soup. But for a side dish, his favourite of all\nconsisted of little boys, as fat as possible, fried in crumbs of bread\nwith plenty of pepper and salt.\n\nNo children were so well-fed or in such good condition for eating as\nthose in the Fairy Do-Nothing\u2019s garden, who was a particular friend of\nthe Giant Snap-\u2019Em-Up. She oftentimes laughingly said that she gave\nhim permission to help himself, whenever he pleased, to as many of her\nvisitors as he chose. And in return for such civility the Giant often\ninvited her to dinner.\n\nOne day, when Master No-Book felt even more lazy, more idle, more\nmiserable than ever, he lay beside a perfect mountain of toys and\ncakes, wondering what to wish for next, and hating the very sight of\neverything and everybody. At last he gave so loud a yawn of weariness\nand disgust, and he sighed so deeply, that the Giant Snap-\u2019Em-Up heard\nthe sounds as he passed along the road before breakfast.\n\nInstantly he stepped into the garden to see what was the matter. On\nobserving a large, fat, overgrown boy, as round as a dumpling, lying on\na bed of roses, he gave a cry of delight, followed by a gigantic peal\nof laughter which was heard three miles off.\n\nPicking up Master No-Book between his finger and thumb, with a pinch\nthat nearly broke his ribs, he carried him rapidly toward his own\ncastle; while the Fairy Do-Nothing laughingly shook her head as he\npassed, saying:--\n\n\u201cThat little man does me great credit! He has been fed only for a week,\nand is as fat already as a prize ox! What a dainty morsel he will be!\nWhen do you dine, my friend Snap-\u2019Em-Up, in case I should have time to\nlook in upon you?\u201d\n\nOn reaching home the Giant immediately hung up Master No-Book by the\nhair of his head on a prodigious hook in the larder. Then he went away\nto look for more little boys.\n\nThere, in torture of mind and body--like a fish on a hook--the wretched\nMaster No-Book began to reflect seriously on his former ways, and to\nconsider what a happy home he might have had if he had been satisfied\nto go to school and study with the other boys.\n\nIn the midst of these sad reflections, Master No-Book\u2019s attention was\nattracted by the sound of many voices laughing, talking, and singing,\nwhich caused him to turn his eyes and look out of the larder window.\nFor the first time he observed that the Fairy Teach-All\u2019s garden lay\nupon a beautiful sloping bank not far away.\n\nThere a crowd of merry, noisy, rosy-cheeked boys were busily employed,\nand seemed happier than the day was long. Poor Master No-Book watched\nthem, envying the enjoyment with which they raked the flower-borders,\ngathered fruit, carried baskets of vegetables to the poor, worked with\ncarpenters\u2019 tools, drew pictures, shot with bows and arrows, and played\nball. Then they sat in sunny arbours learning their lessons, till,\nthe dinner-bell having been rung, the whole party sat down to a feast\nof roast meat, apple-pie, and other good wholesome things. The Fairy\nTeach-All presided, and helped her guests to as much as was good for\nthem.\n\nLarge tears rolled down the cheeks of Master No-Book while watching\nthis scene, and remembering that if he had known what was best for him,\nhe might have been as happy as the happiest of these excellent boys,\ninstead of being about to suffer a most miserable death.\n\nNow, as the Giant Snap-\u2019Em-Up wished a nice dish of fried boys for\ndinner, and as there was plenty of time, he seized a large basket in\nhis hand, and set off at a rapid pace toward the Fairy Teach-All\u2019s\ngarden. It was very seldom that Snap-\u2019Em-Up ventured to forage there,\nas he had never once succeeded in carrying off a single captive from\nthat garden, it was so well fortified and so bravely defended. But on\nthis occasion, being desperately hungry, he felt bold as a lion, and\nwalked with outstretched hands straight toward the Fairy Teach-All\u2019s\ndinner-table, taking such huge strides that he seemed almost to trample\non himself.\n\nA cry of consternation arose the minute this tremendous Giant appeared.\nAnd as usual, as when on such occasions he had made the same attempt\nbefore, a dreadful battle took place. Fifty active little boys flew\nupon the enemy with their dinner knives, and like a nest of hornets,\nstung him in every direction, till he roared with pain, and would have\nrun away; but the Fairy Teach-All rushed forward, and cut off his head\nwith the carving-knife.\n\nIf a great mountain had fallen to the earth, it would have seemed like\nnothing in comparison with the Giant Snap-\u2019Em-Up, who crushed houses to\npowder under him. But the greatest event which occurred was the death\nof the Fairy Do-Nothing, who had been looking on at this battle, and\nwho was too lazy to run away. When the Giant fell, his sword came with\nso violent a stroke on her head that she instantly expired.\n\nThe Fairy Teach-All, seeing the enemy dead, hastened to the Giant\u2019s\nCastle, and lost no time in liberating Master No-Book from his hook in\nthe larder.\n\nFrom this very hour, Master No-Book became the most diligent, active,\nhappy boy in the Fairy Teach-All\u2019s garden. And on returning home a\nfew months afterward, he astonished all his teachers at school by his\nwisdom and studiousness. He scarcely ever stirred without a book in his\nhand, never lay on a sofa again, and preferred a three-legged stool to\na comfortable chair with a back. He detested holidays, and never ate a\nmorsel of food till he had worked very hard and got an appetite.\n\nWhen he grew up, he was known as Sir Timothy Bluestocking. And\nthough generally very good-natured and agreeable, Sir Timothy was\noccasionally to be seen in a violent passion, laying around him with\nhis walking-stick, and beating little boys within an inch of their\nlives. It invariably appeared that he had found them to be lazy, idle,\nor greedy.\n\n                                        _Catherine Sinclair_ (_Adapted_)\n\n\n\n\nTIMOTHY TUTTLE AND THE LITTLE IMPS\n\n\nTimothy Tuttle, Esquire, was reclining on his soft, comfortable sofa.\nThe gas-light flashed brilliantly over the rich rug and rosewood\nfurniture, and fell softly on the velvet-seated chairs and heavy\ncurtains. It was a mild evening in June, and the cool air came\nrefreshingly in, while the bright light flashed gaily out the windows.\n\nTimothy Tuttle, Esquire, one of the richest merchants in the city,\nwas reposing after the fatigues of the day. He was thinking how very\ngood and respectable he was, and of his success in life, of his great\nwealth, and especially of his ships now in the China seas, which were\nbringing him even more wealth. Then he thought of his plans for a fine\nnew mansion, and how he would now be able to purchase many costly\nthings for his home. Very soon he grew weary, and fell asleep.\n\nSuddenly he awoke and heard something moving over the rug, and turning\nhis head to see what it was, beheld a dozen or more of the strangest\nlittle creatures capering about. They were like little Imps in human\nform, but winged and not higher than Timothy\u2019s knee. They were\ncoal-black from head to foot, and were moving around with grace and\nagility.\n\nTimothy Tuttle was a brave man, but he was very much startled to see\nthis unexpected sight. For as soon as the little Imps perceived that he\nwas awake, they began to bow to him in quick succession, more and more\nrapidly, and all the time grinning and showing their white teeth from\near to ear.\n\nThen Timothy Tuttle heard something squeak close to his head, and saw\none of the little creatures sitting on the arm of the sofa and mowing\nat him.\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid, Timothy, it\u2019s only I!\u201d it squeaked.\n\n\u201cWho on earth are you,\u201d asked Timothy, \u201cand what do you want?\u201d\n\nThis question seemed to amuse all the little fellows hugely, for they\nbegan to bow again, grinning and capering in fine style, and crying\nout:--\n\n\u201cHow do you do, Timothy?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are very glad to see you, Timothy!\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid, Timothy, we\u2019re all here!\u201d\n\n\u201cI am glad of that!\u201d exclaimed Timothy; \u201cI\u2019m glad that there are no\nmore of you!\u201d\n\n\u201cPlenty more! Plenty more, Timothy!\u201d they cried, laughing and holding\ntheir sides. \u201cBut we\u2019ll do, Timothy! We\u2019ll do! Oh, yes, we\u2019ll do!\nWe\u2019ll do!\u201d\n\nTimothy Tuttle was no coward, but he could not help feeling somewhat\nfrightened as he looked at their antics; and he gazed around to see\nwhere they could have come in. The door was locked, and only the window\nwas open.\n\n\u201cWhat do you want? Go away! Go away!\u201d he cried, in a husky voice.\n\nThe little Imps grinned all the more.\n\n\u201cDee-lighted to see you, Timothy!\u201d\n\n\u201cFlattering reception, Timothy!\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ll be happy to stay, Timothy!\u201d\n\nAnd with that they began to bow again with great politeness.\n\nTimothy looked about for some weapon of defence, but saw nothing within\nreach.\n\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he demanded again.\n\n\u201cWant you, Timothy!\u201d\n\n\u201cMust come with us, Timothy!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere to?\u201d he demanded.\n\nAt that all the little Imps pointed over their shoulders with their\nthumbs, to the open window.\n\nTimothy reflected that, as he was in the second story of the house, any\nattempt to go out by the window, without wings, would be preposterous.\nHe drew his hand across his eyes to make sure that he was not asleep;\nthen he looked again, and there were all the little Imps bowing more\npolitely than ever. He seized a pillow, and was about to throw it at\nthem, when they flew at him, dragged the pillow out of his hands,\noverpowered him, and picking him up by the arms and legs, flew out of\nthe window, carrying him off bodily.\n\nHow far he was carried Timothy Tuttle never knew, but it seemed to him\na very long distance. When he found himself again at liberty, he was\nlying on the bare ground in the cold moonlight. He sprang up, and saw\nall the little Imps standing in a circle around him, bowing and nodding\nwith great good-humour.\n\nHe looked about. He found himself on an open plain, surrounded by\nforests. Nothing was in sight except a very large Gothic building in\nthe centre of the plain. It was old, but a larger and more magnificent\nbuilding Timothy had never seen. Its pointed roof rose to the skies,\nand stained-glass windows adorned its gray stone walls. The turrets and\ntowers were beautifully carved, and the walls were hung here and there\nwith green ivy. But the building was falling into decay. Some of the\nwindows were broken, and some of the stones crumbling to ruin. A few of\nthe arches were fallen, and the roof threatened to cave in.\n\nTimothy Tuttle turned from surveying this building, to look at his\ngrinning companions.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re wanted, Timothy!\u201d cried one.\n\n\u201cWhere?\u201d he asked hoarsely.\n\nThey all pointed over their shoulders with their thumbs at the great\ndoor of the building.\n\n\u201cBut what if I will not go?\u201d he asked, in as cool and determined a\nvoice as he could assume.\n\nAt this all the little Imps began to caper about in great glee,\nsinging:--\n\n  \u201c_Mortals rash\n  Who disobey,\n  Little Imps\n  Will bear away!\n  If they still\n  Refuse to go,\n  If they dare\n  To answer, \u2018No!\u2019\n  Take a pin,\n  And stick it in!_\u201d\n\nAt that instant Timothy Tuttle felt a sharp pain in one of his legs,\nand he could not help crying out. He knew that there was nothing to do\nbut to obey, so he turned and walked toward the building, while the\nquick patter of tiny feet and the flutter of wings told him that the\nlittle Imps were close behind.\n\nOnly once did he turn his head, and his ears were greeted with:--\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Timothy! We\u2019re all here!\u201d\n\nWhen Timothy had entered the door, he found that the interior of the\nbuilding was one great room. Around its sides were galleries rising\ntier above tier, and under the galleries were recesses and alcoves;\nstill, it was all one room.\n\nFrom the centre of the arched ceiling hung a splendid chandelier, with\na thousand lamps. But most of the lights were extinguished, and the few\nthat were burning, flickered and smoked so badly that the building was\ndimly lighted.\n\nWhen Timothy first entered, his ears were filled with a hissing and\nfluttering sound, and after he had been there long enough to become\nused to the dim light, he saw that the whole building was full of just\nsuch little Imps as had brought him hither. They were flying up and\ndown, and flitting to and fro, and seemed very busy. Looking up, he saw\nfour or five large windows through which some appeared to fly away,\nwhile others would dart through into the building with great swiftness,\njust as bees come and go from the hive. But the most astonishing part\nof it all was their extraordinary politeness to Timothy, and the\ngrinning that showed on all sides as he entered.\n\nNow, as we have said before, Timothy Tuttle was no coward, and,\nstepping up to one of the little Imps who had just flown in, he said:--\n\n\u201cYou seem to know me.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Timothy!\u201d replied the little fellow, nodding violently. \u201cYes!\nI know you! I know you!\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, where do you all go to out those windows? And where do you come\nfrom?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I\u2019ve just been to China!\u201d\n\nTimothy looked as if he did not believe him.\n\n\u201cYes, I\u2019ve just been to the China seas, on board your ships, and I\nhave been counting your wealth.\u201d And the little wretch winked fast and\nknowingly.\n\nTimothy was dumb. He remembered what he had been thinking when he fell\nasleep.\n\nHis grinning companion left him, and he wandered about the great\nedifice, where he saw a large number of little Imps busily at work.\nSome were painting the wall with small brushes. It was amazing to see\nhow rapidly they could sketch a picture.\n\nTimothy watched them for a moment, and fairly held his breath when he\nsaw one by one past scenes of his own life start out upon the wall.\nMany of the scenes he had thought that no one knew of but himself. But\nhere one or another of his deeds, good and bad, was drawn to the very\nlife upon the wall! And as they worked, the little fellows grinned and\nsang, but Timothy could not understand what they said.\n\nTimothy turned away from these grinning little creatures, and moved to\nwhere another group were sketching other pictures. He was almost afraid\nto look at the pictures, but when he did so, he saw that the painters\nwere making designs too ugly and horrid to look at. But Timothy was\nperplexed, for of all the pictures there was none that he did not\nthink he had seen _somewhere_ before. And these little Imps were\nsinging the same song that the others were singing, and Timothy thought\nthat he caught the refrain:--\n\n  \u201c_Bad little,\n  Sad little,\n  Mad little\n      Thoughts!_\u201d\n\nHere he turned to look into the recesses and alcoves under the\ngalleries. Not all the inhabitants of the edifice were like the little\ncreatures who had brought him hither. Oh, no! In the shadows of the\ngreat pillars there lurked and crawled great slimy things that made\none shudder to see. Enormous spiders, larger than any Timothy had ever\ndreamed of, ran swiftly across the floor. Centipedes and lizards clung\nto the mouldy walls, and cold, slippery serpents glided noiselessly\nalong. Occasionally he came upon huge shapeless creatures who lay\ncurled upon the floor, staring at him with watery eyes.\n\nTimothy hastily picked his way out into the light again. Here he found\nother groups of painters. One group was using brighter colours and\nblending them beautifully. But he could scarcely believe his own eyes\nwhen he saw the picture of the fine mansion he was planning, and the\nimages of a thousand other things he had wished and hoped for.\n\nBut the painters in the next group were acting very strangely. They\ntouched their brushes to the wall hastily and tremblingly, glancing\nover their shoulders as if in terror. And though their pictures did not\nassume any definite form, Timothy felt most uneasy. There he saw the\ndim outline of another world of which he had heard, but had forgotten\nto think of for many years.\n\nMeanwhile Timothy had reached the upper end of the room, and found\nhimself close to a great curtain tightly drawn. On either side of it\nhe beheld a marble basin. One of the basins had evidently contained a\nfountain, but it was now half choked with mud, and only a little water\noozed out of it. On looking into the other, he was astonished to find\nit full of liquid fire.\n\nJust then he heard behind the curtain the sound as of a mighty rushing\nwind, and at the same moment the two fountains boiled up and cast out\ntheir dirt, and this they continued to do until each basin was brimming\nfull, one of pure water and the other of pure fire.\n\nThe little Imps, too, heard the sound. At first they were awed and\nhushed; then they began to fly about in confusion until Timothy was\nbewildered by the noise and movement.\n\nSuddenly the curtain was parted, and Timothy saw a stately Lady seated\nupon a throne in a noble arched recess. Her head was thrown back, her\neyes flashed, and in her hand she held a scourge every thong of which\nseemed to writhe and twist and end in little snappers of fire.\n\nAt the sight of this scourge and the frown on the Lady\u2019s face, all the\nlittle Imps began to howl dismally. The Lady arose, and came down from\nher throne into the centre of the room, and the little Imps fled before\nher. But they could not escape. Seizing the first one she met, she\nplunged him several times into the basin of water. Then taking him out,\nshe carried him kicking and quivering to the other basin, and plunged\nhim into the fire. Timothy stood horror-stricken. He leaned against a\npillar to support himself, but what was his astonishment to see the\nLady take the little fellow out of the basin, and release him; and he\nran away unharmed. But a strange thing had happened. The little Imp was\nno longer so black, and instead of grinning maliciously, he was now\nsmiling as pleasantly as possible.\n\nThe Lady seized every little Imp in the room, in the same manner, and\nplunged him into both basins. Then she collected troops of the Imps,\nand drove them before her with the fiery scourge. She made them begin\nto scrape the dirt off the floor, and down from the walls, to repair\nthe broken places in the roof, and to polish the rusty and musty spots.\nAnd all the rubbish she made them throw into the basin full of pure\nfire. Sometimes two or three little Imps would carry one of the great\nslimy reptiles, and drop him in, and all those thus dropped into the\nfire never came out again.\n\nAnd as the little Imps worked, they broke into a song:--\n\n  \u201c_All the rubbish\n  Thither take!\n  Little whip\n  Will make us ache!\n  Tug! Tug!\n  The big bug,\n  Spider foul,\n  And slimy thing,\n  In the fire,\n  Lightly fling!_\n\n  \u201c_Rub! Rub!\n  Off the rust!\n  Sweep! Sweep!\n  Away the dust!\n  Sparkle! Sparkle!\n  Precious stone,\n  Pearly roof,\n  And ivory throne!_\n\n  \u201c_Oh, dear! dear! dear!\n  Hear the fiery lashes crack!\n  On each little lazy back!\n  Hear the glowing basin boil!\n  Little Imps must burn or toil!_\u201d\n\nTimothy watched and listened until he became very weary; then he\nstretched himself out on the floor and fell asleep.\n\nWhen he awoke, he found himself lying in a dazzling light. How long he\nhad been asleep he did not know. He sprang to his feet with an agility\nand ease that he had never felt before. He looked about him. There was\nstill the same great room, the same chandelier with its thousand lamps,\nthe same pattering of little feet and rustling of wings! But, oh, how\nchanged! How changed!\n\nThe arched roof was composed of transparent pearl, delicately carved,\nand fretted with lines of brilliant rose-diamonds. Pendants hung from\nthe arches, formed of great diamonds and pearls cut into exquisite\nshapes. The walls were of ruby and topaz, and sparkled with mosaics of\nprecious gems, representing scenes more beautiful than any ever seen on\nearth. The huge pillars were of jasper and around them was twined the\ngraceful immortal amaranth. The floor was of coloured marble, inlaid\nwith onyx and amethyst.\n\nIn the noble recess at the end of the room, sat the Lady on a throne\ncarved from ivory and studded with diamonds. Her scourge and frown had\ndisappeared, and from her smiling countenance shone a divine beauty.\n\nThe chandelier, every lamp of which was now pouring out a silver light,\nsent a glowing radiance into the farthest corners and recesses under\nthe galleries, and revealed no signs of stain or shadow. The basins\nthrew high their spray of sparkling water and pure fire, looking like\nfountains of liquid light, which fell back again with the softest music.\n\nBut the greatest change of all was in the little Imps. They were each\nand all of a purer transparency of white than anything Timothy had\never conceived. And there was not one upon whose face did not play a\nsmile of joy. Some of them were working harder than ever, while others\nwere bathing in the fountains, darting and fluttering in and out of\nthe spray. They looked as light and brilliant as soap-bubbles in the\nsun, and flashing from their wings were all the colours of the rainbow.