was no answer.

He thought he would call again, and then suddenly he remembered the
Counterpane Fairy, and wondered if she would like little boys who called
their mothers so early.

He turned over in bed, and raising his knees into a hill stared at the
yellow silk square and thought of the wonderful golden castle where she
had taken him the day before. He wished he knew what all the bird people
would have done when they reached the top of the stairs. He thought they
would have put a golden crown on his head and made him king.

And the princess was so beautiful he longed to see her again. How
surprised Hannah would have been if she had heard voices, and had
come up-stairs to see who it was, and had found the beautiful princess
sitting with him, and had seen the golden crown on his head! If she only
knew about it she would never call him a mischievous boy again. He had
done a great deal more than Hannah could.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" said a little voice just back of his knees;
"almost at the top, anyway." Teddy knew the voice; it was that of the
Counterpane Fairy, and there was the top of her brown hood showing over
his knees. He watched, breathless with eagerness, until he saw her face
appear above them, and then he cried out: "I wondered whether you would
come; I'm so glad. Are you going to show me another story, and will you
stay a long while?"

The Counterpane Fairy said nothing until she had sat down on top of his
knees for a while and caught her breath, and then she said: "Well, well!
It's steeper than it was yesterday. I thought I should never get across
that satin square, it was so slippery."

"Shall I put my knees down?" asked Teddy, moving them.

"For mercy's sake! no," said the fairy, clutching at the quilt. "You
might upset me. Keep right still and I'll show you another story."

"Oh, yes!" cried Teddy; "please do; and let me go to the golden castle
again."

"No, I can't do that," said the Counterpane Fairy, "for that was
yesterday's story, and this will be another."

"But what became of the princess?" asked Teddy.

"Oh! she married the hero, of course," said the fairy.

"But I thought I was the hero."

"There, there!" said the fairy, impatiently, "I told you that was
yesterday's story, and if you want to see any more you must choose
another square."

"Well, I will," said Teddy. "May I choose that green square?"

"Yes," said the fairy. "Now fix your eyes on it while I count."

Teddy began to st