e to the hyacinth wood by moonlight.
Fairies detest a crowd, and I ought to have gone alone; but, to tell
the truth, I hardly dared, for they have a way of kidnapping attractive
ladies and keeping them for years in the dim kingdom. I would not trust
Himself at Glen Ailna for worlds, for gentlemen are not exempt from
danger. Connla of the Golden Hair was lured away by a fairy maiden, and
taken, in a 'gleaming, straight-gliding, strong, crystal canoe,' to her
domain in the hills; and Oisin, you remember, was transported to the
Land of the Ever Youthful by the beautiful Niam. If one could only be
sure of coming back! but Oisin, for instance, was detained three hundred
years, so one might not be allowed to return, and still worse, one
might not wish to; three hundred years of youth would tempt--a woman!
My opinion, after reading the Elf Errant, is that one of us has been
there--Moira O'Neill. I should suspect her of being able to wear a fairy
cap herself, were it not for the human heart-throb in her verses; but I
am sure she has the glamour whenever she desires it, and hears the fairy
pipes at will.

Benella is of different stuff; she not only distrusts fairies, but, like
the Scotch Presbyterians, she fears that they are wicked. "Still, you
say they haven't got immortal souls to save, and I don't suppose they're
responsible for their actions," she allows; "but as for traipsing up to
those heathenish, haunted woods when all Christian folks are in bed, I
don't believe in it, and neither would Mr. Beresford; but if you're set
on it, I shall go with you!"

"You wouldn't be of the slightest use," I answered severely; "indeed,
you'd be worse than nobody. The fairies cannot endure doubters; it
makes them fold their wings over their heads and shrink away into their
flowercups. I should be mortified beyond words if a fairy should meet me
in your company."

Benella seemed hurt and a trifle resentful as she replied: "That about
doubters is just what Mrs. Kimberly used to say." (Mrs. Kimberly is the
Salem priestess, the originator of the 'science.') "She couldn't talk a
mite if there was doubters in the hall; and it's so with spiritualists
and clairvoyants, too--they're all of 'em scare-cats. I guess likely
that those that's so afraid of being doubted has some good reason for
it!"

Well, I never went to the hyacinth wood by moonlight, since so many
objections were raised, but I did go once at noonday, the very most
unlikely hour o