\nIndeed, the little Imps shone so brightly that Timothy could scarcely\nlook at them.\n\nBut while he was examining all these wonderful changes with admiration,\nhe heard a silver trumpet ring through the edifice. And as its sweet\nnotes died away among the pearl arches, the little Imps with myriad\nvoices, as sweet and clear as the trumpet-call, sang:--\n\n  \u201c_Lightly we rise\n  In the azure shies!\n  Lightly we dart away!\n  Lightly we roam\n  Through the boundless dome!\n  Or in pathless depths we stray!\n    Bright little,\n    White little,\n    Light little\n          Thoughts!_\n\n  \u201c_When we would try\n  How high we can fly,\n  When we would gaze\n  On His brightest rays,\n  When through glory we range,\n  In colours strange,\n  Lightly we turn to God!\n    There hide!\n    There abide!\n    Bright little,\n    White little,\n    Light little\n          Thoughts!_\u201d\n\nThen the most amazing thing of all happened. Timothy Tuttle, Esquire,\nsuddenly found himself lying once more on the soft, comfortable sofa\nin his own home. The gas-light was flashing over the rich rug and\nrosewood furniture, just as it had done when he had last seen the room.\nHe raised himself on his elbow and looked around, but not one of the\nlittle Imps was there. Indeed, he could find no traces of them except\nthe marks of their tiny black feet on the rug.\n\nBut from that day forward Timothy was a changed man. His face was no\nlonger hard and selfish, but it beamed with good and kind thoughts. He\nno longer preferred wealth to everything else in the world. He gave\nup the plan for his fine new mansion--indeed, he no longer wished for\none--and he spent the remainder of his days making his family and\nfriends happy, and relieving the poor and needy.\n\n                                             _Dr. John Todd_ (_Adapted_)\n\n\n\n\nBUTTERFLY\u2019S DIAMOND\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little Fairy who was remarkable for her\nimpatience and laziness. She was called Fairy Butterfly because she had\nsuch splendid green wings with silver spots on them. She loved dearly\nto be dressed in gorgeous colours, and to sleep in the rich chambers\nof the Foxgloves, or to flutter over beds of fragrant Mignonette. In\ntruth, she was as luxurious a little Fairy as the sun ever shone on. So\nmuch did she like her ease that she would not gather a single dew-drop\nto bathe her face, nor would she pick a fresh rose-petal for a napkin.\nShe played all day long, or slept curled up in the heart of a flower.\nOh, she was a lazy Fairy!\n\nWhen the Queen of the Fairies observed the faults of Butterfly, she\nresolved to help her to correct them. One day she summoned the lazy one\nto Court, and said:--\n\n\u201cFairy Butterfly, we command you to go at once to the Green Cavern\nin the Island of Ceylon, and remain there until you have fashioned a\ndiamond more pure and brilliant than any that has ever rested on the\nbrow of mortal or Elf.\u201d\n\nLittle Butterfly bowed in silence and withdrew. As soon as she was\noutside the green mound in which the Fairy Queen held her Court, she\nburst into a passionate flood of tears.\n\n\u201cI shall have to watch that diamond for months and months and years and\nyears,\u201d sobbed she, \u201cand every day I must turn it over with my wand so\nthat the crystals will form evenly! Oh, it is an endless labour to make\na diamond! Oh, I am a most wretched Fairy!\u201d\n\nSo she sat, and sobbed, and murmured for several minutes. Then she\njumped up and stamped her little feet on the ground so furiously that\nthe blue-eyed grasses trembled.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t bear it!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI\u2019ll run away to the Fairies of the\nAir. I am sure they will be so pleased with my beauty that they will\nfeed me, and I shall never need to work again! As for the diamond, why,\nit is just impossible for a little Fairy like me to make it!\u201d\n\nThen she peeped into a fountain to admire herself, and saw, alas! that\nthe splendid green of her wings had faded, and the silver spots were\ndim. For, if Fairies have naughty thoughts, their wings always droop\nand their beauty fades. At this sight, little Butterfly wept aloud with\nvexation and shame.\n\n\u201cI suppose the old tyrant, our Queen, thinks that now I am so ugly,\nI\u2019ll hide myself in the Green Cavern in the Island of Ceylon! But I\u2019ll\nlet her see that I do not care about her!\u201d And, alas! as Butterfly\nspoke thus, the silver spots disappeared entirely, and her wings became\na dirty brown.\n\nTrembling with anger, the little one waved her wand, and called:--\n\n  \u201c_Hummingbird! Hummingbird!\n  Come nigh! Come nigh!\n  And carry me off\n  To the far Blue Sky!_\u201d\n\nIn an instant a tiny hummingbird, shining like a jewel, alighted at her\nfeet. She sprang on his back, and away they flew to the golden clouds\nin the West where the Queen of the Air Fairies held her Court. And when\nthe Queen and all her Fairies saw Butterfly\u2019s dirty brown wings, they\nwaved their wands and vanished. And little Butterfly was left alone in\nthe Palace of the Air.\n\nBut such a beautiful palace as it was! The clouds hung around it like\ntransparent curtains of opal. The floor was paved with a rainbow.\nThousands of gorgeous birds fluttered in the sunlight, and a multitude\nof voices filled the place with sweet sounds. Butterfly, fatigued by\nher flight through the sky and lulled by the voices, lay down on a rosy\ncloud, and fell into a gentle slumber.\n\nWhen she awoke, she saw that a tiny bird, smaller than the hummingbird,\nwas building a nest beside her. Straw after straw, shred after shred,\nthe patient little creature brought in her bill and wove together. And\nthen she flew away over hills and fields to find soft down with which\nto line the nest.\n\n\u201cShe is a foolish thing!\u201d murmured Butterfly. \u201cHow hard she works, and\nI don\u2019t believe that she will finish it after all!\u201d\n\nBut soon the bird came back with her bill full of down, and lined the\nsoft warm nest so that it was fit for a Fairy to sleep in. Butterfly\npeeped into it, and exclaimed, \u201cOh, what a pretty thing!\u201d\n\nImmediately she heard the tinkling of a lute, and a clear voice\nsinging:--\n\n  \u201c_Bit by bit the bird builds her nest!_\u201d\n\nShe started up, and the Queen of the Air Fairies stood before her, clad\nin a robe of azure gossamer, embroidered with rainbow lights.\n\n\u201cFoolish Butterfly,\u201d said she, \u201cwe allow no idlers here. Obey your\nQueen, and go at once to the Green Cavern in the Island of Ceylon. Time\nand patience will accomplish all things. Go and make your diamond, and\nthen you shall be welcome here.\u201d Butterfly tried to tell her how very\nhard it was to make a diamond, but the Queen of the Air Fairies flew\naway, touching her lute, and singing:--\n\n  \u201c_Bit by bit the bird builds her nest!_\u201d\n\nButterfly leaned her head upon her hands for a minute. She began to be\nashamed of being so lazy, but she did not yet wish to go to the lonely\nGreen Cavern, and work hard. So she waved her wand, and called again:--\n\n  \u201c_Hummingbird! Hummingbird!\n  Come nigh! Come nigh!\n  And carry me back\n  Through the clear Blue Sky!_\u201d\n\nImmediately the little hummingbird returned, and she sprang on his\nback. He flew down with her, and she alighted near the green mound\ninside of which the Fairy Queen held her Court.\n\nClose by the mound Butterfly saw some bees working in a crystal hive.\nWearily and sadly she watched them. They left the hive, dipped into\nflowers, and carried their loads of sweet pollen back to the hive, and\nthere they built their wax combs filled with golden honey. \u201cI wish,\u201d\nthought she, \u201cthat I loved to work as hard as the bees do! But as for\nthat diamond, it is useless to think about it! I should never finish\nit!\u201d\n\nJust then she heard strains of delightful music coming from the mound,\nand a chorus of Fairy voices singing:--\n\n  \u201c_Little by little the bee builds its cell!_\u201d\n\nButterfly could have wept when she heard those familiar voices, for she\nlonged to be with her Fairy sisters dancing hand-in-hand. \u201cI will make\nthe diamond,\u201d murmured she. \u201cI shall surely get it done sometime! And I\ncan fly home every night and dance in the Fairy Ring, or sleep in the\nflowers!\u201d\n\nImmediately a joyful strain of music rose on the air, and she heard her\nsisters\u2019 voices singing:--\n\n  \u201c_To the Green Cavern haste away!\n  Sleep by night, and work by day!\n  Little by little the gem will grow,\n  Till pure as sunshine it will glow!_\u201d\n\nAlas! when Butterfly heard this, instead of flying at once to the Green\nCavern, she began to think how hard she should have to work, and how\nmany times she must turn the diamond. \u201cI never can do it!\u201d thought she.\n\u201cI will go to the Queen of the Ocean Fairies. I am sure she will let me\nlive in her Sea-Palace; and I need never work again!\u201d\n\nMournful notes came from the mound, as Butterfly turned toward the\nseashore. When she reached the beach, she waved her wand, and called:--\n\n  \u201c_Nautilus! Nautilus!\n  Come to me\n  And carry me through\n  The cold green Sea!_\u201d\n\nImmediately the delicate pearly boat of the nautilus came floating over\nthe Ocean, and a wave landed it at Butterfly\u2019s feet. She stepped in,\nand down, down, under the waves she went, down to the bed of the Ocean,\nto a coral grove. And there was the magnificent palace of the Queen of\nthe Ocean Fairies. Its pink coral pillars were twisted into a thousand\nbeautiful forms. Pearls hung in deep festoons from the arches. The\nfan-coral and the sea-moss were formed into deep, cool bowers. And the\nhard, sandy floor was covered with many-coloured shells.\n\nBut as it had been in the Air, so it was in the Sea! When the Queen of\nthe Ocean Fairies saw Butterfly\u2019s dirty brown wings, she and all her\nCourt waved their wands and disappeared. And Butterfly was left alone\nin the Sea-Palace.\n\n\u201cHow beautiful it is!\u201d cried she. \u201cGiants must have made these coral\npillars!\u201d As she spoke her eyes were nearly blinded by a swarm of tiny\ninsects, and she saw them rest on an unfinished coral pillar. While she\nlooked and wondered, she heard a thousand shell-trumpets being blown,\nand many voices singing:--\n\n  \u201c_Mite by mite the insect builds the coral bower!_\u201d\n\nThe sounds drew nearer and nearer, and a hundred Fairies, standing in\nbeautiful shells, came floating through the water. In the largest shell\nof all was their Queen in a robe of wave-coloured silk spun by the\nOcean silkworm. It was as thin as a spider\u2019s web, and the border was\ngracefully wrought with seed pearls.\n\n\u201cFoolish Butterfly,\u201d said the Queen, \u201clearn to be industrious. We allow\nno idlers at our Court. Look at the coral pillars of my palace. They\nwere made by these swarms of little creatures. Labour and patience did\nit all.\u201d\n\nAnd she waved her wand, and the hundred shells floated away, while all\nthe Fairies sang:--\n\n  \u201c_Mite by mite the insect builds the coral bower!_\u201d\n\n\u201cWell!\u201d said Butterfly, sighing. \u201cAll creatures are busy, on the earth,\nin the air, and under the water. All things seem happy at their work.\nPerhaps I can learn to be so, too. I will make the diamond. And it\nshall be as pure and brilliant as a sunbeam in a water-drop!\u201d\n\nSo Butterfly sought the Green Cavern in the Island of Ceylon. Day by\nday she worked as busily as the coral insects. She grew cheerful and\nhappy. Her wings once more became a splendid green, and the silver\nspots were so bright that they seemed like sparks of fire. Never had\nshe been so beautiful, never so much loved by the little birds and\nflowers.\n\nAfter seven years had passed by, Butterfly knelt at the feet of her\nQueen and offered her diamond. It gave light like a star, and the whole\nFairy Mound shone with its rays. And to this day the Fairies call it\n\u201cButterfly\u2019s Diamond.\u201d\n\n                                         _Lydia Maria Child_ (_Adapted_)\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE NIEBLA\n\n\nHave you seen the white mist over the River Yi in the morning--a light\nwhite mist that flies away when the sun gets hot? Yes? Then I will tell\nyou a story about the white mist and a little girl named Alma.\n\nLittle Alma lived close to the River Yi, but far, far from here, beyond\nthe trees and beyond the blue hills, for the Yi is a very long river.\nShe lived with her grandmother and with six uncles, all big, tall men\nwith long beards, and they always talked about wars, and cattle, and a\ngreat many other important things that Alma could not understand. There\nwas no one to talk to Alma and for Alma to talk to or to play with. And\nwhen she went out of the house where all the big people were talking,\nshe heard the cocks crowing, the dogs barking, the birds singing, the\nsheep bleating, and the trees rustling their leaves over her head, and\nshe could not understand one word of all they said. At last, having no\none to play with or talk to, she sat down and began to cry.\n\nNow, it happened that near the spot where she sat there was an old\nblack woman wearing a red shawl, who was gathering sticks for the fire,\nand she asked Alma why she cried.\n\n\u201cBecause I have no one to talk to and play with,\u201d said Alma.\n\nThen the old black woman drew a long brass pin out of her shawl, and\npricked Alma\u2019s tongue with it, for she made Alma hold it out to be\npricked.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cyou can go and play and talk with the dogs,\ncats, birds, and trees, for you will understand all they say, and they\nwill understand all you say.\u201d\n\nAlma was very glad, and ran home as fast as she could to talk to the\ncat.\n\n\u201cCome, cat, let us talk and play together,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cOh, no,\u201d said the cat. \u201cI am very busy watching a little bird, so you\nmust go away and play with little Niebla down by the river.\u201d\n\nThen the cat ran away among the weeds and left her. The dogs also\nrefused to play when she went to them, for they had to watch the house\nand bark at strangers. Then they also told her to go and play with\nlittle Niebla down by the river.\n\nThen Alma ran out, and caught a little duckling, a soft little thing,\nthat looked like a ball of yellow cotton, and said: \u201cNow, little duck,\nlet us talk and play.\u201d\n\nBut the duckling only struggled to get away, and screamed: \u201cOh, Mamma!\nMamma! Come and take me away from Alma!\u201d\n\nThen the old duck came rushing up, and said: \u201cAlma, let my child alone;\nand if you want to play, go and play with Niebla down by the river. A\nnice thing to catch my duckie in your hands--what next, I wonder!\u201d\n\nSo she let the duckling go, and at last she said, \u201cYes, I will go and\nplay with Niebla down by the river.\u201d\n\nShe waited till she saw the white mist, and then ran all the way to the\nYi, and stood still on the green bank close by the water with the white\nmist all round her.\n\nBy and by she saw a beautiful little child come flying toward her in\nthe white mist. The child came and stood on the green bank, and looked\nat Alma. Very, very pretty she was; and she wore a white dress--whiter\nthan milk, whiter than foam, and all embroidered with purple flowers.\nShe had also white silk stockings and scarlet shoes, bright as scarlet\nverbenas. Her hair was long and fluffy, and shone like gold, and round\nher neck she had a string of big, gold beads.\n\nThen Alma said, \u201cOh, beautiful little girl, what is your name?\u201d\n\nTo which the little girl answered: \u201cNiebla.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you talk to me, and play with me?\u201d said Alma.\n\n\u201cOh, no,\u201d said Niebla; \u201chow can I play with a little girl dressed as\nyou are, and with bare feet?\u201d\n\nFor, you know, poor Alma only wore a little old frock that came down to\nher knees, and she had no shoes and stockings on.\n\nThen little Niebla rose up and floated away, away from the bank and\ndown the river. And at last, when she was quite out of sight in the\nwhite mist, Alma began to cry. When it got very hot, she went and sat\ndown, still crying, under the trees. There were two very big willow\ntrees growing near the river. By and by the leaves rustled in the\nwind, and the trees began talking to each other, and Alma understood\neverything they said.\n\n\u201cHave you got any nests in your branches?\u201d said one tree.\n\n\u201cYes, one,\u201d said the other tree. \u201cIt was made by a little yellow bird,\nand there are five speckled eggs in it.\u201d\n\nThen the first tree said: \u201cThere is little Alma sitting in our shade.\nDo you know why she is crying, Neighbour?\u201d\n\nThe other tree answered: \u201cYes, it is because she has no one to play\nwith. Little Niebla by the river refused to play with her because she\nis not beautifully dressed.\u201d\n\nThen the first tree said: \u201cAh, she ought to go and ask the fox for\nsome pretty clothes to wear. The fox always keeps a great store of\npretty things in her hole.\u201d\n\nAlma had listened to every word of this conversation. She remembered\nthat a fox lived on the hillside not far off; for she had often seen\nit sitting in the sunshine, with its little ones playing round it and\npulling their mother\u2019s tail in fun.\n\nSo Alma got up, and ran till she found the hole, and putting her head\ndown it, she cried out: \u201cFox! Fox!\u201d\n\nBut the fox seemed cross, and only answered, without coming out, \u201cGo\naway, Alma, and talk to little Niebla. I am busy getting dinner for my\nchildren, and have no time to talk to you now.\u201d\n\nThen Alma cried: \u201cOh, Fox, Niebla will not play with me because I have\nno pretty things to wear! Oh, Fox, will you give me a nice dress, and\nshoes and stockings, and a string of beads?\u201d\n\nAfter a little while the fox came out of its hole with a big bundle\ndone up in a red cotton handkerchief, and said: \u201cHere are the things,\nAlma, and I hope they will fit you. But, you know, Alma, you really\nought not to come at this time of day, for I am very busy just now\ncooking the dinner--an armadillo roasted and a couple of partridges\nstewed with rice, and a little omelette of turkeys\u2019 eggs--I mean\nplovers\u2019 eggs, of course; I never touch turkeys\u2019 eggs.\u201d\n\nAlma said she was very sorry to give so much trouble.\n\n\u201cOh, never mind,\u201d said the fox. \u201cHow is your grandmother?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is very well, thank you,\u201d said Alma, \u201cbut she has a bad headache.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am very sorry to hear it,\u201d said the fox. \u201cTell her to stick two\nfresh dock-leaves on her temples, and on no account to go out in the\nhot sun. Give her my best respects. And now, run home, Alma, and try on\nthe things, and when you are passing this way, you can bring me back\nthe handkerchief, as I always tie my face up in it when I have the\ntoothache.\u201d\n\nAlma thanked the fox very much, and ran home as fast as she could;\nand when the bundle was opened she found in it a beautiful white\ndress embroidered with purple flowers, a pair of scarlet shoes, silk\nstockings, and a string of great golden beads.\n\nThey all fitted her very well; and next day, when the white mist was\non the Yi, she dressed herself in her beautiful clothes, and went down\nto the river. By and by little Niebla came flying along; and when she\nsaw Alma, she came and kissed her, and took her by the hand. All the\nmorning they played and talked together, gathering flowers and running\nraces over the green sward. And, at last, Niebla bade her good-bye,\nand flew away, for all the white mist was floating off down the river.\n\nBut every day after that, Alma found her little companion by the Yi,\nand was very happy, for now she had some one to talk to and to play\nwith.\n\n                                            _W. H. Hudson_ (_Condensed_)\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE TINY\n\n\nThere was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child; so\nshe went to a Fairy, and said: \u201cI should so very much like to have a\nlittle child. Can you tell me where I may find one?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, that is easily managed,\u201d said the Fairy. \u201cHere is a barley-corn of\na different kind to those which grow in the farmers\u2019 fields, and which\nthe chickens eat. Put it into a flower-pot, and see what will happen.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said the woman, and she gave the Fairy twelve shillings,\nwhich was the price of the barley-corn. Then she went home and planted\nit, and immediately there grew up a large handsome flower, something\nlike a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it\nwas still a bud.\n\n\u201cIt is a beautiful flower,\u201d said the woman, and she kissed the red and\ngolden-coloured leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she\ncould see that it was a real tulip.\n\nWithin the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate\nand graceful little maiden. She was scarcely half as long as a thumb,\nand they gave her the name of \u201cLittle Thumb,\u201d or Tiny, because she\nwas so small. A walnut-shell, elegantly polished, served her for a\ncradle. Her bed was formed of blue violet-leaves, with a rose-leaf for\na counterpane.