ne could guess the strain of talking so incessantly to amuse the
babies, of reading to Jack, of having eyes all over to see that he did
not torment the little ones, push their playthings out of the way,
give them sly pinches or tweak their hair. She did hate to tell tales
on him. And when he coaxed to go out with her he was a constant care.
School had been closed for a fortnight. Oh, how tired she was every
night!

"You don't eat more than a bird," Bridget would complain.

"But I'm never hungry now, I shall be so glad when we get to the real
country, and grass, and everything. I'm so tired of the rows and rows
of red brick houses, and they all seem so hot."

And now Bridget was almost heart broken.

Ellen Day came in to tell Miss Armitage how glad she was that a good
word had been spoken for her. "And she was sure she should like the
ladies and the pretty little boy. But how fat the babies were and not
a bit pretty. They were to start at twelve tomorrow."

It was still hot, but in the afternoon it clouded up and the evening
brought a most refreshing shower. The hot wave was broken.

Sunday afternoon they had rolled the couch over by the window. Miss
Armitage sat reading. Jane had gone out for a walk. The child seemed
to have grown thinner in these few days.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked intently at the woman sitting
there in her soft, white attire. She was so sweet and pretty.

"Are you a fairy godmother?" Marilla asked in a weak, wandering tone.

"A--what?" smiling in surprise.

"A fairy godmother. You don't look like the other one, but then it was
night and we went to the King's ball. Oh, it was so splendid!"

"When was that?" in a soft, persuasive tone.

"Oh, a long time ago. I was Cinderella, and every new Cinderella
dances with the Prince, you know. Only they can't dance but once with
him."

It was something the child had read, doubtless.

"Do you feel better?" she asked tenderly.

Marilla glanced around and sighed. Then she said in a frightened
tone--

"Oh, where am I? And where are the babies? I heard them cry."

"You are all safe and right. And the babies and all the family went
down on Long Island."

"It's so queer."

The eyelids drooped again and she fell asleep.

An hour later she woke, and seemed to study the room and the lady.

"I never was at fairyland but that once," she said slowly. "Then there
was such lovely music and dancing and everybody was so gay. It's
beautiful