ble, so they can not be interfered with. Have you
ever," she asked, suddenly, "seen a fairy before?"

"Never," replied Seseley.

"Nor would you have seen me to-day, had I not known you were kind and
pure-hearted, or had I not resolved to ask you to exercise your powers
upon me."

"I must say," remarked Helda, boldly, "that you are foolish to wish to
become anything different from what you are."

"For you are very beautiful NOW," added Berna, admiringly.

"Beautiful!" retorted the fairy, with a little frown; "what does beauty
amount to, if one is to remain invisible?"

"Not much, that is true," agreed Berna, smoothing her own dark locks.

"And as for being foolish," continued the fairy, "I ought to be allowed
to act foolishly if I want to. For centuries past I have not had a
chance to do a single foolish thing."

"Poor dear!" said Helda, softly.

Seseley had listened silently to this conversation. Now she inquired:

"What do you wish to become?"

"A mortal!" answered the fairy, promptly.

"A girl, like ourselves?" questioned the baron's daughter.

"Perhaps," said the fairy, as if undecided.

"Then you would be likely to endure many privations," said Seseley,
gently. "For you would have neither father nor mother to befriend you,
nor any house to live in."

"And if you hired your services to some baron, you would be obliged to
wash dishes all day, or mend clothing, or herd cattle," said Berna.

"But I should travel all over the island," said the fairy, brightly,
"and that is what I long to do. I do not care to work."

"I fear a girl would not be allowed to travel alone," Seseley remarked,
after some further thought. "At least," she added, "I have never heard
of such a thing."

"No," said the fairy, rather bitterly, "your men are the ones that roam
abroad and have adventures of all kinds. Your women are poor, weak
creatures, I remember."

There was no denying this, so the three girls sat silent until Seseley
asked:

"Why do you wish to become a mortal?"

"To gain exciting experiences," answered the fairy. "I'm tired of
being a humdrum fairy year in and year out. Of course, I do not wish
to become a mortal for all time, for that would get monotonous, too;
but to live a short while as the earth people do would amuse me very
much."

"If you want variety, you should become a boy," said Helda, with a
laugh, "The life of a boy is one round of excitement."

"Then make me a boy!" exclaimed the