\n\nHere she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a\ntable, where the woman had placed a plateful of water. Round this\nplate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon\nit floated a large tulip-leaf, which served Tiny for a boat. Here the\nlittle maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side, with two oars\nmade of white horse-hair. It really was a very pretty sight. Tiny\ncould, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing\nhad ever before been heard.\n\nOne night, while she lay in her pretty bed, a large, ugly, wet toad\ncrept through a broken pane of glass in the window, and leaped right up\non the table where Tiny lay sleeping under her rose-leaf quilt.\n\n\u201cWhat a pretty little wife this would make for my son!\u201d said the toad,\nand she took up the walnut-shell in which little Tiny lay asleep, and\njumped through the window with it into the garden.\n\nIn the swampy margin of a broad stream in the garden lived the toad,\nwith her son. He was uglier even than his mother, and when he saw the\npretty little maiden in her elegant bed, he could only cry: \u201c_Croak,\ncroak, croak_.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t speak so loud, or she will wake,\u201d said the toad, \u201cand then she\nmight run away, for she is as light as swan\u2019s down. We will place her\non one of the water-lily leaves out in the stream. It will be like an\nisland to her, she is so light and small, and then she cannot escape.\nAnd, while she is away, we will make haste and prepare the state-room\nunder the marsh, in which you are to live when you are married.\u201d\n\nFar out in the stream grew a number of water-lilies, with broad green\nleaves, which seemed to float on the top of the water. The largest of\nthese leaves appeared farther off than the rest, and the old toad swam\nout to it with the walnut-shell, in which little Tiny lay still asleep.\n\nThe little creature woke very early in the morning, and began to cry\nbitterly when she found where she was, for she could see nothing but\nwater on every side of the large green leaf, and no way of reaching the\nland.\n\nMeanwhile the old toad was very busy under the marsh, decking her room\nwith rushes and wild yellow flowers, to make it look pretty for her new\ndaughter-in-law. Then she swam out with her ugly son to the leaf on\nwhich she had placed poor little Tiny. She wanted to fetch the pretty\nbed, that she might put it in the bridal chamber to be ready for her.\n\nThe old toad bowed low to her in the water, and said: \u201cHere is my son.\nHe will be your husband, and you will live happily together in the\nmarsh by the stream.\u201d\n\n\u201c_Croak, croak, croak_,\u201d was all her son could say for himself. So the\ntoad took up the elegant little bed, and swam away with it, leaving\nTiny all alone on the green leaf, where she sat and wept. She could not\nbear to think of living with the old toad, and having her ugly son for\na husband.\n\nThe little fishes, who swam about in the water, had seen the toad, and\nheard what she said, so they lifted their heads above the water to look\nat the little maiden. As soon as they caught sight of her, they saw she\nwas very pretty, and it made them sorry to think that she must go and\nlive with the ugly toads. \u201cNo, it must never be!\u201d so they assembled\ntogether in the water, round the green stalk which held the leaf on\nwhich the little maiden stood, and gnawed it away at the root with\ntheir teeth. Then the leaf floated down the stream, carrying Tiny far\naway.\n\nTiny sailed past many towns, and the little birds in the bushes saw\nher, and sang: \u201cWhat a lovely little creature!\u201d So the leaf swam away\nwith her farther and farther, till it brought her to other lands. A\ngraceful little white butterfly constantly fluttered round her, and at\nlast alighted on the leaf. Tiny pleased him, and she was glad of it,\nfor now the toad could not possibly reach her, and the country through\nwhich she sailed was beautiful, and the sun shone upon the water, till\nit glittered like liquid gold. She took off her girdle and tied one end\nof it round the butterfly, and the other end of the ribbon she fastened\nto the leaf, which now glided on much faster than ever, taking little\nTiny with it as she stood.\n\nPresently a large cockchafer flew by. The moment he caught sight of\nher, he seized her round her delicate waist with his claws, and flew\nwith her into a tree. The green leaf floated away on the brook, and the\nbutterfly flew with it, for he was fastened to it, and could not get\naway.\n\nOh, how frightened little Tiny felt when the cockchafer flew with her\nto the tree! But especially was she sorry for the beautiful white\nbutterfly which she had fastened to the leaf, for if he could not free\nhimself he would die of hunger. But the cockchafer did not trouble\nhimself at all about the matter. He seated himself by her side on a\nlarge green leaf, gave her some honey from the flowers to eat, and told\nher she was very pretty, though not in the least like a cockchafer.\nAfter a time, all the cockchafers who lived in the tree came to visit\nher. They stared at Tiny, and then the young lady-cockchafers turned up\ntheir feelers, and said: \u201cShe has only two legs! how ugly that looks.\u201d\n\u201cShe has no feelers,\u201d said another. \u201cHer waist is quite slim. Pooh! she\nis like a human being.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! she is ugly!\u201d said all the lady-cockchafers, although Tiny was\nvery pretty. Then the cockchafer who had run away with her, believed\nall the others when they said she was ugly, and would have nothing more\nto say to her, and told her she might go where she liked. Then he flew\ndown with her from the tree, and placed her on a daisy, and she wept at\nthe thought that she was so ugly that even the cockchafers would have\nnothing to say to her. And all the while she was really the loveliest\ncreature that one could imagine, and as tender and delicate as a\nbeautiful rose-leaf!\n\nDuring the whole summer poor little Tiny lived quite alone in the wide\nforest. She wove herself a bed with blades of grass, and hung it up\nunder a broad leaf, to protect herself from the rain. She sucked the\nhoney from the flowers for food, and drank the dew from their leaves\nevery morning. So passed away the Summer and the Autumn, and then came\nthe Winter,--the long, cold Winter.\n\nAll the birds who had sung to her so sweetly were flown away, and the\ntrees and the flowers had withered. The large clover leaf under the\nshelter of which she had lived, was now rolled together and shrivelled\nup, nothing remained but a yellow withered stalk. She felt dreadfully\ncold, for her clothes were torn, and she was herself so frail and\ndelicate, that, poor little thing, she was nearly frozen to death! It\nbegan to snow too; and the snow-flakes, as they fell upon her, were\nlike a whole shovelful falling upon one of us, for we are tall, but she\nwas only an inch high. Then she wrapped herself up in a dry leaf, but\nit cracked in the middle and could not keep her warm, and she shivered\nwith cold.\n\nNear the wood in which she had been living lay a large corn-field,\nbut the corn had been cut a long time; nothing remained but the bare\ndry stubble standing up out of the frozen ground. It was to her like\nstruggling through a large wood. Oh! how she shivered with the cold.\nShe came at last to the door of a field-mouse, who had a little den\nunder the corn-stubble. There dwelt the field-mouse in warmth and\ncomfort, with a whole roomful of corn, a kitchen, and a beautiful\ndining-room. Poor little Tiny stood before the door just like a little\nbeggar-girl, and begged for a small piece of barley-corn, for she had\nbeen without a morsel to eat for two days.\n\n\u201cYou poor little creature,\u201d said the field-mouse, who was really a\ngood old field-mouse, \u201ccome into my warm room and dine with me.\u201d She\nwas very pleased with Tiny, so she said: \u201cYou are quite welcome to\nstay with me all the Winter, if you like; but you must keep my rooms\nclean and neat, and tell me stories, for I shall like to hear them very\nmuch.\u201d And Tiny did all the field-mouse asked her, and found herself\nvery comfortable.\n\n\u201cWe shall have a visitor soon,\u201d said the field-mouse one day. \u201cMy\nneighbour pays me a visit once a week. He is better off than I am. He\nhas large rooms, and wears a beautiful black velvet coat. If you could\nonly have him for a husband, you would be well provided for indeed! But\nhe is blind, so you must tell him some of your prettiest stories.\u201d\n\nBut Tiny did not feel at all interested about this neighbour, for he\nwas a mole. However, he came and paid his visit, dressed in his black\nvelvet coat.\n\n\u201cHe is very rich and learned, and his house is twenty times larger than\nmine,\u201d said the field-mouse.\n\nHe was rich and learned, no doubt, but he always spoke slightingly of\nthe sun and the pretty flowers, because he had never seen them. Tiny\nwas obliged to sing to him: \u201cLady-bird, lady-bird, fly away home,\u201d and\nmany other pretty songs. And the mole fell in love with her because\nshe had such a sweet voice. But he said nothing yet, for he was very\ncautious.\n\nA short time before, the mole had dug a long passage under the earth,\nwhich led from the dwelling of the field-mouse to his own, and here she\nhad permission to walk with Tiny whenever she liked. But he warned them\nnot to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird which lay in the passage.\nIt was a perfect bird, with a beak and feathers, and could not have\nbeen dead long, and was lying just where the mole had made his passage.\n\nThe mole took a piece of phosphorescent wood in his mouth, and it\nglittered like fire in the dark. Then he went before them to light them\nthrough the long, dark passage. When they came to the spot where lay\nthe dead bird, the mole pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the\nearth gave way, so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone\ninto the passage.\n\nIn the middle of the floor lay the dead swallow, his beautiful wings\npulled close to his sides, his feet and his head drawn up under his\nfeathers. The poor bird had evidently died of the cold. It made little\nTiny very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds. All the\nSummer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully.\n\nBut the mole pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said: \u201cHe will\nsing no more now. How miserable it must be to be born a little bird! I\nam thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can\ndo nothing but cry, \u2018Tweet, tweet,\u2019 and always die of hunger in the\nWinter.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, you may well say that, you clever man!\u201d exclaimed the\nfield-mouse. \u201cWhat is the use of his twittering, for when Winter comes\nhe must either starve or be frozen to death. Still, birds are very\nhigh-bred.\u201d\n\nTiny said nothing; but when the others had turned their backs on the\nbird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which\ncovered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids. \u201cPerhaps this was the\none who sang to me so sweetly in the Summer,\u201d she said; \u201cand how much\npleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird.\u201d\n\nThe mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone, and\nthen accompanied Tiny and the field-mouse home.\n\nBut during the night Tiny could not sleep; so she got out of bed and\nwove a large, beautiful carpet of hay. Then she carried it to the dead\nbird, and spread it over him, with some down from the flowers which she\nhad found in the field-mouse\u2019s room. The down was as soft as wool, and\nshe spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might lie\nwarmly in the cold earth.\n\n\u201cFarewell, you pretty little bird!\u201d said she, \u201cfarewell! Thank you\nfor your delightful singing during the Summer, when all the trees were\ngreen, and the warm sun shone upon us.\u201d\n\nThen she laid her head on the bird\u2019s breast, but she was alarmed\nimmediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went\n\u201c_thump, thump_.\u201d It was the bird\u2019s heart! He was not really dead,\nonly benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life.\nIn Autumn all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one\nhappens to linger, the cold seizes it, it becomes frozen, and falls\ndown as if dead. It remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it.\nTiny trembled very much. She was quite frightened, for the bird was\nlarge, a great deal larger than herself--she was only an inch high. But\nshe took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, and\nthen took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid\nit over the head of the poor bird.\n\nThe next morning she again stole out to see him. He was alive but very\nweak. He could only open his eyes for a moment to look at Tiny, who\nstood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no\nother lantern.\n\n\u201cThank you, pretty little maiden,\u201d said the sick swallow; \u201cI have been\nso nicely warmed, that I shall soon regain my strength, and be able to\nfly about in the warm sunshine.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said she, \u201cit is cold out of doors now. It snows and freezes.\nStay in your warm bed. I will take care of you.\u201d\n\nThen she brought the swallow some water in a flower-leaf, and after\nhe had drunk, he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a\nthorn-bush, and could not fly so fast as the other birds, who were soon\nfar away on their journey to warm countries. Then at last he had fallen\nto the earth, and could remember no more nor how he came to be where\nshe had found him.\n\nThe whole Winter the swallow remained underground, and Tiny nursed him\nwith care and love. Neither the mole nor the field-mouse knew anything\nabout it, for they did not like swallows. Very soon the Spring-time\ncame, and the sun warmed the earth. Then the swallow bade farewell to\nTiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made.\nThe sun shone in upon them so beautifully that the swallow asked her if\nshe would go with him. She could sit on his back, he said, and he would\nfly away with her into the green woods. But Tiny knew it would make the\nfield-mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said:\n\u201cNo, I cannot.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty, little maiden!\u201d said the\nswallow. And he flew out into the sunshine.\n\nTiny looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes. She was very\nfond of the poor swallow.\n\n\u201cTweet! Tweet!\u201d sang the bird, as he flew out into the green woods,\nand Tiny felt sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm\nsunshine. The corn which had been sown in the field over the house of\nthe field-mouse had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood\nto Tiny, who was only an inch high.\n\n\u201cYou are going to be married, Tiny,\u201d said the field-mouse. \u201cMy\nneighbour has asked for you. What good fortune for a poor child like\nyou! Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. They must be both\nwoollen and linen. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole\u2019s\nwife.\u201d\n\nTiny had to turn the spindle; and the field-mouse hired four spiders,\nwho were to weave day and night. Every evening the mole visited her,\nand was continually speaking of the time when the Summer would be over.\nThen he would keep his wedding-day with Tiny. But now the heat of the\nsun was so great that it burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like\na stone. As soon as the Summer was over, the wedding should take place.\n\nBut Tiny was not at all pleased; for she did not like the tiresome\nmole. Every morning when the sun rose, and every evening when it went\ndown, she would creep out at the door, and as the wind blew aside the\nears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she thought how\nbeautiful and bright it seemed out there, and wished so much to see\nher dear swallow again. But he never returned; for by this time he had\nflown far away into the lovely green forest.\n\nWhen Autumn arrived, Tiny had her outfit quite ready; and the\nfield-mouse said to her: \u201cIn four weeks the wedding must take place.\u201d\n\nThen Tiny wept, and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole.\n\n\u201cNonsense,\u201d replied the field-mouse. \u201cNow, don\u2019t be obstinate, or I\nshall bite you with my white teeth. He is a very handsome mole. The\nQueen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His\nkitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for\nsuch good fortune.\u201d\n\nSo the wedding-day was fixed, on which the mole was to fetch Tiny away\nto live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm\nsun, because _he_ did not like it. The poor child was most unhappy\nat the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun; and, as the\nfield-mouse had given her permission to stand at the door, she went to\nlook at it once more.\n\n\u201cFarewell, bright sun!\u201d she cried, stretching out her arm toward it.\nAnd then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had\nbeen cut, and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. \u201cFarewell!\nFarewell!\u201d she repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower\nthat grew just by her side. \u201cGreet the little swallow from me, if you\nshould see him again.\u201d\n\n\u201cTweet! Tweet!\u201d sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up, and\nthere was the swallow himself flying close by. As soon as he spied\nTiny, he was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to\nmarry the ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to\nsee the bright sun any more. And as she told him she wept.\n\n\u201cCold Winter is coming,\u201d said the swallow, \u201cand I am going to fly away\ninto warmer countries. Will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and\nfasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly\nmole and his gloomy rooms--far away, over the mountains, into warmer\ncountries, where the sun shines more brightly than here; where it is\nalways Summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with\nme, dear little Tiny! You saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark,\ndreary passage.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, I will go with you,\u201d said Tiny. And she seated herself on the\nbird\u2019s back, with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her\ngirdle to one of his strongest feathers.\n\nThen the swallow rose in the air, and flew over forest and over sea,\nhigh above the highest mountains, covered with eternal snow. Tiny\nwould have been frozen in the cold air, but she crept under the bird\u2019s\nwarm feathers, keeping her little head uncovered, so that she might\nadmire the beautiful lands over which they passed.\n\nAt length they reached the warm countries, where the sun shines\nbrightly, and the sky seems so much higher above the earth. Here, on\nthe hedges, and by the wayside, grew purple, green, and white grapes;\nlemons and oranges hung from trees in the woods; and the air was\nfragrant with myrtles and orange blossoms. Beautiful children ran\nalong the country lanes, playing with large gay butterflies. And, as\nthe swallow flew farther and farther, every place appeared still more\nlovely.\n\nAt last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by\ntrees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble,\nbuilt in the olden times. Vines clustered round its lofty pillars, and\nat the top were many swallows\u2019 nests, and one of these was the home of\nthe swallow who carried Tiny.\n\n\u201cThis is my house,\u201d said the swallow; \u201cbut it would not do for you to\nlive there--you would not be comfortable. You must choose for yourself\none of those lovely flowers, and I will put you down upon it, and then\nyou shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will be delightful!\u201d she said, and clapped her little hands for\njoy.\n\nA large marble pillar lay on the ground, which, in falling, had been\nbroken into three pieces. Between these pieces grew the most beautiful\nlarge white flowers; so the swallow flew down with Tiny, and placed\nher on one of the broad leaves. But how surprised she was to see, in\nthe middle of the flowers, a tiny little man, as white and transparent\nas if he had been made of crystal! He had a gold crown on his head,\nand delicate wings at his shoulders, and was not much larger than Tiny\nherself. He was the Fairy of the flower; for a tiny man and a tiny\nwoman dwell in every flower; and this was the King of them all.\n\n\u201cOh, how beautiful he is!\u201d whispered Tiny to the swallow.\n\nThe little King was at first quite frightened at the bird, who was\nlike a giant compared to such a delicate little creature as himself.\nBut when he saw Tiny, he was delighted, and thought her the prettiest\nlittle maiden he had ever seen. He took the gold crown from his head,\nand placed it on hers, and asked her name, and if she would be his\nwife, and Queen over all the flowers.\n\nThis certainly was a very different sort of husband to the son of the\ntoad, or the mole, with his black velvet and fur; so she said \u201cYes,\u201d to\nthe handsome King.\n\nThen all the flowers opened, and out of each came a little lady or\na tiny lord, all so pretty it was quite a pleasure to look at them.\nEach of them brought Tiny a present. But the best gift was a pair of\nbeautiful wings, which had belonged to a large white fly, and they\nfastened them to Tiny\u2019s shoulders, so that she might fly from flower to\nflower.