plenty of it, too. Bring in Berrylegs."

Berrylegs, who proved to be a wiry little Fairy, with a silver coat and
tight, cherry-colored trousers, was immediately brought in. His little
wings fairly bristled with defiance, and his manner, as he stood before
the Queen, was so impudent, that Davy felt morally certain there was
going to be a scene.

"May it please your Transparent Highness,"--began Berrylegs.

[Illustration: "DAVY FELT MORALLY CERTAIN THERE WAS GOING TO BE A
SCENE."]

"Skip all that!" interrupted the Queen, flourishing her mullen-stalk.

"Skip, yourself!" said Berrylegs, boldly, in reply. "Don't you suppose I
know how to talk to a Queen?"

The Queen turned very pale, and, after a hurried consultation with the
Prime Minister, said faintly, "Have it your own way;" and Berrylegs
began again.

"May it please your Transparent Highness, I've found out how the needles
get into the haystacks."

As Berrylegs said this a terrible commotion arose at once among the
fairies. The Prime Minister cried out, "Oh, come, I say! That's not
fair, you know," and the Queen became so agitated that she began taking
great bites off the end of the mullen-stalk in a dazed sort of way; and
Davy noticed that the Goblin, in his excitement, was trying to climb up
on one of the mouse-stalls, so as to get a better view of what was going
on. At last the Queen, whose mouth was now quite filled with bits of the
mullen-stalk, mumbled, "Get to the point."

"It ought to be a sharp one, being about needles," said the Prime
Minister, attempting a joke, with a feeble laugh, but no one paid the
slightest attention to him; and Berrylegs, who was now positively
swelling with importance, called out, in a loud voice, "It comes from
using sewing-machines when they sow the hay-seed!"

The Prime Minister gave a shriek, and fell flat on his face, and the
Queen began jumping frantically up and down, and beating about on all
sides of her with the end of the mullen-stalk, when suddenly a large Cat
walked into the stable, and the fairies fled in all directions. There
was no mistaking the Cat, and Davy, forgetting entirely the Goblin's
caution, exclaimed, "Why! it's Solomon!"

The next instant the lights disappeared, and Davy found himself in
total darkness, with Solomon's eyes shining at him like two balls of
fire. There was a confused sound of sobs and cries and the squeaking of
mice, among which could be heard the Goblin's voice, crying, "Davy!