steps! you'll have to borrow Jack's seven-leagued boots. I wonder who
lives on the top?"

"Why, the crows, to be sure," said Harry, "and they keep up _such_ a
talking; it is like a hail-storm all the time; you never heard any
thing like the way crows can scold. If one crow is caught stealing,
all the rest caw and croak at him, till he very nearly goes into fits,
and then they all fly at him till he hasn't a feather left; I read all
about it in my Natural History."

"Oh!" cried little Minnie, "how I like to hear stories about fishes!
tell another crow story."

While the children were good-naturedly laughing and explaining to
Minnie that a crow was a bird, their mother appeared at the
cottage-door and said, "Breakfast, children."

In they all rushed, quite ready for the nice corn-bread, boiled eggs,
and _real milk_--not _milkman's_ milk--but they looked round in some
surprise for Charley.

"He is still sleeping," said the little mother, "and smiling in his
sleep; this quiet rest will do him so much good, I hope. Oh, my
precious Charley!" she exclaimed, "if I could only keep you a little
longer;" and her eyes filled with tears.

The children looked sad and grave, and two or three went round and
kissed their mother, and patted her kind cheek, and said they were
sure Charley was better. After breakfast they stole softly up stairs
to look again at their darling brother.

Charley was sitting up in bed as they entered: a strange bewildered
expression was upon his face, and he had his hands behind him, trying
to feel his shoulders.

"Do come here, George," said he, "and see if there are wings upon my
back."

"WINGS!!!" shouted the children in amazement, "what _can_ Charley
mean?"

"Yes, _wings_," replied Charley; "the fairy Queen fastened them upon
my back last night, and I went with her and her beautiful maids of
honor to the Midsummer ball. Oh! how delightful it was, and how I
longed for you!"

"Goodness!" exclaimed the children, "did you really go? How perfect!
Did you ever? Why didn't they take us, too? Oh, Charley! do begin at
the very beginning, and tell us all about it. Won't you? Say! do, come!"

Clustering around the bed, their eyes fastened upon his face,
breathless with wonder and delight, and with no end of exclamations,
they listened to the enchanting account of Charley's adventures. The
little mother came in the room just at the end; upon which they all
rushed at her in a body, and told the amazin