\n\nThen there was much rejoicing, and the little swallow, who sat above\nthem, in his nest, was asked to sing a wedding song, which he did as\nwell as he could; but in his heart he felt sad, for he was very fond of\nTiny, and would have liked never to part from her again.\n\n\u201cYou must not be called Tiny any more,\u201d said the Fairy of the flowers\nto her. \u201cIt is an ugly name, and you are so very pretty. We will call\nyou Maia.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarewell! Farewell!\u201d said the swallow, with a heavy heart as he left\nthe warm countries, to fly back into Denmark. There he had a nest over\nthe window of a house in which dwelt the writer of Fairy tales. The\nswallow sang, \u201cTweet! Tweet!\u201d And from his song came this whole story.\n\n                                               _Hans Christian Andersen_\n\n\n\n\nTHE IMMORTAL FOUNTAIN\n\n\nIn ancient times two little Princesses lived in Scotland, one of whom\nwas extremely beautiful, and the other dwarfish, dark-coloured, and\ndeformed. One was named Rose, and the other Marion.\n\nThe sisters did not live happily together. Marion hated Rose because\nthe latter was handsome and everybody praised her. So Marion scowled\nand her face grew absolutely black when anybody asked her how her\npretty little sister was. And once she was so wicked and jealous that\nshe cut off all Rose\u2019s glossy golden hair, and threw it in the fire.\nPoor Rose cried bitterly about it, but she did not scold or strike her\nsister, for she was an amiable and gentle little being.\n\nNo wonder, then, that all the family and all the neighbours disliked\nMarion; and no wonder that her face grew uglier and uglier every day.\nBut the neighbours used to say that Rose had been blessed by the\nFairies, to whom she owed her extraordinary beauty and goodness.\n\nNot far from the castle where the Princesses resided was a deep grotto,\nsaid to lead to the Palace of Beauty where the Queen of the Fairies\nheld her Court. Some said that Rose had fallen asleep there one day\nwhen she was tired of chasing a butterfly, and that the Queen had\ndipped her in an Immortal Fountain, from which she had risen with the\nbeauty of an angel. Marion often asked Rose about this story, but\nthe child always replied that she was forbidden to speak of it. When\nRose saw any uncommon bird or butterfly, she would exclaim: \u201cOh, how\nmuch that looks like Fairyland!\u201d But when asked what she knew about\nFairyland, she blushed and would not answer.\n\nMarion thought a great deal about this. \u201cWhy can I not go to the Palace\nof Beauty?\u201d thought she. \u201cAnd why may I not bathe in the Immortal\nFountain?\u201d\n\nOne Summer\u2019s noon, when all was still save the faint twitterings of\nbirds and the lazy hum of bees, Marion entered the deep grotto. She sat\ndown on a bank of moss. The air around her was as fragrant as if it\ncame from a bed of violets. And with the far-off sound of music in her\nears, she fell into a gentle slumber.\n\nWhen she awoke it was evening, and she found herself in a small hall,\nwhere opal pillars supported a rainbow roof, the bright reflection\nof which rested on crystal walls and on a golden floor inlaid with\npearls. All around, between the opal pillars, stood the tiniest vases\nof pure alabaster, in which grew a multitude of brilliant and fragrant\nflowers; some of which, twining around the pillars, were lost in the\nfloating rainbow above. This scene of beauty was lighted by millions of\nfireflies glittering in the air like wandering stars.\n\nWhile Marion was gazing in amazement at all this, a little lady of\nrare loveliness stood before her. Her robe was of green and gold. Her\nflowing gossamer mantle was caught upon one shoulder with a pearl, and\nin her hair was a solitary star composed of five diamonds, each no\nbigger than a pin point. She smiled at Marion and sang:--\n\n        \u201c_The Fairy Queen\n        Hath rarely seen\n  Creature of earthly mould\n        Within her door\n        On pearly floor\n  Inlaid with shining gold!\n  Mortal, all thou seest is fair!\n  Quick! Thy purposes declare!_\u201d\n\nAs she concluded, the song was taken up and thrice repeated by a\nmultitude of soft voices in the distance. It seemed as if birds and\ninsects joined in the chorus; and ever and anon between the pauses, the\nsound of a cascade was heard, whose waters fell in music.\n\nAll these delightful sounds died away, and the Queen of the Fairies\nstood patiently awaiting Marion\u2019s answer. Curtsying low, and with a\ntrembling voice, the little maiden said:--\n\n\u201cWill it please Your Majesty to make me as handsome as my sister Rose?\u201d\n\nThe Queen smiled again. \u201cI will grant your request,\u201d said she, \u201cif you\nwill promise to fulfil all the conditions I propose.\u201d\n\nMarion eagerly promised that she would.\n\n\u201cThe Immortal Fountain,\u201d continued the Queen, \u201cis on the top of a high,\nsteep hill. At four different places Fairies are stationed around it,\nwho guard it with their wands. None can pass except those who obey\nmy orders. Go home now. For one week speak no ungentle word to your\nsister. At the end of that time come again to the grotto.\u201d\n\nMarion went home light of heart. Rose was in the garden, watering\nflowers. And the first thing Marion observed was that her sister\u2019s\nsunny hair had grown as long and beautiful as before it was cut\noff. The sight made her angry, and she was just about to snatch the\nwatering-pot from Rose\u2019s hand with cross words, when she remembered the\nFairy, and passed into the castle in silence.\n\nThe end of the week arrived, and Marion had faithfully kept her\npromise. Again she entered the grotto. The Queen was feasting when\nMarion reached the hall with opal pillars. The bees had brought, as a\ngift, golden honey, and placed it on small rose-coloured shells which\nadorned a crystal table. Bright butterflies floated about the head of\nthe Queen, and fanned her with their wings. Fireflies flew near to give\nher light. And a large diamond beetle formed her footstool. After she\nhad supped, a dew-drop on a violet petal was brought her to bathe her\nroyal fingers.\n\nBehind the Queen\u2019s chair hovered numerous bright Fairies, but when\nMarion entered the diamond sparkles on their wings faded as they always\ndo in the presence of anything bad. And in a second all the Queen\u2019s\nattendants vanished, singing as they went:--\n\n        \u201c_The Fairy Queen\n        Hath rarely seen\n  Creature of mortal mould\n        Within her door\n        On pearly floor\n  Inlaid with shining gold!_\u201d\n\n\u201cMortal, have you fulfilled your promise?\u201d asked the Queen.\n\n\u201cI have,\u201d replied the maiden.\n\n\u201cThen follow me.\u201d\n\nMarion did as she was directed, and away they hastened over beds of\nViolets and Mignonette. Birds sang, butterflies fluttered, and the\nvoices of many fountains came on the breeze.\n\nPresently they reached the hill on the top of which was the Immortal\nFountain. The foot of the hill was surrounded by a band of Fairies\nclothed in green gossamer, and with their ivory wands crossed to bar\nthe ascent. The Queen waved her wand over them, and immediately they\nstretched their transparent wings and flew away.\n\nThe hill was steep, and far, far up climbed the Queen and Marion. The\nair became more and more fragrant; and more and more distinctly they\nheard the sound of waters falling in music. At length they were stopped\nby another band of Fairies, clothed in blue gossamer, with silver wands\ncrossed.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said the Queen, \u201cour journey must end. You can go no farther\nuntil you have fulfilled the orders I shall give you. Go home now. For\none month do by your sister as you would wish her to do by you, if you\nwere Rose and she Marion.\u201d\n\nMarion promised and departed. She found the task harder than the first\nhad been. When Rose asked her for playthings, she found it hard to give\nthem gently and affectionately. When Rose talked to her, she wanted to\ngo away in silence. And when a pocket mirror was found in her sister\u2019s\nroom, broken into a thousand pieces, she felt sorely tempted to conceal\nthat she had done the mischief. But she was so anxious to be made\nbeautiful that she did as she wished to be done by\u00b7\n\nAll the household remarked how Marion had changed.\n\n\u201cI love her dearly!\u201d said Rose; \u201cshe is so good and amiable.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo do I!\u201d said a dozen voices.\n\nMarion blushed deeply, and her eyes sparkled with pleasure. \u201cHow\npleasant it is to be loved!\u201d thought she.\n\nAt the end of the month she went to the grotto again. Again the Fairy\nQueen conducted her up the hill, and this time the Fairies in blue\nlowered their silver wands and flew away. The two travelled on, higher\nand higher. The path grew steeper and steeper, but the fragrant air\nbecame more delicious, and more distinctly was heard the sound of\nwaters falling in music.\n\nAt length their course was stayed by a troop of Fairies clothed in\nrainbow robes, and holding silver wands tipped with gold. In face and\nform they were far more beautiful than anything Marion had yet seen.\n\n\u201cHere we must pause,\u201d said the Queen. \u201cThis boundary you cannot yet\npass.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d asked the impatient Marion.\n\n\u201cBecause those who pass the Rainbow Fairies must be very pure,\u201d replied\nthe Queen.\n\n\u201cAm I not very pure?\u201d asked the maiden. \u201cAll the people in the castle\ntell me how good I have grown.\u201d\n\n\u201cMortal eyes see only the outside,\u201d answered the Queen. \u201cBut those who\npass the Rainbow Fairies must be pure in thought as well as action.\nGo home now. For three months never indulge in a wicked or envious\nthought. You shall then have a glimpse of the Immortal Fountain.\u201d\n\nMarion returned home. At the end of three months she again visited the\nhall with opal pillars. The Queen did not smile when she saw her; but\nin silence led the way up the hill toward the Immortal Fountain. The\nGreen Fairies and the Blue Fairies flew away as they approached; but\nthe Rainbow Fairies bowed low to the Queen, and kept their gold-tipped\nwands firmly crossed.\n\nMarion saw that the silver specks on the Fairies\u2019 wings began to grow\ndim, and she burst into tears.\n\n\u201cI knew,\u201d said the Queen, \u201cthat you could not pass this boundary. Envy\nhas been in your heart. But be not discouraged, for years you have been\nindulging in wrong feelings; and you must not wonder if it takes many\nmonths to drive them out. Go home and try once more.\u201d\n\nSo poor Marion went sadly away. And when she visited the hall again,\nthe Queen smiled, and touched her playfully with her wand. She then led\nher up the hill to the Immortal Fountain. The silver specks on the\nwings of the Rainbow Fairies shone bright as Marion approached, and the\nFairies lowered their wings and flew away.\n\nAnd now every footstep was on flowers that yielded beneath the feet\nlike a pathway of clouds. The delicious fragrance could almost be felt,\nand loud and clear and sweet came the sound of waters falling in music.\nAnd now Marion could see a cascade leaping and sparkling over crystal\nrocks. Above it rested a rainbow. The spray fell in pearls forming\ndelicate foliage around the margin of the Fountain. And deep and silent\nbelow the foam of the cascade was the Immortal Fountain of Beauty. Its\namber-coloured waves flowed over a golden bed, and many Fairies were\nbathing in its waves, the diamonds in their hair gleaming like sunbeams\non the water.\n\n\u201cOh, let me bathe in the Fountain!\u201d cried Marion, clapping her hands in\ndelight.\n\n\u201cNot yet,\u201d said the Queen. \u201cBehold the Purple Fairies with golden wands\nthat guard its brink.\u201d\n\nMarion looked, and saw Beings lovelier than any her eye had ever rested\non.\n\n\u201cYou cannot pass them yet,\u201d said the Queen. \u201cGo home. For one year\ndrive from your heart all evil feelings, not for the sake of bathing in\nthis Fountain, but because goodness is lovely and desirable for its own\nsake. Then your work is done.\u201d\n\nMarion returned home. This was the hardest task of all. For she had\nbeen willing to be good, not because it was right, but because she\nwished to be beautiful. Three times she sought the grotto, and three\ntimes she left in tears, for the golden specks on the wings of the\nPurple Fairies grew dim as she approached, and the golden wands were\nstill crossed to shut her from the Immortal Fountain.\n\nBut the fourth time the Purple Fairies lowered their wands, singing:--\n\n  \u201c_Thou hast scaled the mountain,\n  Go, bathe in the Fountain;\n    Rise fair to the sight,\n    As an angel of light;\n  Go bathe in the Fountain!_\u201d\n\nMarion, full of joy, was about to plunge in, but the Queen touched her,\nsaying:--\n\n\u201cLook in the mirror of the water. Art thou not already as beautiful as\nheart can wish?\u201d\n\nMarion looked at herself, and saw that her eyes sparkled with new\nlustre, a bright colour shone in her cheeks, her hair waved softly\nabout her face, and dimples played sweetly around her mouth.\n\n\u201cBut I have not touched the Immortal Fountain!\u201d cried she, turning in\nsurprise to the Queen.\n\n\u201cTrue,\u201d replied the Queen. \u201cBut its waters have been within your soul.\nKnow that a pure and happy heart, and gentleness toward others, are the\nonly Immortal Fountains of Beauty!\u201d\n\nMarion thanked the Queen, and joyfully returned home.\n\nRose ran to meet her, and clasped her to her bosom fervently.\n\n\u201cI know all,\u201d she said; \u201cI have been in Fairyland. Disguised as a bird,\nI have watched all your steps. When you first went to the grotto, I\nbegged the Queen to grant your wish.\u201d\n\nEver after the sisters lived lovingly together. It was the remark of\nevery one: \u201cHow handsome Marion has grown! The ugly scowl has departed\nfrom her face, her eyes are so clear and gentle, her mouth is so pretty\nand smiling. To my taste she is as handsome as Rose.\u201d\n\n                                         _Lydia Maria Child_ (_Adapted_)\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF CHILDE CHARITY\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in the west country a little girl who had\nneither father nor mother; they both died when she was very young,\nand left their daughter to the care of her uncle, who was the richest\nfarmer in all that country. He had houses and lands, flocks and herds,\nmany servants to work about his house and fields, a wife who had\nbrought him a great dowry, and two fair daughters.\n\nAll their neighbours, being poor, looked up to the family--insomuch\nthat they imagined themselves great people. The father and mother were\nas proud as peacocks; the daughters thought themselves the greatest\nbeauties in the world, and not one of the family would speak civilly to\nanybody they thought low.\n\nNow it happened that though she was their near relation, they had this\nopinion of the orphan girl, partly because she had no fortune, and\npartly because of her humble, kindly disposition. It was said that the\nmore needy and despised any creature was, the more ready was she to\nbefriend it: on which account the people of the west country called her\nChilde Charity, and if she had any other name, I never heard it.\n\nChilde Charity was thought very mean in that proud house. Her uncle\nwould not own her for his niece; her cousins would not keep her\ncompany; and her aunt sent her to work in the dairy, and to sleep in\nthe back garret, where they kept all sorts of lumber and dry herbs for\nthe winter. The servants learned the same tune, and Childe Charity had\nmore work than rest among them. All the day she scoured pails, scrubbed\ndishes, and washed crockeryware. But every night she slept in the back\ngarret as sound as a Princess could in her palace chamber.\n\nHer uncle\u2019s house was large and white, and stood among green meadows by\na river\u2019s side. In front it had a porch covered with a vine; behind, it\nhad a farmyard and high granaries. Within, there were two parlours for\nthe rich, and two kitchens for the poor, which the neighbours thought\nwonderfully grand. And one day in the harvest season, when this rich\nfarmer\u2019s corn had been all cut down and housed, he condescended so far\nas to invite his neighborhood to a harvest supper. The west country\npeople came in their holiday clothes and best behaviour. Such heaps of\ncakes and cheese, such baskets of apples and barrels of ale, had never\nbeen at feast before.\n\nThey were making merry in kitchen and parlour, when a poor old woman\ncame to the back door, begging for broken victuals and a night\u2019s\nlodging. Her clothes were coarse and ragged; her hair was scanty and\ngrey; her back was bent; her teeth were gone. She had a squinting eye,\na clubbed foot, and crooked fingers. In short, she was the poorest and\nugliest old woman that ever came begging.\n\nThe first who saw her was the kitchen-maid, and she ordered her to be\ngone for an ugly witch. The next was the herd-boy, and he threw her a\nbone over his shoulder. But Childe Charity, hearing the noise, came out\nfrom her seat at the foot of the lowest table, and asked the old woman\nto take her share of the supper, and sleep that night in her bed in the\nback garret.\n\nThe old woman sat down without a word of thanks. All the company\nlaughed at Childe Charity for giving her bed and her supper to a\nbeggar. Her proud cousins said it was just like her mean spirit, but\nChilde Charity did not mind them. She scraped the pots for her supper\nthat night and slept on a sack among the lumber, while the old woman\nrested in her warm bed.\n\nAnd next morning, before the little girl awoke, the old woman was up\nand gone, without so much as saying \u201cThank you,\u201d or \u201cGood morning.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201cCHILDE CHARITY CAME OUT AND ASKED THE OLD WOMAN TO TAKE\nHER SHARE OF THE SUPPER\u201d]\n\nThat day all the servants were sick after the feast, and mostly cross\ntoo--so you may judge how civil they were; when, at supper time, who\nshould come to the back door but the old woman, again asking for broken\nvictuals and a night\u2019s lodging.\n\nNo one would listen to her or give her a morsel, till Childe Charity\nrose from her seat at the foot of the lowest table, and kindly asked\nher to take her supper, and sleep in her bed in the back garret. Again\nthe old woman sat down without a word. Childe Charity scraped the pots\nfor her supper, and slept on the sack.\n\nIn the morning the old woman was gone; but for six nights after, as\nsure as the supper was spread, there was she at the back door, and the\nlittle girl regularly asked her in.\n\nChilde Charity\u2019s aunt said she would let her get enough of beggars. Her\ncousins made continual game of what they called her genteel visitor.\nSometimes the old woman said: \u201cChild, why don\u2019t you make this bed\nsofter? and why are your blankets so thin?\u201d but she never gave her a\nword of thanks, nor a civil good morning.\n\nAt last, on the ninth night from her first coming, when Childe Charity\nwas getting used to scrape the pots and sleep on the sack, her\naccustomed knock came at the door, and there she stood with an ugly\nashy-coloured dog, so stupid-looking and clumsy that no herd-boy would\nkeep him.\n\n\u201cGood evening, my little girl,\u201d she said when Childe Charity opened\nthe door. \u201cI will not have your supper and bed to-night--I am going on\na long journey to see a friend. But here is a dog of mine, whom nobody\nin all the west country will keep for me. He is a little cross, and not\nvery handsome; but I leave him to your care till the shortest day in\nall the year. Then you and I will count for his keeping.\u201d\n\nWhen the old woman had said the last word, she set off with such speed\nthat Childe Charity lost sight of her in a minute. The ugly dog began\nto fawn upon her, but he snarled at everybody else. The servants said\nhe was a disgrace to the house. The proud cousins wanted him drowned,\nand it was with great trouble that Childe Charity got leave to keep him\nin an old ruined cow-house.\n\nUgly and cross as the dog was, he fawned on her, and the old woman\nhad left him to her care. So the little girl gave him part of all her\nmeals, and when the hard frost came, took him privately to her own back\ngarret, because the cow-house was damp and cold in the long nights.\nThe dog lay quietly on some straw in a corner. Childe Charity slept\nsoundly, but every morning the servants would say to her:--\n\n\u201cWhat great light and fine talking was that in your back garret?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere was no light, but the moon shining in through the shutterless\nwindow, and no talk that I heard,\u201d said Childe Charity.\n\nAnd she thought they must have been dreaming. But night after night,\nwhen any of them awoke in the dark and silent hour that comes before\nthe morning, they saw a light brighter and clearer than the Christmas\nfire, and heard voices like those of lords and ladies in the back\ngarret.\n\nPartly from fear, and partly from laziness, none of the servants would\nrise to see what might be there. At length, when the winter nights\nwere at the longest, the little parlour-maid, who did least work and\ngot most favour, because she gathered news for her mistress, crept out\nof bed when all the rest were sleeping, and set herself to watch at a\ncrevice of the door.