o hurt the
O'Briens myself, but it's for the good of us all, and it's our only
chance. These mortals are getting ahead of us that far, and they'll be
doing something next that will exterminate us entirely. We'll send
and get both the children."

The Queen urged again that the O'Briens had always been good to the
Good People and must not be harmed, but the King had his mind set on
Naggeneen's plan and he would hear of nothing else. It was settled and
it could not be changed. They must have both children. They should
live among the fairies till they were old enough to be sent out to
learn the ways of men. And they should always come back and teach the
fairies the ways of men that they had learned.

"And it's to-night we'd better be doing it, if we're to do it at all,"
said the King. "Now, who'll be the ones to go and be put in the place
of the children?"

Nobody seemed to care about going to play the part of a baby with the
Sullivans, or even with the O'Briens. Everybody was trying to get out
of the King's sight behind the others. "We'ld have to be lyin' still
all day," one whispered, "with never a dance to rest ourselves with."

"They might be puttin' holy water on us," said another, and all who
heard him shivered.

"There'll be all sorts of unpleasantness, anyway," said a third.

"Maybe they'ld find us out," said a fourth, "and then they'ld be
puttin' all sorts of horrible charms on us to be rid of us."

But the King called one of the women and told her that she must go and
stay in the place of the baby at the O'Briens. She whimpered a little,
but she knew that what the King said must be done. Then the King
looked around him and said, "Where's Naggeneen got to at all now?"

"Here I am to the fore," said Naggeneen.

"You'll go," said the King, "and you'll be put in the place of the boy
that's at the Sullivans."

"I go!" said Naggeneen. "Never a step. Didn't I tell you of the plan?
And that's enough. Now do it for yourself. I don't belong to you and
you know it. Do your own work."

"I'll not be disputin' with you," said the King. "Whether you belong
to me or no, you're in my palace along with my tribe, and you'll do
what I tell you. It's tired of you I've been this great while, and now
I've a chance to be rid of you. You'll go to the Sullivans and you'll
stay there and you'll grow up like their child. And mind you play your
part well and don't let them know what you are. If you do, they'll
work some charm on