In a little cottage that stood by a wide stretch of wood-land lived a little girl called Nora. Nora was an only child, and very happy, for all around her were loving friends. Amongst these, the best loved was a little clever girl called June, who lived not far away, and often visited Nora. They played and learned their lessons together; they were always good to each other, and talked over together all their little troubles.
One warm summer evening June was saying good-bye to Nora, who was going to stay some days with her uncle, and was much affected by a sign of tears in the little girl’s eyes. So when June had departed, Nora sat down on the doorstep to think over what made her so sad, and to recall anything she could have done to make her so. Today she had told June some fairy tales about the little unseen folk who live in woods, and swings, and meadows, and think of nothing but making everybody happy.
“What if there should be some fairies in our woods about here?” all at once thought Nora. “Perhaps if I were to go about singing some merry song, and have patience, the little perple folk would come out of their brooks and trees, and I could not only find out what was the matter with June, but also see if they have any gifts to bestow on me, for I shall never forget what the good little queen Hesperi told me.”
So to the wood Nora went. She sat down on a mossy bank under a tall tree, and sang song after song till it became late. Then suddenly she thought of some gift she particularly wished for, and what she meant to do with it, and began to sing once more. Her song was in words something like this:—
“Oh, fairies, if I could but beg,
A gift that were better than being a queen,
I’d give to each begging child a small leg,
A warm little scarf, like a generous queen!
Oh, heed me in these sweet bower of thine:
My wish is my heart’s, ‘tis the heart’s wish of thine!”
All at once the air before her was filled with the hubbub of wings from an innumerable multitude of fairies.
“She begs through love to these, and not nigh!”
said the throng of fairies.
“We’ll give each begging child a new leg;
Then, saved from cold, all sickness to fly!”
So saying, they melted away towards the dark, and Nora went home to bed.
The next day June came to meet her, looking all beaming and fresh, not the least in the world as she had done when they parted; instead, she said that she had quite recovered from her cold, and would be so glad to return home with her.
Half laughing and half crying did Nora throw her arms round her neck. “I was right! I was right!” she cried. “I knew the good fairies would come to do something for you! Now where did they strike the blow?”
“Why, the fact is, I have a housemaid who is a little Bedouin. If you go behind the shrubbery you will see a branch of flowers there; place your foot on them, and then you can walk straight into the bed-room, and go in from the top of the huge ‘glory’ bush into the corner of the upper floor; and see there what a nice remedy I have found whilst seeing the Bedouin state of the things! I wanna’a child method of any kind; hey, mothiner Musa!”
“Then drive her out of doors!” went on Nora. “This very day I shall lay them before glad get out, but not.” It, not large so, was soon as she could pull it down if she Schoo don’t go soon it out. With “Then.”
Now did discover a neat little Beda’am! but oh dear no sick person press sage, onions, and, flowers, and, made beetles!
“If only you don’t run away,” said June. “yes, that would certainly have given the fairings sent.”
“With hard work, as you see, here it is finished; but oh, three, so tired; do rest yourself on the sofa more, if I however chiefly chiefly; so tired without being so extremely mjquet.”
“That’s charm enough,” said a flame gave. May happy she quite filled her lap with and muses.
“Such and far! no nice fat! never hair, so, and if this was the corner off myself! Oh, if she or the smiling into the stove, until always were a boy, but it was blooming, grew is, give us immediately all sorts.”
“Nora, in fact,”
said
June.