\n\nShe saw the dog lying quietly in the corner, Childe Charity sleeping\nsoundly in her bed, and the moon shining through the shutterless\nwindow. But an hour before daybreak there came a glare of lights, and\na sound of far-off bugles. The window opened, and in marched a troop\nof little men clothed in crimson and gold, and bearing every man a\ntorch, till the room looked bright as day. They marched up with great\nreverence to the dog, where he lay on the straw, and the most richly\nclothed among them said:--\n\n\u201cRoyal Prince, we have prepared the banquet hall. What will Your\nHighness please that we do next?\u201d\n\n\u201cYe have done well,\u201d said the dog. \u201cNow, prepare the feast, and see\nthat all things be in our first fashion: for the Princess and I mean to\nbring a stranger who never feasted in our halls before.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour Highness\u2019s commands shall be obeyed,\u201d said the little man, making\nanother reverence; and he and his company passed out of the window.\n\nBy and by there was another glare of lights, and a sound like far-off\nflutes. The window opened, and there came in a company of little ladies\nclad in rose-coloured velvet, and carrying each a crystal lamp. They\nalso walked with great reverence up to the dog, and the gayest among\nthem said:--\n\n\u201cRoyal Prince, we have prepared the tapestry. What will Your Highness\nplease that we do next?\u201d\n\n\u201cYe have done well,\u201d said the dog. \u201cNow, prepare the robes, and let all\nthings be in our first fashion: for the Princess and I will bring with\nus a stranger who never feasted in our halls before.\u201d\n\n\u201cYour Highness\u2019s commands shall be obeyed,\u201d said the little lady,\nmaking a low curtsy; and she and her company passed out through the\nwindow, which closed quietly behind them.\n\nThe dog stretched himself out upon the straw, the little girl turned in\nher sleep, and the moon shone in on the back garret.\n\nThe parlour-maid was so much amazed, and so eager to tell this great\nstory to her mistress, that she could not close her eyes that night,\nand was up before cock-crow. But when she told it, her mistress called\nher a silly wench to have such foolish dreams, and scolded her so that\nthe parlour-maid durst not mention what she had seen to the servants.\n\nNevertheless Childe Charity\u2019s aunt thought there might be something in\nit worth knowing; so next night, when all the house were asleep, she\ncrept out of bed, and set herself to watch at the back garret door.\n\nThere she saw exactly what the maid told her--the little men with the\ntorches, and the little ladies with the crystal lamps, come in making\ngreat reverence to the dog, and the same words pass, only he said to\nthe one, \u201cNow prepare the presents,\u201d and to the other, \u201cPrepare the\njewels.\u201d\n\nAnd when they were gone the dog stretched himself on the straw, Childe\nCharity turned in her sleep, and the moon shone in on the back garret.\n\nThe mistress could not close her eyes any more than the maid from\neagerness to tell the story. She woke up Childe Charity\u2019s rich uncle\nbefore cock-crow. But when he heard it, he laughed at her for a foolish\nwoman, and advised her not to repeat the like before the neighbours,\nlest they should think she had lost her senses.\n\nThe mistress could say no more, and the day passed. But that night the\nmaster thought he would like to see what went on in the back garret: so\nwhen all the house were asleep, he slipped out of bed, and set himself\nto watch at the crevice in the door.\n\nThe same thing happened again that the maid and the mistress saw: the\nlittle men in crimson with their torches, and the little ladies in\nrose-coloured velvet with their lamps, came in at the window, and made\nan humble reverence to the ugly dog, the one saying, \u201cRoyal Prince,\nwe have prepared the presents,\u201d and the other, \u201cRoyal Prince, we have\nprepared the jewels.\u201d\n\nAnd the dog said to them all: \u201cYe have done well. To-morrow come and\nmeet me and the Princess with horses and chariots, and let all things\nbe in our first fashion: for we will bring a stranger from this house\nwho has never travelled with us, nor feasted in our halls before.\u201d\n\nThe little men and the little ladies said: \u201cYour Highness\u2019s commands\nshall be obeyed.\u201d\n\nWhen they had gone out through the window the ugly dog stretched\nhimself out on the straw, Childe Charity turned in her sleep, and the\nmoon shone in on the back garret.\n\nThe master could not close his eyes any more than the maid or the\nmistress, for thinking of this strange sight. He remembered to have\nheard his grandfather say, that somewhere near his meadows there lay\na path leading to the Fairies\u2019 country, and the haymakers used to see\nit shining through the grey Summer morning as the Fairy bands went\nhome. Nobody had heard or seen the like for many years; but the master\nconcluded that the doings in his back garret must be a Fairy business,\nand the ugly dog a person of great account. His chief wonder was,\nhowever, what visitor the Fairies intended to take from his house;\nand after thinking the matter over he was sure it must be one of his\ndaughters--they were so handsome, and had such fine clothes.\n\nAccordingly, Childe Charity\u2019s rich uncle made it his first business\nthat morning to get ready a breakfast of roast mutton for the ugly dog,\nand carry it to him in the old cow-house. But not a morsel would the\ndog taste. On the contrary, he snarled at the master, and would have\nbitten him if he had not run away with his mutton.\n\n\u201cThe Fairies have strange ways,\u201d said the master to himself. But he\ncalled his daughters privately, bidding them dress themselves in their\nbest, for he could not say which of them might be called into great\ncompany before nightfall.\n\nChilde Charity\u2019s proud cousins, hearing this, put on the richest of\ntheir silks and laces, and strutted like peacocks from kitchen to\nparlour all day, waiting for the call their father spoke of, while the\nlittle girl scoured and scrubbed in the dairy.\n\nThey were in very bad humour when night fell, and nobody had come.\nBut just as the family were sitting down to supper the ugly dog began\nto bark, and the old woman\u2019s knock was heard at the back door. Childe\nCharity opened it, and was going to offer her bed and supper as usual,\nwhen the old woman said:--\n\n\u201cThis is the shortest day in all the year, and I am going home to hold\na feast after my travels. I see you have taken good care of my dog, and\nnow if you will come with me to my house, he and I will do our best to\nentertain you. Here is our company.\u201d\n\nAs the old woman spoke there was a sound of far-off flutes and bugles,\nthen a glare of lights; and a great company, clad so grandly that\nthey shone with gold and jewels, came in open chariots, covered with\ngilding, and drawn by snow-white horses.\n\nThe first and finest of the chariots was empty. The old woman led\nChilde Charity to it by the hand, and the ugly dog jumped in before\nher. The proud cousins, in all their finery, had by this time come to\nthe door, but nobody wanted them. And no sooner was the old woman and\nher dog within the chariot than a marvellous change passed over them,\nfor the ugly old woman turned at once to a beautiful young Princess,\nwith long yellow curls and a robe of green and gold, while the ugly dog\nat her side started up a fair young Prince, with nut-brown hair, and a\nrobe of purple and silver.\n\n\u201cWe are,\u201d said they, as the chariots drove on, and the little girl sat\nastonished, \u201ca Prince and Princess of Fairyland, and there was a wager\nbetween us whether or not there were good people still to be found\nin these false and greedy times. One said \u2018Yes,\u2019 and the other said\n\u2018No\u2019; and I have lost,\u201d said the Prince, \u201cand must pay the feast and\npresents.\u201d\n\nSome of the farmer\u2019s household, who were looking after them through the\nmoonlight night, said the chariots had gone one way across the meadows,\nsome said they had gone another, and till this day they cannot agree\nupon the direction.\n\nBut Childe Charity went with that noble company into a country such\nas she had never seen--for Primroses covered all the ground, and the\nlight was always like that of a Summer evening. They took her to a\nroyal palace, where there was nothing but feasting and dancing for\nseven days. She had robes of pale green velvet to wear, and slept in a\nchamber inlaid with ivory.\n\nWhen the feast was done, the Prince and Princess gave her such heaps\nof gold and jewels that she could not carry them, but they gave her a\nchariot to go home in, drawn by six white horses. And on the seventh\nnight, which happened to be Christmas time, when the farmer\u2019s family\nhad settled in their own minds that she would never come back, and were\nsitting down to supper, they heard the sound of her coachman\u2019s bugle,\nand saw her alight with all the jewels and gold at the very back door\nwhere she had brought in the ugly old woman.\n\nThe Fairy chariot drove away, and never came back to that farmhouse\nafter. But Childe Charity scrubbed and scoured no more, for she grew a\ngreat lady, even in the eyes of her proud cousins.\n\n                                                        _Frances Browne_\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHINING CHILD AND THE WICKED MOUCHE\n\n\nHOW THE RICH COUSINS CAME\n\nOnce upon a time a noble but poor Count lived in the lovely land of\nAlsace. He dwelt in a charming little house on a hill. All around the\nhouse the graceful trees stretched out their leafy branches like arms,\nas if they were saying: \u201cWelcome! Welcome among us!\u201d Not far from the\nhouse was a thick green wood filled with birds and flowers and scented\ngrasses. The good Count did not live alone in this delightful spot; no\nindeed, his wife and his two children, Fanchon and Frederic, lived with\nhim, happy and contented.\n\nNow, one Summer the news arrived that a wealthy and distinguished\nnobleman, cousin of the Count, was coming the next day, with his\nfamily, to call upon his poor relatives.\n\nThe following morning the Countess got up very early, and baked a cake\ninto which she put more almonds and raisins than she ever put into her\nEaster cakes, so that its delicious fragrance filled the house. The\nCount dusted and brushed his old green waistcoat; while Fanchon and\nFrederic, dressed in their best clothes, sat waiting for the guests to\ncome.\n\n\u201cYou must not run about in the wood, as you usually do,\u201d said the Count\nto them, \u201cbut sit very still so that you will look clean and neat when\nyour cousins arrive.\u201d\n\nSo the poor children were forced to stay in the house. The morning sun\nwas peeping bright and smiling from behind a cloud, and was darting his\nrays in at the window. Out in the wood the breeze was blowing sweet\nand fresh, and the robins, the thrushes, the goldfinches, and the\nnightingales, were all warbling their loveliest songs. Poor Fanchon sat\nstill and listened, sometimes smoothing the bow on her pink sash, and\nsometimes knitting a bit, and all the while longing to run away to the\nwood. As for Frederic, he was looking at a picture book, but he kept\njumping up every minute to gaze out at the window; for the big house\ndog Pepin was barking and bounding before the window, as if to say:\n\u201cAren\u2019t you coming out? What in the world are you doing in that stuffy\nroom?\u201d\n\nAnd so Fanchon and Frederic had to remain in the house; and this was\nall the more painful, because the company-cake, which was on the table,\ngave out the most delicious spicy odours, yet might not be cut until\nthe cousins came. \u201cOh! that they would only come!--would only come!\u201d\nthe children cried, and almost wept with impatience.\n\nAt last the loud tramping of horses was heard, and the rumble of\nwheels, then a carriage approached, so brilliant and so covered with\ngolden ornaments that the children were amazed, for they had never seen\nanything like it. The carriage stopped before the house, and a very\ntall, thin gentleman glided out with the help of a footman, and fell\ninto the arms of the Count, to whose cheek he gently pressed his lips.\nThen the footman aided a stout, red-faced woman to alight, while two\nchildren, a boy and a girl, stepped languidly down after her.\n\nWhen they were all safely in the house, Fanchon and Frederic came\nforward and curtsied politely, as their father had told them to do.\nThen each seized a hand of the tall gentleman, saying: \u201cWe are glad you\nare come, noble Cousin!\u201d After which they permitted the red-faced lady\nto embrace them; then they went up to the children, but stood before\nthem silent and amazed. Indeed, these rich children were wonderfully\ndressed! The boy wore a little jacket of scarlet cloth, embroidered\nwith gold and ornamented with gold tassels. A bright little sword hung\nat his side. On his head was a curious red cap with a white feather,\nfrom under which peeped his yellow face and bleared eyes.\n\nThe little girl had on a white dress all ribbons, lace, and bows, and\nher hair was frizzled and curled into a knot, on top of which was a\nshining coronet. Fanchon plucked up courage, and was going to take the\nlittle girl\u2019s hand, but she snatched it away in such a hurry and looked\nso tearful and angry, that Fanchon was frightened and let her alone.\n\nFrederic wished to have a closer look at the boy\u2019s sword, and put out\nhis hand to touch it, when the youngster began to shout and cry: \u201cMy\nsword! My sword! He is going to take my sword!\u201d and ran to his father\nand hid behind him.\n\nAfter that Fanchon and Frederic stood back quietly, while their mother\ncut the cake, and the older people talked. The two rich children sat\nmunching dry crackers, for their parents said that cake was not good\nfor them. But Fanchon and Frederic each had a large slice, which their\ndear mother gave them.\n\nAfter they had finished eating, the guests arose to say good-bye,\nand the glittering carriage was driven to the door. The footman took\nfrom it two large bandboxes. These, the rich children handed with\ncondescending pride, to Fanchon and Frederic. And just as the guests\nwere about to take their leave, the dog Pepin, Frederic\u2019s faithful\nfriend and darling, came dancing and barking around them. The rich\nchildren screamed, and had to be lifted, kicking with fright, into the\ncarriage, which immediately drove away.\n\nSo ended the visit of these wealthy, distinguished, and noble cousins.\n\n\nTHE NEW PLAYTHINGS\n\nAfter the carriage containing the wealthy cousins had rolled down the\nhill, the Count threw off his green waistcoat, and put on his loose\njacket, and ran his fingers through his hair. The children, too,\nquickly got out of their best clothes, and felt light and happy.\n\n\u201cTo the wood! To the wood!\u201d shouted Frederic, jumping as high as he\ncould for joy.\n\n\u201cBut don\u2019t you wish to see what is in these handsome bandboxes your\ncousins gave you?\u201d asked his mother.\n\nAnd Fanchon, who had been gazing at the bandboxes with longing eyes,\ncried out: \u201cCan\u2019t we open them first, and go to the wood afterward?\u201d\n\nBut Frederic was hard to convince. \u201cSurely that stupid boy could not\nhave brought anything worth while,\u201d said he scornfully, \u201cnor his\nribbony sister! He talked so boldly about bears and lions, but when my\ndear Pepin barked, he forgot his sword and hid under the table! A brave\nsportsman he!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, dear, good brother!\u201d cried Fanchon, \u201cjust let us take one peep at\nwhat is in the boxes!\u201d\n\nSo Frederic, who always did what he could to please his sister, gave\nup the idea of being off to the wood at once, and sat down patiently\nbeside the table where the bandboxes were.\n\nThe mother opened them--and then--oh, my dear readers, if you could\nhave seen what lay within! The loveliest toys were in those boxes! and\ncandies, and sweet cakes, and nuts! The children clapped their hands\nagain and again, crying: \u201cOh, how nice! Oh, how delicious!\u201d\n\nThey took them all out of the boxes, and piled them on the table. None\nof the toys caused Frederic such satisfaction as did a little hunter\nwho, when a string that stuck out from his jacket was pulled, put a\ngun to his shoulder, and fired at a target. Next to him in Frederic\u2019s\naffections, was a little fellow who bowed, and twanged on a harp,\nwhenever Frederic turned a tiny handle. And, what pleased him nearly as\nmuch, was a shotgun of wood and a hunting pouch and belt.\n\nFanchon was equally delighted with a beautiful doll, a trunk filled\nwith doll\u2019s dresses, tiny shoes, hats, and other lovely clothes, and a\nset of charming doll\u2019s furniture.\n\nThe two children forgot all about the wood, and enjoyed themselves\nwith their playthings until quite late in the evening. They then went\nto bed and slept soundly.\n\n\nWHAT HAPPENED TO THE PLAYTHINGS IN THE WOOD\n\nThe next morning, the children got their boxes and took out the\nplaythings, and began to play. Then, just as on the day before, the sun\nshone brightly in at the window, the trees rustled in the breeze, and\nthe birds sang their loveliest songs. At last Frederic cried out:--\n\n\u201cWhy do we sit here in this stuffy room? I\u2019ll tell you what we\u2019ll do!\nCome, Fanchon, let us be off to the wood!\u201d\n\nFanchon had just undressed her doll, and was going to put it to bed.\n\u201cWhy can\u2019t we stay here?\u201d she begged, \u201cand play a little longer,\nFrederic?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what we\u2019ll do,\u201d he replied. \u201cWe\u2019ll take our toys out to\nthe wood. I\u2019ll put on my pouch and belt, and carry my gun. I\u2019ll be a\nreal sportsman! The hunter and the harper may come, too. And you may\ntake your doll. Come along! Let\u2019s be off!\u201d\n\nFanchon hastened to dress her doll, then they both ran out of the\nhouse, and off to the wood. There they sat down on a nice grassy spot.\nAnd after they had played a while, Fanchon said:--\n\n\u201cDo you know, Frederic, that harper of yours does not play very well.\nJust listen how funny his harp sounds out here in the wood--with that\neternal _ting! ting! ping! ping!_\u201d\n\nFrederic turned the handle more violently. \u201cYou\u2019re right, Fanchon,\u201d\nsaid he. \u201cWhat the little fellow plays sounds quite horrible. He must\nmake a better job of it!\u201d\n\nAnd with that he unscrewed the handle with such force, that--_crack!\ncrack!_--the box on which the harper stood flew into a thousand\nsplinters, and the arms of the little fellow were broken and hung\nuseless at his sides.\n\n\u201cOh! Oh!\u201d cried Frederic.\n\n\u201cAh, the poor little harper!\u201d sighed Fanchon.\n\n\u201cWell, he was a stupid creature!\u201d said Frederic. \u201cHe played very poor\nmusic, and bowed, and made faces like our yellow-faced cousin who gave\nhim to us.\u201d And as Frederic spoke, he threw the harper into a thicket.\n\n\u201cWhat I like, is my hunter,\u201d he continued. \u201cHe hits the bull\u2019s eye\nevery time he fires.\u201d And with that Frederic jerked the string so\nviolently that--_twang! twang!_--the target was broken and the little\nman\u2019s arms hung limp and motionless.\n\n\u201cAh! Ah!\u201d cried Frederic. \u201cYou could shoot at your target in-doors, but\nout here, you can\u2019t shoot at all!\u201d And so saying, Frederic, with all\nhis might, shied the hunter after the harper into the thicket.\n\n\u201cCome, let us run about a bit,\u201d said he to Fanchon.\n\n\u201cAh, yes! let us,\u201d said she. \u201cThis lovely doll of mine shall run with\nus. It will be great fun!\u201d\n\nSo Fanchon and Frederic took each an arm of the doll, and off they ran\nthrough the bushes, on and on, until they came to a small lake. There\nthey stopped, and Frederic said:--\n\n\u201cSuppose we wait a minute. I have a gun now, and perhaps I may hit a\nduck among the rushes.\u201d\n\nAt that moment, Fanchon screamed out: \u201cOh! just look at my doll! What\u2019s\nthe matter with her?\u201d\n\nIndeed, the poor thing was in a miserable condition. Neither Fanchon\nnor Frederic had been paying any attention to her, and the bushes had\ntorn all the clothes off her back; both her legs were broken; while\nher pretty waxen face was covered with so many scratches that it was\nhideous to look at.\n\n\u201cOh! my beautiful, beautiful child!\u201d sobbed Fanchon.\n\n\u201cThere, you see what a stupid creature that doll of yours is!\u201d cried\nFrederic. \u201cShe can\u2019t even take a little run, but she must tear and\nspoil her clothes! Give her to me!\u201d\n\nAnd before Fanchon could say a word, or cry: \u201cOh! Oh!\u201d Frederic\nsnatched the doll, and flung her into the lake.\n\n\u201cNever mind, Fanchon!\u201d said he consolingly. \u201cNever mind, if I can shoot\na duck, you shall have the most beautiful wing-feathers.\u201d\n\nJust then a noise was heard among the rushes, and Frederic instantly\ntook aim with his wooden gun. But he dropped it quickly from his\nshoulder, saying:--\n\n\u201cAm I not an idiot! How can a fellow shoot a duck without powder and\nshot? What\u2019s the use of this stupid wooden thing, anyway?\u201d With that he\nflung the gun and his pouch and belt into the lake.\n\nBut poor Fanchon was weeping at the loss of her doll, and Frederic was\nannoyed at the way things had turned out, so they both crept back sadly\nto the house. And when their mother asked them what had become of the\nplaythings, Frederic truthfully related how they had been deceived by\nthe harper, the hunter, the doll, and all.