where there were many fairies together, of "toadstool things that

shone pink," of fairy food, of which he could only say "you should

have tasted it!" and of fairy music, "like a little musical box,"

that came out of nodding flowers. There was a great open place

where fairies rode and raced on "things," but what Mr. Skelmersdale

meant by "these here things they rode," there is no telling. Larvae,

perhaps, or crickets, or the little beetles that elude us so abundantly.

There was a place where water splashed and gigantic king-cups grew,

and there in the hotter times the fairies bathed together. There were

games being played and dancing and much elvish love-making, too,

I think, among the moss-branch thickets. There can be no doubt that

the Fairy Lady made love to Mr. Skelmersdale, and no doubt either

that this young man set himself to resist her. A time came, indeed,

when she sat on a bank beside him, in a quiet, secluded place

"all smelling of vi'lets," and talked to him of love.



"When her voice went low and she whispered," said Mr. Skelmersdale,

"and laid 'er 'and on my 'and, you know, and came close with a soft,

warm friendly way she 'ad, it was as much as I could do to keep my

'ead."



It seems he kept his head to a certain limited unfortunate extent.

He saw "'ow the wind was blowing," he says, and so, sitting there

in a place all smelling of violets, with the touch of this lovely

Fairy Lady about him, Mr. Skelmersdale broke it to her gently--

that he was engaged!



She had told him she loved him dearly, that he was a sweet human lad

for her, and whatever he would ask of her he should have--even

his heart's desire.



And Mr. Skelmersdale, who, I fancy, tried hard to avoid looking

at her little lips as they just dropped apart and came together,

led up to the more intimate question by saying he would like enough

capital to start a little shop. He'd just like to feel, he said,

he had money enough to do that. I imagine a little surprise in those

brown eyes he talked about, but she seemed sympathetic for all that,

and she asked him many questions about the little shop, "laughing like"

all the time. So he got to the complete statement of his affianced

position, and told her all about Millie.



"All?" said I.



"Everything," said Mr. Skelmersdale, "just who she was, and where

she lived, and everything about her. I sort of felt I 'ad to all

the time, I did."



"'Whatever you want you shall have,' said the Fairy Lady. 'That's as

good as done. You SHALL feel you have the money just as you wish.

And now, you know--YOU MUST KISS ME.'"



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