w.

"I never play," answered the little girl, who possessed all the gifts
of Fairyland.

"That is a pity," observed the Prince, "for it is the only thing worth
doing. What do you do all day if you don't play?"

"I think," answered Little Wisdom, gravely. "I think about everything
in the world; and when I have come to the end I begin all over again."

"How queer!" said the Prince. "I have never thought about anything in
my whole life. It is much better to laugh."

"Is it?" asked Little Wisdom, and she smoothed out the folds of her
stiff white frock thoughtfully. After thinking all day long for eleven
years it seemed as though it might make a change to learn to laugh.

"Do you know," continued the Prince, "that you have all the gifts of
Fairyland? That is why I am the stupidest boy in the world."

"I know," said Little Wisdom without seeming at all surprised, which
was, of course, only natural, for when one knows everything in the
world there is nothing left to be surprised at.

"If the sun had shone straight on my christening day," said Prince
Charming, "I should have had all the gifts of Fairyland instead of you."

"I know," said Little Wisdom again. It seemed to her very unnecessary
to talk so much about things that she had always known without being
told.

"And if I had all the gifts of Fairyland instead of you, I should have
learnt to be serious," continued Prince Charming.

"Perhaps you would," said Little Wisdom. She was beginning to wonder
if all stupid boys were as nice as this little Prince, who seemed to
take it for granted that she wanted to go on talking to him.

"Of course," continued Prince Charming, "I should not think of
depriving you of any of the gifts from Fairyland; but if you will come
back to the palace with me and teach me how to be serious I will give
you the wymps' gift in exchange. It is not a very nice present,
perhaps," he added humbly, "because it makes everybody complain of you
so much; but it is the only gift I have to offer you."

"And what is the wymps' gift?" asked Little Wisdom. She was quite
interested now, for here at last was something that she did not know.
The Prince answered her with a peal of laughter; and Little Wisdom
began to feel decidedly odd. First of all, she felt a curious tickling
somewhere at the back of her head, and then a widening out of the
thinking lines on her forehead, and then a twitching sensation round
the corners of her mouth, and th