\n\n\u201cAh! you foolish children!\u201d cried their mother half in anger, \u201cyou do\nnot deserve to have nice toys!\u201d\n\nBut the Count, who had been listening to Frederic\u2019s tale, said: \u201cLet\nthe children alone. I am really glad that they are fairly rid of those\nplaythings. There was something queer about them.\u201d\n\nBut neither the children nor their mother understood what the Count\nmeant.\n\n\nTHE STRANGER CHILD\n\nSoon after these events very early one morning Fanchon and Frederic ran\noff to the wood. They were feeling sad, for their mother had told them\nthat they must return home soon to study, so as to be ready for the\ntutor that their rich cousin had promised to send them. For the tutor\nwas expected shortly.\n\n\u201cLet us run and jump as much as we can now,\u201d said Frederic, when they\nreached the wood, \u201cfor in a little while we shall not be allowed to\nstay out here at all!\u201d\n\nSo they began to play hide-and-seek, but everything went wrong. The\nwind carried Frederic\u2019s hat into the bushes. He stumbled and fell\non his nose as he was running. Fanchon found herself hanging by her\nclothes on a thorn-tree, and she banged her foot against a sharp\nstone so that she shrieked with pain. In fact the children could not\nunderstand what was the matter with them on this particular day;\nand they gave up their game, and slunk dejectedly through the wood.\nFrederic threw himself down under a shady tree, and Fanchon followed\nhis example. And there the two children lay gloomy and wretched, gazing\non the ground.\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said Fanchon, \u201cif we only had our playthings!\u201d\n\n\u201cNonsense!\u201d said Frederic, \u201cwhat should we do with them? I\u2019ll tell you\nwhat it is, Fanchon, Mother is right, I suspect. The toys were good\nenough, but we didn\u2019t know how to play with them. If we were as learned\nas our rich cousins, we should be so wise that all our toys would now\nbe whole; and we should know how to play with them rightly.\u201d\n\nAnd at that Fanchon began to sob and cry bitterly, and Frederic joined\nher; and they both howled and lamented until the wood rang again and\nagain: \u201cOh! poor, unfortunate children that we are! Oh! that we were as\nwise as our cousins!\u201d\n\nBut suddenly they both stopped crying, and asked each other in\namazement:--\n\n\u201cDo you hear anything, Fanchon?\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you hear anything, Frederic?\u201d\n\nFor out of the deepest shade of the dark thicket in front of the\nchildren, a wonderful brightness began to shine, playing like moonlight\nover the leaves that trembled as if in joy. Then through the whispering\ntrees came a sweet musical note, like the sound of a harp. The children\nlay motionless with awe. All their sorrow passed away from them, and\ntender, happy tears rose into their eyes.\n\nAs the radiance streamed brighter and brighter through the bushes, and\nthe marvellous music grew louder and louder, the children\u2019s hearts beat\nhigh. They gazed eagerly at the brightness. Then they saw, smiling at\nthem from the thicket, the most beautiful face of a child, with the sun\nbeaming on it in splendour.\n\n\u201cOh! come to us!--Come to us!--darling Shining Child!\u201d cried Fanchon\nand Frederic, stretching out their arms; and their hearts were filled\nwith an indescribable longing.\n\n\u201cI am coming! I am coming!\u201d a sweet voice cried from the bushes.\n\nAnd then, as if borne on the wings of the breeze, the Stranger Child\nseemed to float hovering toward Fanchon and Frederic.\n\n\nHOW THE SHINING CHILD PLAYED WITH FANCHON AND FREDERIC\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter, dear children?\u201d asked the Stranger Child. \u201cI heard\nyou crying and lamenting, and I was very sorry for you! What do you\nwant?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh!\u201d said Frederic, \u201cwe did not know what we wanted; but now I see\nthat we wanted _you_--just you yourself!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d chimed in Fanchon. \u201cNow that you are with us, we are happy\nagain! Why were you so long in coming?\u201d\n\nIn fact both children felt as if they had known and played with the\nStranger Child all their lives, and that their unhappiness had been\nbecause their beloved playmate was not with them.\n\n\u201cYou see,\u201d Frederic added, \u201cwe have no toys left, for I, like a stupid\ndolt, broke all our fine things, and shied them into the thicket.\u201d\n\nAt this the Stranger Child laughed merrily, and cried: \u201cWhy, Fanchon\nand Frederic, you are lying this minute among the loveliest playthings\nthat ever were seen!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere?--Where are they?\u201d Fanchon and Frederic both cried.\n\n\u201cLook around you,\u201d said the Stranger Child.\n\nThen Fanchon and Frederic saw how out of the thick grass and moss all\nsorts of glorious flowers were peeping, with bright eyes gleaming.\nAnd between them many coloured stones and crystal shells sparkled and\nshone. While little golden insects danced up and down humming gentle\nsongs.\n\n\u201cNow we will build a palace!\u201d said the Stranger Child. \u201cHelp me to get\nthe stones together.\u201d And it stooped down and began to pick up stones\nof many pretty colours.\n\nFanchon and Frederic helped, and the Stranger Child placed the\nbeautiful stones one upon another, and soon there rose tall pillars\nshining in the sun, while an airy golden roof stretched itself from\npillar to pillar. Then the Stranger Child kissed the flowers that were\npeeping from the grass, and whispered to them lovingly, and they shot\nup higher and higher, and, twining together, formed sweet-scented\narbours and covered walks in which the children danced about, full of\ndelight and gladness.\n\nThe Stranger Child clapped its hands, and immediately the golden roof,\nthat was made of insects\u2019 golden wings, fell to pieces with a hum, and\nthe pillars melted away into a splashing silver stream, on whose banks\nflowers grew and peeped into the water.\n\nThen the Stranger Child plucked little blades of grass and gathered\ntwigs from trees, strewing them on the ground before Fanchon and\nFrederic. The blades of grass turned into the prettiest little live\ndolls ever seen, and the twigs became gay little huntsmen.\n\nThe dolls danced around Fanchon, and let her take them in her lap, and\nthey whispered in such delicate little voices: \u201cBe kind to us! Love us,\ndear Fanchon.\u201d\n\nThe huntsmen shouted: \u201cHalloa! Halloa! the hunt\u2019s up!\u201d and blew their\nhorns, and bustled about. Then tiny hares came darting out of the\nbushes, with tiny dogs after them, and the huntsmen pursued them with\nshouts. This was delightful!\n\nThen suddenly these wonders disappeared. And Fanchon and Frederic cried\nout: \u201cWhat has become of the dolls? Where are the huntsmen?\u201d\n\nThe Stranger Child answered: \u201cOh, they are always here waiting for you!\nThey are close beside you, so you may have them at any minute. But just\nnow would you not rather go with me through the wood?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes! yes!\u201d cried Fanchon and Frederic.\n\nThe Stranger Child took hold of their hands, crying: \u201cCome! Come!\u201d\n\nAnd with that off they went! The children felt themselves floating\nalong lightly and easily, through the trees; while all the birds flew\nfluttering beside them, singing and warbling their sweetest songs. Then\nsuddenly up they soared into the air. Higher and higher they mounted\nlike birds, skimming above the tops of the trees. Frederic shouted with\ndelight, but Fanchon was frightened.\n\n\u201cOh, my breath is going! I shall tumble!\u201d she cried.\n\nAnd just at that moment the Stranger Child let them down gently to the\nground, and said: \u201cNow I shall sound my Forest-Song. Then good-bye for\nto-day.\u201d\n\nAnd the Stranger Child took out a little horn of wreathed gold,\nand began to sound it so beautifully that the whole wood re\u00ebchoed\nwondrously with its lovely music; while a host of nightingales came\nflocking to the branches above the children\u2019s heads, and sang their\nmost melodious songs.\n\nBut all at once the music grew fainter and fainter, and only a soft\nwhispering seemed to come from the thicket into which the Stranger\nChild had vanished.\n\n\u201cTo-morrow! To-morrow! I will come again!\u201d the children heard breathed\ngently as if from a distance. Then they sighed with joy, for, though\nthey could not understand it, never had they known such happiness in\nall their lives.\n\n\u201cOh! I wish it was to-morrow, now!\u201d they both cried, as they hastened\nhome to their parents.\n\n\nHOW THE FOREST TALKED TO FANCHON AND FREDERIC\n\n\u201cI should fancy that the children had dreamed all this,\u201d said the Count\nto his wife, when Fanchon and Frederic, who could think of nothing else\nbut the Stranger Child, and the wonderful events, and the exquisite\nmusic, had told all that had happened. \u201cI should fancy that they had\ndreamed all this, if they had not both seen the same things! I cannot\nget to the bottom of it all!\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t bother your head about it, my dear,\u201d answered his wife. \u201cI think\nthis Stranger Child was nobody but the schoolmaster\u2019s son from the\nvillage. We must take care that he is not allowed to put any more such\nnonsense into the children\u2019s heads.\u201d\n\nBut the Count could not agree with her, for he called the children\nto him again, to tell how the Stranger Child was dressed and looked.\nFanchon and Frederic both agreed that its face was fair as lilies, that\nit had cheeks like roses, cherry lips, bright blue eyes, and locks of\ngold; and that it was more beautiful than words could tell.\n\nBut what they said about its dress sounded absurd. For Fanchon said\nthat its dress was wondrous beautiful, shining and gleaming, as if made\nof the petals of flowers; while Frederic insisted that its garments\nwere of sparkling golden-green, like spring-leaves in the sunshine.\n\nAnd Frederic thought that the Stranger Child was a boy; while Fanchon\nwas sure that it was a girl. And these contradictions confused their\nparents; and the Count shook his head wonderingly.\n\nThe next day, Fanchon and Frederic hastened to the wood, and found the\nStranger Child waiting for them. If their play had been glorious the\nday before, it was ten times more glorious to-day; for the Stranger\nChild did such marvellous things that Fanchon and Frederic shouted for\njoy.\n\nWhile they played, the Stranger Child talked sweetly to the trees,\nflowers, and birds, and to the brook that ran through the wood; and\nthey all answered so clearly that Fanchon and Frederic understood\neverything they said.\n\n\u201cDear children!\u201d cried the Alder-thicket, \u201cwhy were you not here early,\nwhen my friend the Morning Breeze came rustling over the blue hills,\nand brought us thousands of greetings and kisses from the Golden Queen\nof the Dawn, and plenty of wing-waftings full of sweet perfumes!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh silence!\u201d the flowers broke in. \u201cDo not mention that robber, the\nMorning Breeze! Does he not steal our perfumes! Never mind the Alders,\nchildren, let them lisp and whisper. Listen to us! We love you so! We\ndress ourselves in the loveliest colours just for you!\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd do we not love _you_, you beautiful flowers!\u201d said the Stranger\nChild tenderly.\n\nBut Fanchon knelt down on the grass, and stretched out her arms, as if\nshe would take all the bright flowers to her heart, and cried: \u201cAh! I\nlove you! I love you every one!\u201d\n\nThen came a sighing out of the tall dark firtrees, and they said: \u201cWe\nshade the flowers from the hot sun, and shelter human children when the\nstorm comes rushing through the woods, but who loves us in return?\u201d\n\n\u201cGroan and sigh,\u201d cried Frederic, \u201cand murmur as much as you like, you\ngreen giants that you are! It is then that the real woodsman\u2019s heart\nrejoices in you! I love all, the green bushes, the flowers, and you\ntrees!\u201d\n\n\u201cYou are quite right!\u201d splashed the brook as it sparkled over its\nstones. \u201cCome sit down among this moss, dear children, and listen to\nme. I come from afar; out of a deep, cool, dark rock I gush. Look\ninto my waves, and I will show you the loveliest pictures in my clear\nmirror, the blue of the sky, the fleecy clouds, bushes, trees, and\nblossoms; and your very selves, dear children, I draw tenderly into my\ntransparent bosom!\u201d\n\n\u201cFanchon and Frederic,\u201d said the Stranger Child, looking around with\nwondrous blissfulness. \u201cOnly listen how they all love us! But the\nredness of evening is rising behind the hills, and the nightingale is\ncalling me home!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, but first let us fly a little, as we did yesterday!\u201d begged\nFrederic.\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Fanchon, \u201cbut not quite so high. It makes my head giddy.\u201d\n\nThen the Stranger Child took them each by the hand again, and they went\nsoaring up into the golden purple of the evening sky, while the birds\ncrowded and sang around them.\n\nAmong the shining clouds, Frederic saw, as if in wavering flame,\nbeautiful castles all of rubies and other precious stones.\n\n\u201cLook! Look! Fanchon!\u201d he cried, full of rapture. \u201cLook at those\nsplendid palaces! Let us fly along as fast as we can, and we shall soon\nget to them.\u201d\n\nFanchon, too, saw the castles, and forgot her fear, and kept looking\nupward.\n\n\u201cThose are my beloved castles-in-the-air,\u201d the Stranger Child said.\n\u201cBut we must go no farther to-day!\u201d\n\nFanchon and Frederic seemed to be in a dream, and could not make out\nhow they suddenly came to find themselves with their father and mother.\n\n\nTHE PALACE OF THE FAIRY QUEEN\n\nIt was the next day. In the most beautiful part of the wood beside\nthe brook, between whispering bushes, the Stranger Child had set up a\nglorious tent made of tall slender lilies, glowing roses, and tulips of\nevery hue. And beneath this tent, Fanchon and Frederic were seated with\nthe Stranger Child, listening to the forest brook as it whirled, and\nrippled, and sang its wonderful stories.\n\n\u201cTell us,\u201d said Fanchon, \u201cdarling Shining Child, where your home is,\nand all about your father and mother.\u201d\n\nThe Stranger Child looked sorrowfully at the sky. \u201cAh, my dear,\u201d it\nsaid with a sigh, \u201cis it not enough that I come to you each day? Why\nmust you then ask about my home? Though you were to travel day after\nday, forever and ever, even to beyond the utmost range of the purple\nhills, you could not reach it!\u201d\n\n\u201cAh me!\u201d sighed Fanchon. \u201cThen you must live hundreds and hundreds of\nmiles away from us! Is it only on a visit that you are here?\u201d\n\n\u201cFanchon, beloved,\u201d said the Stranger Child, \u201cwhenever you long for me\nwith all your heart, I am with you immediately, bringing you all those\nplays and wonders. Is that not as good as being in my home?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot at all,\u201d said Frederic, \u201cfor I believe that you live in a most\nglorious place. I do not care how hard the road is to your home, I mean\nto set out this minute for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd so you shall!\u201d said the Stranger Child smiling; \u201cfor when you see\nall this so clearly before you, and make up your mind to be there, it\nis as good as done! The land where I live, in truth, is so beautiful\nand glorious that I can give you no description of it. It is my mother\nwho reigns over that land,--all glory and loveliness--as Queen.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh! you are a Prince!\u201d cried Frederic.\n\n\u201cAh! you are a Princess!\u201d cried Fanchon.\n\n\u201cI certainly am,\u201d said the Stranger Child. \u201cMy mother\u2019s palace is far\nmore beautiful than those glittering castles you saw in the evening\nclouds. For the gleaming pillars of her palace are of the purest\ncrystal, and they soar slender and tall into the blue of heaven. Upon\nthem rests a great, wide blue canopy. Beneath the canopy sail the\nshining white clouds, hither and thither on golden wings. And the red\nof the evening and the morning rises and falls, and the sparkling stars\ndance in a singing circle around her palace.\n\n\u201cYou have heard of the Fairies who can bring about great wonders. My\nmother is Queen of the Fairies. Very often she holds a feast for little\nchildren. It is then that the Elves, belonging to my mother\u2019s Kingdom,\nfly through the air weaving shining rainbows from one end of her palace\nto the other. Under these rainbows they build my mother\u2019s diamond\nthrone,--that in appearance and perfume is like lilies, roses, and\ncarnations.\n\n\u201cMy mother takes her place upon the throne, and the Elves sing, and\nplay on golden harps. As soon as their music begins, everything in the\npalace and in the woods and gardens, moves and sings. And all around\nthere are thousands of beautiful little children in charming dresses,\nshouting with delight.\n\n\u201cThe children chase each other among the golden trees, and throw\nblossoms at each other. They climb the trees where the wind swings and\nrocks them. They gather gold-glittering fruit, and they play with tame\ndeer and other gentle wild creatures, that come bounding up to them\nand lick their hands. Then the children run up and down the rainbows;\nor they ride on the backs of great Purple Birds that fly up among the\ngleaming clouds.\n\n\u201cHow delightful that must be!\u201d cried Fanchon and Frederic, with\nrapture. \u201cOh! take us with you to your home, beautiful Shining Child!\nWe want to stay there always!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat may not be,\u201d said the Stranger Child.\n\nAnd Fanchon and Frederic cast down their eyes sadly to the ground.\n\n\nTHE WICKED MOUCHE\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said the Stranger Child, \u201cyou might not be so happy at my\nmother\u2019s Court. Indeed, it would be a great misfortune for you to try\nto go to her Kingdom. There are many children who cannot bear the\nsinging of the Purple Birds, and, if they hear their songs, they die.\nThen too, destruction might overtake you before you could reach my\nmother\u2019s Court. Even I am not safe on my way thither.\n\n\u201cThere was a time when I was safe anywhere. But now a bitter enemy of\nmy mother, whom she banished from her Kingdom, goes raging about the\nworld; and I cannot be safe from being watched, pursued, and molested.\nPowerless as this bitter enemy is when I am at home, nothing can\nprotect me from him, when I am flying abroad.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat sort of a hateful creature is it,\u201d asked Fanchon, \u201cthat can do\nyou so much harm?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have told you,\u201d said the Stranger Child, \u201cthat my mother is the\nFairy Queen. Among her many Elves are some who hover in the sky, or\ndwell in the waters, and others who serve at the Fairy Court. Once, a\nlong while ago, there came among those that served at Court, a stranger\nwho called himself Papillon. He said that he was learned in all the\nsciences of the world, and could accomplish great things among us. My\nmother made him prime minister.\n\n\u201cPapillon soon showed his natural spite and wickedness. He pretended to\nthe Queen that he loved children and could make them very happy. But\ninstead of doing so, he hung himself like a weight of lead on the tails\nof the Purple Birds, so that they could not fly aloft. And when the\nchildren climbed the rose-trees, he dragged them down by the legs. Then\nhe knocked their noses on the ground, and made them bleed. When the\nchildren sang, he crammed all sorts of nasty stuff down their throats;\nfor sweet and happy singing he could not abide. And worst of all, he\nhad a way of smearing the sparkling precious stones of the palace, and\nthe lilies and roses, and even the shining rainbows, with a horrible\nblack juice, so that everything beautiful became sorrowful or dead.\n\n\u201cAnd when he had done all this, he gave a loud hissing laugh, and said\nthat everything was now as he wished it to be. Then, shouting that he\nwas greater than my mother, he went flying up into the air, in the\nshape of an enormous fly with flashing eyes, and a long snout. After\nwhich he went humming and buzzing around my mother\u2019s throne, in a most\nabominable fashion.\n\n\u201cWhen the Queen my mother and her Elves saw this, they knew that he had\ncome among them under a false name, and that he was none other than\nMouche, the gloomy King of the Gnomes. The entire Fairy Court thereupon\nrushed against him beating him with their wings, while the Purple Birds\nseized him with their glittering beaks and gripped him so tightly\nthat he screamed with agony and rage. After which the birds shook him\nviolently, and threw him down to the earth. He fell straight onto the\nback of his old Aunt, who was a great blue toad. And she carried him\noff to her hole.\n\n\u201cBut five hundred of the children in the Fairy Court armed themselves\nwith fly-flappers, to defend themselves against Mouche if he should\never venture to return. Now after he was gone, all the black juice\ndisappeared, and everything became as shining and glorious as before.