ly back to fairy-land before I work more
mischief."

But the birds looked down from their nests wild with terror at the
thought.

"You will kill us if you fly up here with your burning wings," they
chirped piteously. "You will scorch us to death," shouted the trees,
tossing their heads angrily in the breeze.

"Ah, gentle fairy, have pity on us!" cooed the dove; "did I not comfort
you when your pet violet died?"

"Have I not sung to you at night when you were weary with dancing?"
warbled the nightingale.

"Have we not sheltered you from the fierce heat of the sun, and the
beating of the pitiless rain?" rustled the trees, indignantly.

"Heartless!" muttered the wind, rushing rudely past her; "to injure
those who love you so much."

"I shall never see fairy-land again!" murmured Violet. But she had too
gentle a heart to persist, so she sadly retraced her steps, and bade the
Fire-King take back his fatal gift.

That evening, she and her sister fairies went to the owl and told him of
the ill success of her mission. The owl heard her to the end with great
gravity, and then said, severely: "Of course! Anyone with any sense
would have known that wings forged by the Fire Spirits _must_ burn
everything they touched."

Violet would have liked to remind him that it was _he_ who bade her go
to the King of the Fire Spirits, but he looked so very severe, as he sat
blinking solemnly in the moonlight, that she was afraid, and only said,
humbly--

"Please what shall I do now?"

"Go to the King of the Snow Spirits, of course!" said the owl, rather
crossly, for he wanted to go to sleep; "if fire is too hot, you had
better try snow."

"Alas! what shall I do?" said Violet, very sadly. "The Snow-King lives
far off by the North Pole, and I have no wings to bear me to him over
the seas."

Then a gentle fluttering was heard in the trees, and a sea-bird alighted
at Violet's feet.

"Beautiful fairy," he sang, softly, "do you not remember now, three
springs ago, when the trees were clothing themselves anew in their green
raiment, and the flowers were springing up among the fresh grass, you
bound up my leg, which the hunter had wounded with his cruel gun; and
fed me daily with luscious fruits, and gave me to drink of sparkling dew
till I recovered? I vowed then that I would one day repay you, and now
my chance has come. Mount on my back, sweet Violet, and I will carry you
to the Snow-King."

Then Violet thanked him joyfully, an