e quite unable to distinguish between a vivid
waking fancy or dream of sleep, and a real occurrence. Very well,
I must bear your unbelief as best I may, and at all events you
will listen to my story.

Will you believe that among the Tenants of our Old Farm is a
nation of Fairies? You have not suspected their existence
heretofore; but then, neither did I suspect that legions of
curious beings are all around us until the wand of your knowledge
had touched my eyes, and opened them to the wonderful life
histories that are being wrought out among our fellow tenants of
the insect world.

[Illustration: THE BOY'S ILLUSTRATION.
FIG. 2.--Queen Fancy and the Schoolmistress.[C]]

Such, at least, was my own thought as I saw several wee dainty
bodies spring from the backs of some Honey-bees hovering over the
white clover, after the fashion of a rider dismounting from his
horse, and another group alight from a bevy of yellow Butterflies
that fluttered low down and just above the walk. They were joined
by many others of like appearance, who suddenly emerged from the
grass, from the flower border, from the drooping leaves of the
Elm, and approached me. They clambered up the English Ivy that
clings to the south side of the tree; they climbed upon the
rustic bench, and a few even ventured upon the gnarled arm
against which my elbow rested. This seemed a novel occurrence,
certainly; but I assure you that I was rather pleased than
surprised thereby, for it at once linked itself with your strange
histories of insects, and seemed a natural and matter-of-course
affair. Really, I have come to think that Nature has so many rare
and beautiful facts hidden away in her secret places that one
must never be surprised to see or hear of the most marvelous
happenings. One of the brightest and most prettily robed of these
tiny people, who seemed to be a sort of queen among them, drew
quite near and addressed me.

"You are not alarmed at our appearance. Good! Fairies do not
visit those who doubt or fear them. We are pleased to see you
smile upon us. Thanks! We give you greeting! Would you like to
know who we are? Yes? Well, we are called Brownies. Our folk came
from Scotland. You know where that is?"

"Oh, yes," I replied, speaking, I suppose, quite mechanically,
"Scotland is the northern part of the island of Great Britain; it
is bou