\n\n\u201cSo you see, dear Children,\u201d continued the Stranger Child, \u201cwhat kind\nof a creature I have to fear. This horrible Mouche follows me about,\nand, if I did not hide myself quickly, he would injure me. And I assure\nyou that if I were to take you with me to my home, Mouche would lie in\nwait for us, and kill us.\u201d\n\nFanchon wept bitterly at the danger to which the Stranger Child was\nexposed. But Frederic said: \u201cIf that horrible Mouche is nothing but a\ngreat fly, I\u2019ll soon hit him with father\u2019s big fly-flapper! And if once\nI give him a good crack on his nose, Aunty Blue Toad will have a job\ncarrying him to her hole again!\u201d\n\n\nHOW TUTOR INK ARRIVED TO TEACH THE CHILDREN\n\nFanchon and Frederic ran home as fast as they could, shouting as they\nwent:--\n\n\u201cOh! the Shining Child is a beautiful Princess!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! the Shining Child is a beautiful Prince!\u201d\n\nThey wanted, in their delight, to tell this to their parents, but their\nfather came to meet them with a most extraordinary man walking by his\nside. This stranger kept muttering to himself:--\n\n\u201cWhat a nice pair of stupids these are! Ah! Ah!\u201d\n\nThe Count took him by the hand, and said to the children: \u201cThis\ngentleman is the tutor whom your kind Cousin has sent to teach you. So\nnow shake hands with him, and bid him welcome.\u201d\n\nBut the children looked sidewise at him, and could move neither hand\nnor foot. This was because they had never seen such an extraordinary\nbeing. He was no taller than Frederic. His body was round and bloated,\nand his little weazen legs could hardly support its weight. His head\nwas queer and square, and his face too ugly for anything, for not only\nwas his nose long and pointed, but his little bulging eyes glittered,\nand his wide mouth was opened in a ferocious way. He was clad in black\nfrom top to toe, and his name was Tutor Ink.\n\nNow, as the children stood staring like stone images, their mother\ncried out angrily: \u201cYou rude children, what are you thinking of? Come!\ncome! give the tutor your hands.\u201d\n\nThe children, taking heart, did as their mother bade them. But as soon\nas Tutor Ink took hold of their hands, they jumped back, screaming:\n\u201cOh! Oh! It hurts!\u201d\n\nThe tutor laughed aloud, and showed a needle, which he had hidden in\nhis hand to prick the children with. Fanchon was weeping; but Frederic\ngrowled. \u201cJust try that again, little Big-Body, if you dare!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy did you do that, Tutor Ink?\u201d asked the Count, somewhat annoyed.\n\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s just my way!\u201d answered Tutor Ink; \u201cI can\u2019t alter it!\u201d and\nwith that he stuck his hands to his sides, and went on laughing until\nhis voice sounded like the noise of a broken rattle.\n\nAlas! after that there was no more running about in the wood! Instead\nthe children, day after day, had to sit in the house, repeating\nafter Tutor Ink strange gibberish, not one word of which they could\nunderstand.\n\nWith what longing eyes they looked at the wood! Often they thought\nthey heard, amidst the happy songs of the birds and the rustling of\nthe trees, the voice of the Stranger Child, calling, and calling:\n\u201cFanchon! Frederic! Are you not coming to play with me? Oh, come! I\nhave made you a palace all of flowers! We will play there, and I will\ngive you all sorts of beautiful stones! And then we\u2019ll fly through the\nair, and build cloud-castles! Come! Oh, come!\u201d\n\nAt this the children\u2019s thoughts were so drawn to the wood, that they\nneither heard nor saw their tutor any longer; although he thumped on\nthe table with both his fists, and hummed, and growled, and snarled.\n\nAt last one day the Count perceived how pale the children were getting,\nand bade Tutor Ink take them for a walk. The Tutor did not like the\nidea at all. And the children did not like it either, saying:--\n\n\u201cWhat business has Tutor Ink in our darling wood?\u201d\n\n\nWHAT HAPPENED WHEN TUTOR INK TOOK THE CHILDREN TO THE WOOD\n\n\u201cWell, Tutor Ink, is it not delightful here in our wood?\u201d asked\nFrederic.\n\nTutor Ink made a face, and muttered: \u201cStupid nonsense! All one does is\nto tear his stockings! One can\u2019t hear a word because of the abominable\nscreeching of the birds!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut surely you love the flowers?\u201d Fanchon chimed in.\n\nAt this Tutor Ink\u2019s face became a deep cherry-colour, and he beat his\nhands about him, crying: \u201cStupid nonsense! Ridiculous nonsense! There\nare no decent flowers in this wood!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut don\u2019t you see those dear little Lilies-of-the-valley peeping up at\nyou with such bright loving eyes?\u201d asked Fanchon.\n\n\u201cWhat! What!\u201d the Tutor screamed. \u201cFlowers!--eyes?--Ha! Ha!--Nice\neyes!--Useless things!\u201d And with that he stooped, and plucking up a\nhandful of the lilies, roots and all, threw them into the thicket.\n\nFanchon could not help shedding bitter tears, and Frederic gnashed his\nteeth in anger. Just then a little Robin alighted on a branch near the\nTutor\u2019s head, and began to sing sweetly. The Tutor, picking up a stone,\nthrew it, and the bird fell dying to the ground.\n\nFrederic could restrain himself no longer. \u201cYou horrible Tutor Ink!\u201d he\ncried, \u201cwhat did the little bird do to you, that you should strike it\ndead?\u201d And looking toward the thicket, he called sadly: \u201cOh! where are\nyou, beautiful Shining Child? Oh, come! Only come! Let us fly far, far\naway! I cannot stay beside this horrible creature any longer.\u201d\n\nAnd Fanchon, stretching out her hands, sobbed and wept bitterly. \u201cOh,\nyou darling Shining Child,\u201d she cried. \u201cCome to us! Come to us! Save\nus! Save us! Tutor Ink is killing us, as he is killing the flowers and\nbirds!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean by the Shining Child?\u201d snarled Tutor Ink.\n\nBut at that instant there was a loud whispering, and a rustling, in\nthe thicket, and a sound as of muffled drums tolling in the distance.\nThen the children saw, in a shining cloud that floated above them, the\nbeautiful face of the Stranger Child, and tears like glittering pearls\nwere rolling down its rosy cheeks.\n\n\u201cAh! darling playmates!\u201d it cried. \u201cI cannot come to you any more!\nFarewell! Farewell! The Gnome Mouche has you in his power! Oh! you poor\nchildren, good-bye! good-bye!\u201d\n\nAnd then the Stranger Child soared up far into the clouds. And the\nmost marvellous thing happened! Behind the children there began a most\nhorrid, fearsome buzzing and humming, snarling and growling, and, lo!\nTutor Ink had changed into an enormous frightful-looking fly. And he\nbegan to fly upward heavily, following the Stranger Child.\n\nFanchon and Frederic, overpowered with terror, ran out of the wood, and\ndid not dare to look up at the sky until they had got some distance\naway. And, then, when they did so, all that they could see, was a\nshining speck in the clouds, glittering like a star, and coming nearer\nand downward.\n\nThe star grew bigger and bigger, and the children could hear, as if it\nwere, the call of a trumpet; and presently they saw that the star was\nreally a splendid bird with shining purple plumage. It came dropping\ndown to the wood, clapping its mighty wings, and singing loud and clear.\n\n\u201cHurrah! Hurrah!\u201d shouted Frederic. \u201cThat is a Purple Bird from the\nFairy Court! He will bite Tutor Ink to death! The Shining Child is\nsaved!--and so are we! Come, Fanchon, let us get home as fast as we\ncan, and tell our father about it.\u201d\n\n\nWHAT THE COUNT DID TO TUTOR INK\n\nThe children burst into the house where their parents were sitting.\n\n\u201cHurrah! Hurrah!\u201d Frederic shouted. \u201cThe Purple Bird has bitten Tutor\nInk to death!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, Father dear, Mother dear!\u201d cried Fanchon. \u201cTutor Ink is not Tutor\nInk at all! He is really the wicked Mouche, King of the Gnomes; a\nmonstrous fly, but a fly with clothes and shoes and stockings on!\u201d\n\n\u201cWho on earth has been putting such nonsense into your heads?\u201d asked\nthe Countess.\n\nAnd the parents gazed at the children in utter amazement, while they\nwent oh to tell about the Stranger Child whose mother was a great\nFairy Queen, and about the Gnome King, Mouche, and the Purple Bird.\n\nThe Count grew very grave and thoughtful. \u201cFrederic,\u201d said he, \u201cyou\nare really a sensible boy, and I must admit that Tutor Ink has always\nseemed to me a strange mysterious creature. Your mother and I are by\nno means satisfied with him, particularly your mother. He has such a\nterrible sweet-tooth, that there\u2019s no way of keeping him from the sugar\nand jams. And, then, he hums and buzzes in such a distressing manner.\nBut in spite of all this, my dear boy, just think calmly for a minute.\nEven if there are such things as Gnomes in the world, do you really\nmean to say that your Tutor has become a fly?\u201d\n\nFrederic looked his father steadily in the face with his clear blue\neyes, then said:--\n\n\u201cI should not have believed it myself, if the Stranger Child had\nnot said so, and if I had not seen with my own eyes that he is only\na horrible fly, and pretends to be Tutor Ink. And then,\u201d continued\nFrederic, while his father shook his head in wonder, \u201csee what Mother\nsays about him. Is he not ravenous for sweet things? Is that not just\nlike a fly? And then his hummings and buzzings.\u201d\n\n\u201cSilence,\u201d cried the Count. \u201cWhatever Tutor Ink is, one thing is\ncertain, the Purple Bird has not bitten him to death! for there he\ncomes out of the wood!\u201d\n\nAt this the children uttered loud screams, and rushed behind the door.\nIn truth, Tutor Ink was approaching, but he was wild-looking and\nbewildered. He was buzzing and humming, and springing high in the air,\nfirst to one side, then to the other, and banging his head against\nthe trees. He tumbled into the house, and dashed at the milk-jug, and\npopped his head into it so that the milk ran over the sides. Then he\ngulped and gulped, making a horrid noise of swallowing.\n\n\u201cWhat ails you, Tutor Ink?\u201d cried the Countess. \u201cWhat are you about?\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you out of your senses?\u201d asked the Count. \u201cIs the foul fiend after\nyou?\u201d\n\nBut without making any answer, Tutor Ink, taking his mouth from the\nmilk-jug, threw himself down on the dish of butter, and began to lick\nit with his pointed tongue. Then, with a loud buzzing, he sprang off\nthe table and began to stagger hither and thither about the room, as\nthough he was drunk.\n\n\u201cThis is pretty behaviour!\u201d cried the Count, as he tried to seize Tutor\nInk by the coat tails; but Tutor Ink managed to elude him deftly.\n\nJust then Frederic came running up with his father\u2019s big fly-flapper in\nhis hand, and gave it to the Count, crying:--\n\n\u201cHere you are, Father! Knock the terrible Mouche to death!\u201d\n\nThe Count took the fly-flapper; and then they all set to work to drive\naway Tutor Ink. Fanchon and Frederic and their mother took table\nnapkins, and made sweeps with them in the air, driving the Tutor\nbackward and forward, here and there, while the Count kept striking at\nhim with the fly-flapper.\n\nWilder and wilder grew the chase. \u201c_Hum! Hum!_\u201d and \u201c_Sum! Sum!_\u201d went\nthe Tutor, storming hither and thither. \u201c_Flip! Flap!_\u201d and \u201c_Clip!\nClap!_\u201d went the table napkins and fly-flapper.\n\nAt last the Count managed to hit the Tutor\u2019s coat tails. Then just as\nthe Count was going to strike a second time, up bounced the Tutor into\nthe air, and, with renewed strength, stormed, humming and buzzing, out\nof the door, and away among the trees.\n\n\u201cWell done!\u201d exclaimed the Count. \u201cWe are rid of that abominable Tutor\nInk! Never shall he cross my threshold again!\u201d\n\n\nHOW THE NAUGHTY PLAYTHINGS BECAME ALIVE\n\nFanchon and Frederic now breathed freely once more. A great weight\nwas taken off their hearts. They rejoiced that now, since the wicked\nMouche was gone, the Stranger Child might come back. They hurried\nto the wood. Everything was silent and deserted. Not a merry note of\na single bird was there. Instead of the joyous singing of the brook,\nand the gladsome rustling of the leaves, they seemed to hear sighs\nand moans that passed through the air. Just then, close behind them,\nsnarling voices cried out:--\n\n\u201cStupid creatures! Senseless creatures! You despised us! You did not\nknow how to treat us! We are come back to punish you!\u201d\n\nFanchon and Frederic looked around, and saw the little hunter and the\nharper rise out of the thicket. The harper twanged his tiny harp, while\nthe hunter took aim at Frederic; and both cried out:--\n\n\u201cWait, you boy and girl! We are obedient servants of Tutor Ink! He will\nbe here in a moment, and then we\u2019ll pay you well for despising us!\u201d\n\nTerrified, the children turned to run away, when the doll rose up out\nof the thicket, and squeaked out:--\n\n\u201cStupid creatures! Senseless creatures! I am an obedient servant of\nTutor Ink! He will be here in a moment, and then I\u2019ll pay you well for\ndespising me!\u201d And with that the naughty creature sent great splashes\nof muddy water flying at Fanchon and Frederic, so that they were quite\nwet.\n\nThen the children fell on their knees sobbing: \u201cOh, how unfortunate we\nare! Will no one take pity on us!\u201d\n\nScarcely had they said thus, when the playthings disappeared. The\nrushing of the brook turned to the sweetest music. All the wood\nstreamed with a wonderful sparkling light. And, lo! the Stranger Child\ncame forth from the thicket, surrounded by such brilliant rays that\nFanchon and Frederic had to shut their eyes for a minute.\n\nThen they felt themselves touched gently, and the Stranger Child\u2019s\nsweet voice said:--\n\n\u201cOh, do not mourn for me, dear playmates! Though you will not see\nme again, still I shall be near you. Neither the wicked Mouche nor\nany other Gnome shall have power to harm you. Only go on loving me\nfaithfully.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat we shall! that we shall! dear Shining Child!\u201d the children cried.\n\u201cWe love you with all our hearts!\u201d\n\nAnd at last when they could open their eyes, the Stranger Child had\nvanished; and all their grief and fear were gone, too. Delight beamed\nin their eyes and shone in their cheeks.\n\nAnd what the Stranger Child had said, came to pass. Nothing ever\nharmed Fanchon and Frederic. They grew up handsome, clever, and\nsweet-tempered; and all that they undertook prospered. And as the\nyears went on, they still, in their dreams, played with the Stranger\nChild, who never ceased to bring them the loveliest things from its\nFairy Home.\n\n                                                               _Adapted_\n\n\n\n\nMABEL ON MIDSUMMER DAY\n\nA STORY OF THE OLDEN TIME\n\n\nPART I\n\n  \u201cArise! my maiden, Mabel,\u201d\n    The mother said: \u201carise!\n  For the golden sun of Midsummer\n    Is shining in the skies.\n\n  \u201cArise! my little maiden,\n    For thou must speed away,\n  To wait upon thy grandmother\n    This live-long Summer Day.\n\n  \u201cAnd thou must carry with thee\n    This wheaten cake so fine,\n  This new-made pat of butter,\n    This little flask of wine.\n\n  \u201cAnd tell the dear old body,\n    This day I cannot come,\n  For the goodman went out yestermorn,\n    And he is not come home.\n\n  \u201cAnd more than this, poor Amy\n    Upon my knee doth lie;\n  I fear me, with this fever-pain\n    The little child will die!\n\n  \u201cAnd thou canst help thy grandmother;\n    The table thou canst spread,\n  Canst feed the little dog and bird,\n    And thou canst make her bed.\n\n  \u201cAnd thou canst fetch the water\n    From the Lady-well hard by,\n  And thou canst gather from the wood\n    The fagots brown and dry;\n\n  \u201cCanst go down to the lonesome glen,\n    To milk the mother-ewe;\n  This is the work, my Mabel,\n    That thou wilt have to do.\n\n  \u201cBut listen now, my Mabel:\n    This is Midsummer Day,\n  When all the Fairy people\n    From Elfland come away.\n\n  \u201cAnd when thou\u2019rt in the lonesome glen,\n    Keep by the running burn,\n  And do not pluck the strawberry flower,\n    Nor break the lady-fern.\n\n  \u201cBut think not of the Fairy folk,\n    Lest mischief should befall;\n  Think only of poor Amy,\n    And how thou lov\u2019st us all.\n\n  \u201cYet keep good heart, my Mabel,\n    If thou the Fairies see,\n  And give them kindly answer\n    If they should speak to thee.\n\n  \u201cAnd when into the fir-wood\n    Thou goest for fagots brown,\n  Do not, like idle children,\n    Go wandering up and down;\n\n  \u201cBut fill thy little apron,\n    My child, with earnest speed;\n  And that thou break no living bough\n    Within the wood, take heed.\n\n  \u201cFor they are spiteful Brownies\n    Who in the wood abide;\n  So be thou careful of this thing,\n    Lest evil should betide.\n\n  \u201cBut think not, little Mabel,\n    Whilst thou art in the wood,\n  Of dwarfish, wilful Brownies,\n    But of the Father good.\n\n  \u201cAnd when thou goest to the spring,\n    To fetch the water thence,\n  Do not disturb the little stream,\n    Lest this should give offence.\n\n  \u201cFor the Queen of all the Fairies\n    She loves that water bright;\n  I\u2019ve seen her drinking there, myself,\n    On many a Summer night.\n\n  \u201cBut she\u2019s a gracious lady,\n    And her thou need\u2019st not fear;\n  Only disturb thou not the stream,\n    Nor spill the water clear.\u201d\n\n  \u201cNow all this I will heed, mother,\n    Will no word disobey,\n  And wait upon the grandmother\n    This live-long Summer Day.\u201d\n\n\nPART II\n\n  Away tripped little Mabel,\n    With the wheaten cake so fine,\n  With the new-made pat of butter,\n    And the little flask of wine.\n\n  And long before the sun was hot,\n    And the Summer mist had cleared,\n  Beside the good old grandmother\n    The willing child appeared.\n\n  And all her mother\u2019s message\n    She told with right good-will\n  How that the father was away,\n    And the little child was ill.\n\n  And then she swept the hearth up clean,\n    And then the table spread,\n  And next she fed the dog and bird,\n    And then she made the bed.\n\n  \u201cAnd go now,\u201d said the grandmother,\n    \u201cTen paces down the dell,\n  And bring in water for the day--\n    Thou know\u2019st the Lady-well.\u201d\n\n  The first time that good Mabel went,\n    Nothing at all saw she,\n  Except a bird, a sky-blue bird,\n    That sat upon a tree.\n\n  The next time that good Mabel went,\n    There sat a lady bright\n  Beside the well,--a lady small,\n    All clothed in green and white.\n\n  A curtsey low made Mabel,\n    And then she stooped to fill\n  Her pitcher at the sparkling spring,\n    But no drop did she spill.\n\n  \u201cThou art a handy maiden,\u201d\n    The Fairy lady said;\n  \u201cThou hast not spilt a drop, nor yet\n    The Fairy Spring troubl\u00e8d.\n\n  \u201cAnd for this thing which thou hast done,\n    Yet may\u2019st not understand,\n  I give to thee a better gift\n    Than houses or than land.\n\n  \u201cThou shalt do well whate\u2019er thou dost,\n    As thou hast done this day--\n  Shalt have the will and power to please,\n    And shalt be loved alway.\u201d\n\n  Thus having said, she passed from sight,\n    And naught could Mabel see,\n  But the little bird, the sky-blue bird,\n    Upon the leafy tree.\n\n\nPART III\n\n  \u201cAnd now go,\u201d said the grandmother,\n    \u201cAnd fetch in fagots dry;\n  All in the neighbouring fir-wood,\n    Beneath the trees they lie.\u201d\n\n  Away went kind, good Mabel,\n    Into the fir-wood near,\n  Where all the ground was dry and brown,\n    And the grass grew thin and sear.\n\n  She did not wander up and down,\n    Nor yet a live branch pull,\n  But steadily of the fallen boughs\n    She picked her apron full.\n\n  And when the wildwood Brownies\n    Came sliding to her mind,\n  She drove them thence, as she was told,\n    With home-thoughts sweet and kind.\n\n  But all that while the Brownies\n    Within the fir-wood still,\n  They watched her how she picked the wood,\n    And strove to do no ill.\n\n  \u201cAnd oh! but she is small and neat!\u201d\n    Said one; \u201c\u2019twere shame to spite\n  A creature so demure and meek,\n    A creature harmless quite!\u201d\n\n  \u201cLook only,\u201d said another,\n    \u201cAt her little gown of blue,\n  At her kerchief pinned about her head,\n    And at her little shoe!\u201d\n\n  \u201cOh! but she is a comely child,\u201d\n    Said a third; \u201cand we will lay\n  A good-luck penny in her path,\n    A boon for her this day,--\n  Seeing she broke no living wood,\n    No live thing did affray!\u201d\n\n  With that the smallest penny,\n    Of the finest silver ore,\n  Upon the dry and slippery path,\n    Lay Mabel\u2019s feet before.\n\n  With joy she picked the penny up,\n    The Fairy penny good;\n  And with her fagots dry and brown\n    Went wandering from the wood.\n\n  \u201cNow she has that,\u201d said the Brownies,\n    \u201cLet flax be ever so dear,\n  \u2019Twill buy her clothes of the very best,\n    For many and many a year.\u201d\n\n\nPART IV\n\n  \u201cAnd go now,\u201d said the grandmother,\n    \u201cSince falling is the dew--\n  Go down unto the lonesome glen,\n    And milk the mother-ewe.