and there on the cloth, or on anything that lay on
it, and at every place a little round bud or drop of very bright but
also soft light came out. "See?" he said, and darted round again,
passing his hands over the lights and touching his lips; and they were
gone. He came back and said, "It's a _much_ better way; it is _really_,"
as if it were only my native stupidity that prevented me from using it
myself.

A smaller one, who looked to me rather a quieter sort than Wag, had come
up and was standing by him: he now said in a low voice:

"P'raps they can't."

It seemed a new idea to Wag: he made his eyes very round. "Can't? Oh,
rot! it's quite simple."

The other shook his head and pointed to my hand which rested on the
table. Wag looked at it too, and then at my face.

"Could I see it spread out?" he said.

"Yes, if you'll promise not to spoil it."

He laughed slightly, and then both he and the other--whom he called
Slim--bent over and looked closely at the tips of my fingers. "Other
side, please," he said after a time, and they subjected my nails to a
like examination. The others, who had been at the remoter parts of the
table, wandered up and looked over their shoulders. After tapping my
nails and lifting up one or more fingers, Wag stood upright and said:

"Well, I s'pose it's true, and you can't. I thought your sort could do
anything."

"I thought much the same about you," I said in self-defence. "I always
thought you could fly, but you----"

"So we can," said Wag very sharply, and his face grew red.

"Oh," I said, "then why haven't you been doing it to-night?"

He kicked one foot with the other and looked quickly at Slim. The rest
said nothing and edged away, humming to themselves.

"Well, we _can_ fly perfectly well, only----"

"Only not to-night, I suppose," said I, rather unkindly.

"No, _not_ to-night," said Wag; "and you needn't laugh, either--we'll
soon show you."

"That _will_ be nice," I said; "and when will you show me?"

"Let's see" (he turned to Slim), "two nights more, isn't it? All right
then (to me), in two nights more you'll see."

Just then a moth which flew in caused a welcome diversion--for I could
see that somehow I had touched on a sore subject, and that he was
feeling awkward--and he first jumped at it and then ran after it. Slim
lingered. I raised my eyebrows and pointed at Wag. Slim nodded.

"The fact is," he said in a low voice, "he got us into rather a row
yesterday an