he window where Ting-a-ling was
standing. As his head just reached a little above the window-seat,
Ting-a-ling went close to his ear and shouted to him, to please tell him
what was the matter. The page started at first, but, seeing it was only
a little fairy, he told him that the Princess was lost, and that the
whole army was going out to find her. Before he could say anything more,
the King was heard to roar for his spurs, and away ran the little page,
whether to look again for the spurs, or to hide himself, is not known at
the present day. Ting-a-ling now became very much excited. The Princess
Aufalia, who had been married to the Prince but a month ago, was very
dear to him, and he felt that he must do something for her. But while he
was thinking what this something might possibly be, he heard the clear
and distinct sound of a tiny bell, which, however, no one but a fairy
could possibly have heard above all that noise. He knew it was the bell
of the fairy Queen, summoning her subjects to her presence; and in a
moment he slid down the vine, and scampered away to the gardens. There,
although the sun was shining brightly, and the fairies seldom assembled
but by night, there were great crowds of them, all listening to the
Queen, and keeping much better order than the people in the King's
palace. The Queen addressed them in soul-stirring strains, and urged
every one to do their best to find the missing Princess. In the night
she had been taken away, while the Prince and everybody were asleep.
"And now," said the Queen, untying her scarf, and holding it up, "away
with you, every one! Search every house, garden, mountain, and plain, in
the land, and the first one who comes to me with news of the Princess
Aufalia, shall wear my scarf!" And, as this was a mark of high
distinction, and conveyed privileges of which there is no time now to
tell, the fairies gave a great cheer (which would have sounded to you,
had you heard it, like a puff of wind through a thicket of reeds), and
they all rushed away in every direction. Now, though the fairies of this
tribe could go almost anywhere, through small cracks and key-holes,
under doors, and into places where no one else could possibly penetrate,
they did not fly, or float in the air, or anything of that sort. When
they wished to travel fast or far, they would mount on butterflies and
all sorts of insects; but they seldom needed such assistance, as they
were not in the habit of going far f