r chair, and
when she recovered, both the page and the fairy had vanished.

At first she felt vaguely puzzled, not remembering clearly what had
happened; then it all came back to her, and jumping up she ran to the
nearest mirror. Oh! how happy she was! Her long nose and her
projecting teeth had become things of beauty, her hair was thick and
curly, and bright gold. The fairy had indeed fulfilled her promise!
But, in her hurry and pleasure, the queen never noticed that she had
not been changed into a beautiful young lady, but into a very tall
little girl of eight or nine years old! Instead of her magnificent
velvet dress, edged with fur and embroidered in gold, she wore a
straight muslin frock, with a little lace apron, while her hair,
which was always combed and twisted and fastened with diamond pins,
hung in curls down her back. But if she had only known, something
besides this had befallen her, for except as regards her love for the
king of the Green Isles, her mind as well as her face had become that
of a child, and this her courtiers were aware of, if she was not. Of
course they could not imagine what had occurred, and did not know how
to behave themselves, till the chief minister set them the example by
ordering his wife and daughters to copy the queen's clothes and way of
speaking. Then, in a short time, the whole court, including the men,
talked and dressed like children, and played with dolls, or little tin
soldiers, while at the state dinners nothing was seen but iced fruits,
or sweet cakes made in the shape of birds and horses. But whatever she
might be doing, the queen hardly ceased talking about the king of the
Green Isles, whom she always spoke of as 'my little husband,' and as
weeks passed on, and he did not come, she began to get very cross and
impatient, so that her courtiers kept away from her as much as they
could. By this time, too, they were growing tired of pretending to be
children, and whispered their intention of leaving the palace and
taking service under a neighbouring sovereign, when, one day, a loud
blast of trumpets announced the arrival of the long-expected guest. In
an instant all was smiles again, and in spite of the strictest rules
of court etiquette, the queen insisted on receiving the young king at
the bottom of the stairs. