she dared not even hint at such a thing.

But she resolved in her own mind to do all in her power to show that she
was not the welcome fairy.

On such occasions, when human beings were honored by the presence of
fairy visitors, these distinguished guests were naturally given
precedence of all others, otherwise very certainly they would never have
come again. Even among fairies themselves there are ranks and
formalities, and the Queen well knew that the first place was due to the
Northern spirit. But she gave instructions that this rule should be
departed from, and the Snow fairy, as she was sometimes called, found
herself placed at the King's left hand, separated from him by her sister
of the West, instead of next to him on the right, which seat, on the
contrary, was occupied by the fairy of the South. She glanced round her
calmly, but took no notice; and the King, imagining that by her own
choice perhaps, she had chosen the unusual position, made no remark. And
the feast progressed with the accustomed splendor and rejoicing.

But at the end, when the moment arrived at which the four godmothers
were expected to state their gifts to the baby, the Queen's spite could
be no longer concealed.

"I request," she exclaimed, "that for reasons well known to herself, to
the King, and to myself, the Northern fairy's gift may be the last in
order instead of the first."

The King started and grew pale. The beautiful, soft-voiced fairy of the
South, in her glowing golden draperies, would fain have held back, for
her affection for her sterner sister was largely mingled with awe. But
the Snow fairy signed to her imperiously to speak.

"I bestow upon the Princess Sweet-Heart," she said, half tremblingly,
"the gift of great beauty."

"And I," said the spirit of the East, who came next, her red robes
falling majestically around her, her dark hair lying smoothly in its
thick masses on her broad, low forehead, "I give her great powers of
intellect and intelligence."

"And I," said the Western fairy, with a bright, breezy flutter of her
sea-green garments, "health--perfect health and strength of body, as my
gift to the pretty child."

"And you," said the Queen bitterly, "you, cold-hearted fairy, who have
done your best to kill me with misery, who came between my husband and
me, making him neglect me as he never would have done but for your
influence--what will _you_ give my child? Will you do something to make
amends for the suffe