arley, did you ever blow bubbles?"

"Yes, often, beautiful lady."

"And what have you seen in them?" asked the Queen.

"Oh! the most lovely colors! and sometimes a charming tiny picture of
the room where we were."

"Would you like to see some _fairy_ bubbles?"

"Ah, yes! I should like it of all things."

The Queen gently clapped her hands, and instantly a page was kneeling
at her feet.

"Go, Light-wing," said the Queen, "and tell Fancy to come here with
her basin of foam and magic pipe."

The fairy rose from his knee, bowed low, and sped away. In an instant
he returned in company with the daintiest, most ethereal little elf
in fairy-land. Her wings were of air--her golden ringlets danced in
the "tremulous, singing wind," giving out the perfume of the
blossoming lily; her tiny rose-bud of a mouth opened, disclosing the
whitest and smallest seed-pearl teeth, as with a smile beaming with
love and sweetness, she said:

"Beloved Queen, most gladly have I come at your bidding. Deign but to
command, and I will hasten to obey."

"Dear Fancy," said the Queen, placing her hand tenderly upon Charley's
shoulder, "here is a lovely mortal who has suffered from his infancy;
but all his pain has not been sufficient to sour his temper, or
conquer his gratitude and love for the blessings and mercies which
remain to him. As flowers spring from the dust, so have love, and
truth, and every noble quality, sprung from the dark and bitter
suffering of his life. For this I love him, and will strive to make
the few days left to him on earth less sad, less painful; and I will
do this by showing him all our fairy life. I have sent for you to ask
you to exhibit, for his amusement, some magic bubbles; I would like
him to look at them now."

For answer, the little elf bowed gracefully, dipped her pipe in the
foaming dew, and began to breathe softly through the stem.

Soon the thin bubble rose in the twinkling fire-fly light. At first it
was all of a gray-dark color; but out of this dark, like the sun
breaking through the mist, bright golden and ruby tints began to
appear.

It grew in size and splendor, till at last the fairy gently waving the
pipe, the bubble slowly and gracefully floated away, and up a little,
and then poised itself, and rested just before Charley.

It was like a moving picture in an oval frame. Within appeared a large
and handsome parlor; a number of beautiful little children were
grouped about the room, eviden