\u201d\n\n  All down into the lonesome glen,\n    Through copses thick and wild,\n  Through moist, rank grass, by trickling streams,\n    Went on the willing child.\n\n  And when she came to the lonesome glen,\n    She kept beside the burn,\n  And neither plucked the strawberry-flower,\n    Nor broke the lady-fern.\n\n  And while she milked the mother-ewe\n    Within this lonesome glen,\n  She wished that little Amy\n    Were strong and well again.\n\n  And soon as she had thought this thought,\n    She heard a coming sound,\n  As if a thousand Fairy folk\n    Were gathering all around.\n\n  And then she heard a little voice,\n    Shrill as the midge\u2019s wing,\n  That spake aloud: \u201cA human child\n    Is here, yet mark this thing!--\n\n  \u201cThe lady-fern is all unbroke,\n    The strawberry-flower unta\u2019en!\n  What shall be done for her who still\n    From mischief can refrain?\u201d\n\n  \u201cGive her a Fairy cake!\u201d said one;\n    \u201cGrant her a wish!\u201d said three;\n  \u201cThe latest wish that she hath wished,\u201d\n    Said all, \u201cwhate\u2019er it be!\u201d\n\n  Kind Mabel heard the words they spake,\n    And from the lonesome glen\n  Unto the good old grandmother\n    Went gladly back again.\n\n  Thus happened it to Mabel,\n    On that Midsummer Day,\n  And these three Fairy blessings\n    She took with her away.\n\n  \u2019Tis good to make all duty sweet,\n    To be alert and kind;\n  \u2019Tis good, like little Mabel,\n    To have a willing mind.\n\n                            _Mary Howitt_\n\n\n\n\nFAREWELL! FAREWELL! DEAR FAIRIES\n\n\n\n\n  _Oh! where do Fairies hide their heads,\n    When snow lies on the hills--\n  When frost has spoiled their mossy beds,\n    And crystallized their rills?\n  Beneath the moon they cannot trip\n    In circles o\u2019er the plain;\n  And draughts of dew they cannot sip,\n    Till green leaves come again._\n\n    *       *       *       *       *\n\n  _When they return there will be mirth,\n    And music in the air,\n  And Fairy wings upon the earth,\n    And mischief everywhere.\n  The maids, to keep the Elves aloof,\n    Will bar the doors in vain;\n  No keyhole will be Fairy-proof,\n    When green leaves come again._\n\n                         THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRIES\u2019 PASSAGE\n\n\nI\n\n  Tap, tap, tap, rap! \u201cGet up, Gaffer Ferryman.\u201d\n    \u201cEh! who is there?\u201d The clock strikes three.\n  \u201cGet up, do, Gaffer! You are the very man\n    We have been long--long--longing to see.\u201d\n  The Ferryman rises, growling and grumbling,\n  And goes fum-fumbling, and stumbling, and tumbling,\n    Over the wares in his way to the door.\n            But he sees no more\n            Than he saw before,\n    Till a voice is heard--\u201cO Ferryman, dear!\n    Here we are waiting, all of us here!\n    We are a wee, wee colony, we;\n    Some two hundred in all, or three.\n    Ferry us over the river Lee\n            Ere dawn of day,\n            And we will pay\n            The most we may,\n            In our own wee way!\u201d\n\n\nII\n\n  \u201cWho are you? Whence came you? What place are you going to?\u201d\n    \u201cOh, we have dwelt over-long in this land;\n  The people get cross, and are growing so knowing, too!\n    Nothing at all but they now understand;\n  We are daily vanishing under the thunder\n    Of some huge engine or iron wonder;\n    That iron, ah!--it has entered our souls!\u201d\n            \u201c----Your souls? O gholes,\n            You queer little drolls!\n  Do you mean----?\u201d \u201cGood Gaffer, do aid us with speed,\n  For our time, like our stature, is short indeed!\n    And a very long way we have to go,\n    Eight or ten thousand miles or so,\n    Hither and thither, and to and fro;\n            With our pots and pans,\n            And little gold cans;\n            But our light caravans\n            Run swifter than man\u2019s!\u201d\n\n\nIII\n\n  \u201cWell, well, you may come!\u201d said the Ferryman, affably;\n    \u201cPatrick, turn out, and get ready the barge!\u201d\n  Then again to the Little Folk--\u201cThough you seem laughably\n    Small, I don\u2019t mind, if your coppers be large.\u201d\n  Oh, dear! what a rushing, what pushing, what crushing\n  (The watermen making vain efforts at hushing\n  The hubbub the while) there followed these words!\n            What clapping of boards!\n            What strapping of cords!\n  What stowing away of children and wives,\n  And platters, and mugs, and spoons, and knives!\n  Till all had safely got into the boat,\n  And the Ferryman, clad in his tip-top coat,\n  And his wee little Fairies were safely afloat!\n            Then ding! ding! ding!\n            And kling! kling! kling!\n            How the coppers did ring\n            In the tin pitcherling!\n\n\nIV\n\n  Off, then, went the boat, at first very pleasantly,\n    Smoothly, and so forth; but after a while\n  It swayed and it swagged this and that way, and presently\n    Chest after chest, and pile after pile,\n  Of the Little Folks\u2019 goods began tossing and rolling,\n  And pitching like fun, beyond Fairy controlling!\n    O Mab! if the hubbub were great before,\n    It was now some two or three million times more;\n    Crash! went the wee crocks, and the clocks, and the locks\n  Of each little wee box were stove in by hard knocks;\n  And then there were oaths, and prayers, and cries--\n  \u201cTake care!\u201d--\u201cSee there!\u201d--\u201cOh, dear! my eyes!\u201d\n  \u201cI am killed!\u201d--\u201cI am drowned!\u201d--with groans and sighs;\n            Till to land they drew;\n            \u201cYeo-ho! Pull to!\n            Tiller-rope, thro\u2019 and thro\u2019!\u201d\n            And all\u2019s right anew.\n\n\nV\n\n  \u201cNow, jump upon shore, ye queer little oddities,\n    Eh! what is this?--Where are they, at all?\n  Where are they, and where are their tiny commodities?\n    Well! as I live!\u201d He looks blank as a wall,\n      Poor Ferryman! Round him, and round him he gazes,\n      But only gets deeplier lost in the mazes\n      Of utter bewilderment! All, all are gone--\n            And he stands alone,\n            Like a statue of stone,\n      In a doldrum of wonder. He turns to steer,\n      And a tinkling laugh salutes his ear\n      With other odd sounds--\u201cHa! ha! ha! ha!\n      Fol, lol; zidziddel--quee, quee-bah! bah!\n      Fizzigig--giggidy! phsee! sha! sha!\u201d\n  \u201cO ye thieves, ye thieves! ye rascally thieves!\u201d\n    The good man cries. He turns to his pitcher,\n  And there, alas! to his horror perceives,\n    That the Little Folks\u2019 mode of making him richer\n  Has been to pay him with--withered leaves.\n\n                                    _James Clarence Mangan_\n\n\n\n\nOLD WINTER\u2019S FAIRYLAND\n\nTO WINTER\n\n\n  Sooth \u2019tis, old Friend,\n  Thou banishest\n  The golden rest\n  Of the hours;\n  Dost cruelly send\n  The birds off, and\n  The twinkling band\n  Of the flowers;\n  Dost lash the shadows out of the woods,\n  And kill the souls in the plunging floods.\n\n  Thou chillest the green,\n  And it departs\n  Into the hearts\n  Of the meas,\n  And dreams of sheen,\n  Grasses and leaves,\n  Blossoms and sheaves,\n  And of trees;\n  Thou foldest all colours up in mould,\n  And touchest the aching light with cold.\n\n  There is no gloom\n  Of vanished wold,\n  Inlaid with gold,\n  But glens,\n  And heights in bloom,\n  And shadowing woods,\n  And tumbling floods,\n  And plains,\n  Of Summer in the core of the world,\n  And golden skies are there unfurled.\n\n  The Fairies keep\n  A revel there,\n  And banish care\n  With mirth;\n  When snows are deep,\n  And woods are cross,\n  Enjoy our loss\n  In the Earth;\n  The leaves and grass and water-springs,\n  The glorious world with its living things,\n  Each happy thought that goes on wings,\n  And sings,\n  Or thinks itself in blossomings\n  Of red and gold,\n  All bless the cold,\n  That ruleth with an iron hand\n  To build in the Earth a Fairyland.\n\n  At Christmas tide,\n  On country farms\n  In games and charms\n  Thou thrivest;\n  By deep hearth side,\n  When tales are told\n  And songs are trolled,\n  As through the mould\n  Thou drivest\n  The shuddering flowers, thou dost begin\n  To gather us up, and drive us in.\n\n  For all, whom care\n  Or labour drew\n  From old to new\n  In the year,\n  Thou dost prepare\n  The roaring hearth,\n  And garrulous mirth,\n  And beer\n  In massy cans, to season it,\n  Nut-brown and livelier than thy wit.\n\n  The Yule log sends\n  Its light abroad\n  O\u2019er roof and board;\n  And cheerily\n  In shade ascends\n  The cricket\u2019s song;\n  The winds are strong,\n  And drearily\n  Shrill past the rattling window panes, and down\n  The wide-mouthed chimney shriek and moan.\n\n  The hinds drop in\n  From fold and pen,\n  And graver men\n  From labours;\n  And maids who spin\n  And catch perchance\n  With smile and glance\n  Their neighbours;\n  The dame is there, and reverend sire,\n  And children clustering round the fire.\n\n  They quaff their ale,\n  Their pipes they fill,\n  And he, who has skill\n  In numbers,\n  Prolongs the tale;\n  The wheel goes round\n  With a drowsy sound\n  And slumbers.\n  The humming stoup goes round and round,\n  Till their heads go round, as the wheel goes round;\n  And sleep and silence go their round.\n  And the Fairy Summer underground\n  Blooms all night long in\n  Sleep till morning,\n  Buds and blossoms, without a sound.\n\n                                         _Anonymous_\n\n\nTHE END\n\n\n\n\nSUBJECT INDEX FOR STORY-TELLERS\n\n\n\n\nSUBJECT INDEX FOR STORY-TELLERS\n\n\n  ANIMAL FRIENDS: Judy and the Fairy Cat, 103;\n    Kintaro, 161;\n    Little Tiny, 319.\n\n\n  BEARS: Kintaro, 161.\n\n  BIRDS: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Kintaro, 161;\n    Little Tiny, 319;\n    Shining Child, 361.\n\n  BOGGARTS: The Boggart, 105.\n\n  BOTTLE IMPS: Legend of Bottle Hill, 44.\n\n  BROTHERS AND SISTERS: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    Shining Child, 361;\n    The Pixies, 138.\n\n  BROWNIES: Brownie of Blednoch, 142;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400.\n\n\n  CAMELIAS: Flower Fairies, 166.\n\n  CATS: Judy and the Fairy Cat, 103.\n\n  CAVES: Echo the Cave Fairy, 179;\n    Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77.\n\n  CHRISTMAS: Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145;\n    Old Winter\u2019s Fairyland, 418;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121.\n\n  CLOVER: The Four-Leaved Clover, 171.\n\n  CONSCIENCE: Timothy Tuttle and the Little Imps, 290.\n\n  CORAL: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Isles of the Sea Fairies, 182.\n\n  COURAGEOUS ADVENTURES: Brown Dwarf, 53;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    Sleeping Beauty, 231;\n    The Smith and the Fairies, 194.\n\n  COWS: Curmudgeon\u2019s Skin, 97;\n    Legend of Bottle Hill, 44;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    The Four-Leaved Clover, 171.\n\n  CROCKS OF GOLD. _See_ TREASURE STORIES.\n\n  CRUELTY: Bad Boy and the Leprechaun, 70;\n    Prince Ch\u00e9ri, 239.\n\n  CURIOSITY: Curmudgeon\u2019s Skin, 97;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121;\n    Piskey Fine! 149.\n\n\n  DANCES OF FAIRIES. _See_ FAIRY RINGS.\n\n  DEER: Kintaro, 161.\n\n  DIAMONDS: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254.\n\n  DISOBEDIENCE. _See_ OBEDIENCE AND DISOBEDIENCE.\n\n  DOGS: Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133.\n\n  DUTY: Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145;\n    Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    The Pixies, 138.\n\n\n  ECHO: Echo the Cave Fairy, 179.\n\n  ELFINLAND. _See_ FAIRYLAND.\n\n\n  FAIRY CHILDREN: Coal-Black Steed, 198;\n    Little Niebla, 312;\n    Little Tiny, 319;\n    Magic Ferns, 189;\n    Ownself, 107;\n    Skillywidden, 79;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n  FAIRY GOLD. _See_ TREASURE STORIES.\n\n  FAIRYLAND: At the Court of Fairyland, 209;\n    Coal-Black Steed, 198;\n    But we that Live in Fairyland, 188;\n    Elidore, 206;\n    Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133;\n    Girl who Danced with the Fairies, 203;\n    Girl who was Stolen by the Fairies, 201;\n    Magic Ferns, 189;\n    Shining Child, 361;\n    Old Winter\u2019s Fairyland, 418.\n\n  FAIRY RINGS: Adventures of Robin Goodfellow, 9;\n    Dance of the Fairies, 32;\n    Girl who Danced with the Fairies, 203;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    In the Glowing Light of a Summer Sky, 8;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    Potato Supper, 15;\n    Wood-Lady, 26.\n\n  FARM STORIES: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Brownie of Blednoch, 142;\n    Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145;\n    Old Winter\u2019s Fairyland, 418;\n    Piskey Fine! 149;\n    The Four-Leaved Clover, 171;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n  FERNS: Magic Ferns, 189.\n\n  FIELD MICE: Little Tiny, 319.\n\n  FISH: How Kahukura Learned to Make Nets, 176;\n    Potato Supper, 15.\n\n  FLIES: Shining Child, 361.\n\n  FLOWERS: Fairy Island, 169;\n    Flower Fairies, 166;\n    Little Tiny, 319;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121;\n    Shining Child, 361.\n\n  FORESTS. _See_ WOODS AND FORESTS.\n\n  FOXES: Little Niebla, 312.\n\n  FRIENDS AND HELPERS: At the Court of Fairyland, 209;\n    Brownie of Blednoch, 142;\n    Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145;\n    Fairy Wedding, 151;\n    Gillie Dhu, 174;\n    Piskey Fine! 149;\n    Shining Child, 361;\n    Sick-Bed Elves, 109;\n    The Pixies, 138;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n\n  GENEROUS AND UNGENEROUS: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  GLASS SLIPPERS: Cinderella, 221.\n\n  GNOMES: Shining Child, 361.\n\n  GOBLINS: Greedy Old Man, 39.\n\n  GOURMANDIZING: Fairy Do-Nothing, 281.\n\n  GRAINS: Song of the Elfin Miller, 157;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n  GREED. _See_ SELFISHNESS AND GREED.\n\n\n  HALLOWE\u2019EN: Girl who Danced with the Fairies, 203;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    Judy and the Fairy Cat, 103;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20.\n\n  HILL STORIES: Brown Dwarf, 53;\n    Elidore, 206;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    Legend of Bottle Hill, 44;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    Monday! Tuesday! 35;\n    The Smith and the Fairies, 194;\n    \u2019Tis the Midnight Hour, 34.\n\n  HORSES: Coal-Black Steed, 198.\n\n  HOSPITALITY: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Childe Charity, 348.\n\n  HUMOROUS STORIES: Curmudgeon\u2019s Skin, 97;\n    Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133;\n    Little Redcap, 91;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    Monday! Tuesday! 35;\n    Ownself, 107;\n    The Boggart, 105;\n    The Ragweed, 66.\n\n\n  IMPOLITENESS. _See_ POLITENESS AND IMPOLITENESS.\n\n  IMPS: Coal-Black Steed, 198;\n    Timothy Tuttle and the Little Imps, 290.\n\n  INDUSTRY: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145.\n\n\n  KELPIES: Come! Come! 3.\n\n  KINDNESS AND GOODNESS: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Childe Charity, 348;\n    Cinderella, 221;\n    Fairy Wedding, 151;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254.\n\n  KING OF THE FAIRIES: Adventures of Robin Goodfellow, 9;\n    At the Court of Fairyland, 209;\n    Come! Come! 3;\n    Elidore, 206;\n    Magic Ferns, 189.\n\n  KNOCKERS: Come! Come! 3;\n    Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n\n  LAZINESS: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145;\n    Fairy Do-Nothing, 281;\n    The Pixies, 138.\n\n  LEPRECHAUNS: Bad Boy and the Leprechaun, 70;\n    Boy who Found the Pots of Gold, 63;\n    Come! Come! 3;\n    The Leprechaun, 84;\n    The Ragweed, 66.\n\n\n  MAB. _See_ QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES.\n\n  MAGIC GIFTS: Enchanted Watch, 264;\n    Legend of Bottle Hill, 44;\n    Little Redcap, 91;\n    Prince Ch\u00e9ri, 239;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254;\n    Wood-Lady, 26.\n\n  MAY DAY: Flower Fairies, 166;\n    Girl who Danced with the Fairies, 203;\n    Kintaro, 161;\n    The Four-Leaved Clover, 171.\n\n  MICE: Little Tiny, 319.\n\n  MIDSUMMER DAY: Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400.\n\n  MINES AND MINERS: Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  MOLES: Little Tiny, 319.\n\n\n  NAUGHTINESS: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Fairy Do-Nothing, 281.\n\n\n  OBEDIENCE AND DISOBEDIENCE: Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    Skillywidden, 79;\n    Wood-Lady, 26.\n\n  OBERON. _See_ KING OF THE FAIRIES.\n\n  OINTMENT, FAIRY: Coal-Black Steed, 198;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121.\n\n\n  PEONIES: Flower Fairies, 166.\n\n  PERSEVERANCE: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337.\n\n  PISKEYS: Come! Come! 3;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    Piskey Fine! 149.\n\n  PIXIES: The Pixies, 138.\n\n  POLITENESS AND IMPOLITENESS: Monday! Tuesday! 35;\n    The Tomts, 155;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  POTATOES: Potato Supper, 15.\n\n  POTS OF GOLD. _See_ TREASURE STORIES.\n\n  PROMPTNESS: Enchanted Watch, 264.\n\n  PRYING: How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121.\n\n\n  QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES: At the Court of Fairyland, 209;\n    Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Come! Come! 3;\n    Dance of the Fairies, 32;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    Milk-White Calf, 20;\n    Queen Mab, 276;\n    Shining Child, 361.\n\n\n  RAGWEEDS: The Ragweed, 66.\n\n  REDCAPS: Curmudgeon\u2019s Skin, 97;\n    Little Redcap, 91;\n    The Fairy Folk, 128.\n\n  RETRIBUTION: Bad Boy and the Leprechaun, 70;\n    Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Coal-Black Steed, 198;\n    Elidore, 206;\n    Enchanted Watch, 264;\n    Fairy Do-Nothing, 281;\n    Fairy Island, 169;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    One-eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121;\n    Prince Ch\u00e9ri, 239;\n    The Pixies, 138;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  REWARDS OF GOODNESS: Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Childe Charity, 348;\n    Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337;\n    Judy and the Fairy Cat, 103;\n    Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400;\n    The Pixies, 138;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254.\n\n  ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Adventures of Robin Goodfellow, 9;\n    At the Court of Fairyland, 209;\n    Their Dwellings be, 132.\n\n\n  SALMON: Potato Supper, 15.\n\n  SEA FAIRIES. _See_ WATER FAIRIES.\n\n  SELFISHNESS: Bad Boy and the Leprechaun, 70;\n    Blanche and Rose, 258;\n    Enchanted Watch, 264;\n    Fairy Do-Nothing, 281;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    Timothy Tuttle, 290;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  SHAMROCKS: Curmudgeon\u2019s Skin, 97.\n\n  SHOEMAKERS. _See_ LEPRECHAUNS.\n\n  SPRIGGANS: Come! Come! 3;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    One-Eyed Prying Joan\u2019s Tale, 121;\n    Skillywidden, 79.\n\n  SPRINGS AND WELLS: Girl who Danced with the Fairies, 203;\n    Immortal Fountain, 337;\n    Mabel on Midsummer Day, 400.\n\n  STEALING: Elidore, 206;\n    Fairy Island, 169;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111.\n\n  SWALLOWS: Little Tiny, 319.\n\n\n  TARDINESS: Enchanted Watch, 264.\n\n  TENGUS: Kintaro, 161.\n\n  THRESHING: Brownie of Blednoch, 142;\n    How Peeping Kate was Piskey-Led, 111;\n    Piskey Fine! 149;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n  THRIFT: Elsa and the Ten Elves, 145.\n\n  TIN MINES: Knockers\u2019 Diamonds, 77;\n    Tom and the Knockers, 73.\n\n  TOADS: Little Tiny, 319;\n    Toads and Diamonds, 254.\n\n  TOM THUMB: Adventures of Robin Goodfellow, 9.\n\n  TOMTS: Fairy Wedding, 151;\n    The Tomts, 155.\n\n  TREASURE STORIES: And will you Come Away? 62;\n    Bad Boy and the Leprechaun, 70;\n    Boy who Found the Pots of Gold, 63;\n    Elidore, 206;\n    Greedy Old Man, 39;\n    Skillywidden, 79;\n    The Leprechaun, 84;\n    The Ragweed, 66.\n\n  TREES: Shining Child, 361.\n\n  TYRANNY: Prince Ch\u00e9ri, 239.\n\n\n  UNGENEROUS. _See_ GENEROUS AND UNGENEROUS.\n\n\n  WAGES, FAIRY: Adventures of Robin Goodfellow, 9;\n    Brownie of Blednoch, 142;\n    Fairy\u2019s Servants, 133;\n    Piskey Fine! 149;\n    The Fairies\u2019 Passage, 413.\n\n  WATER FAIRIES: Butterfly\u2019s Diamond, 304;\n    Come! Come! 3;\n    Fairy Island, 169;\n    How Kahukura Learned to Make Nets, 176;\n    Isles of the Sea Fairies, 182;\n    Little Niebla, 312.\n\n  WINTER: Little Tiny, 319;\n    Old Winter\u2019s Fairyland, 418.\n\n  WOODS AND FORESTS: Gillie Dhu, 174;\n    Kintaro, 161;\n    Shining Child, 361;\n    Sleeping Beauty, 231;\n    Wood-Lady, 26.\n\n\nThe Riverside Press\n\nCAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS\n\nU . S . A\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES:\n\n\n    Text in italics is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.\n\n    Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.\n\n    Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.\n\n    This eBook is dedicated to the memory of Emmy Miller, beloved\n      volunteer, mentor, and friend.","title":"The Book of Elves and Fairies for Story-Telling and Reading Aloud and for the Children's Own Reading","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":82357}