lad and gay. But seated on a
couch, where lovely painted windows threw down all sorts of rainbow
colors on her, was a beautiful fairy lady, as large as a woman. She
had Mopsa in her arms, and was looking down upon her with eyes full of
love, while at her side stood a boy, who was exactly and precisely
like Jack himself. He had rather long light hair and gray eyes, and a
velvet jacket. That was all Jack could see at first, but as he drew
nearer the boy turned, and then Jack felt as if he was looking at
himself in the glass.

Mopsa had been very tired, and now she was fast asleep, with her head
on that lady's shoulder. The boy kept looking at her, and he seemed
very happy indeed; so did the lady, and she presently told him to
bring Jack something to eat.

It was rather a curious speech that she made to him; it was this:--

"Jack, bring Jack some breakfast."

"What!" thought Jack to himself, "has he got a face like mine, and a
name like mine too?"

So that other Jack went away, and presently came back with a golden
plate full of nice things to eat.

"I know you don't like me," he said, as he came up to Jack with the
plate.

"Not like him?" repeated the lady; "and pray what reason have you for
not liking my royal nephew?"

"O dame!" exclaimed the boy, and laughed.

The lady, on hearing this, turned pale, for she perceived that she
herself had mistaken the one for the other.

"I see you know how to laugh," said the real Jack. "You are wiser
people than those whom I went to first; but the reason I don't like
you is, that you are so exactly like me."

"I am not!" exclaimed the boy. "Only hear him, dame! You mean, I
suppose, that you are so exactly like me. I am sure I don't know what
you mean by it."

"Nor I either," replied Jack, almost in a passion.

"It couldn't be helped, of course," said the other Jack.

"Hush! hush!" said the fairy woman; "don't wake our dear little Queen.
Was it you, my royal nephew, who spoke last?"

"Yes, dame," answered the boy, and again he offered the plate; but
Jack was swelling with indignation, and he gave the plate a push with
his elbow, which scattered the fruit and bread on the ground.

"I won't eat it," he said; but when the other Jack went and picked it
up again, and said, "Oh, yes, do, old fellow; it's not my fault, you
know," he began to consider that it was no use being cross in
Fairyland; so he forgave his double, and had just finished his
breakfast when Mopsa woke