ed in laughing over.

Soon, however, they were startled to hear a silvery peal of laughter
answering their own, and turning to see whence the sound proceeded,
they found seated near them a creature so beautiful that at once the
three pairs of eyes opened to their widest extent, and three hearts
beat much faster than before.

"Well, I must say you DO stare!" exclaimed the newcomer, who was
clothed in soft floating robes of rose and pearl color, and whose eyes
shone upon them like two stars.

"Forgive our impertinence," answered the little Lady Seseley, trying to
appear dignified and unmoved; "but you must acknowledge that you came
among us uninvited, and--and you are certainly rather odd in
appearance."

Again the silvery laughter rang through the glade.

"Uninvited!" echoed the creature, clapping her hands together
delightedly; "uninvited to my own forest home! Why, my dear girls, you
are the uninvited ones--indeed you are--to thus come romping into our
fairy bower."

The children did not open their eyes any wider on hearing this speech,
for they could not; but their faces expressed their amazement fully,
while Helda gasped the words:

"A fairy bower! We are in a fairy bower!"

"Most certainly," was the reply. "And as for being odd in appearance,
let me ask how you could reasonably expect a fairy to appear as mortal
maidens do?"

"A fairy!" exclaimed Seseley. "Are you, then, a real fairy?"

"I regret to say I am," returned the other, more soberly, as she patted
a moss-bank with a silver-tipped wand.

Then for a moment there was silence, while the three girls sat very
still and stared at their immortal companion with evident curiosity.
Finally Seseley asked:

"Why do you regret being a fairy? I have always thought them the
happiest creatures in the world."

"Perhaps we ought to be happy," answered the fairy, gravely, "for we
have wonderful powers and do much to assist you helpless mortals. And
I suppose some of us really are happy. But, for my part, I am so
utterly tired of a fairy life that I would do anything to change it."

"That is strange," declared Berna. "You seem very young to be already
discontented with your lot."

Now at this the fairy burst into laughter again, and presently asked:

"How old do you think me?"

"About our own age," said Berna, after a glance at her and a moment's
reflection.

"Nonsense!" retorted the fairy, sharply. "These trees are hundreds of
years old, yet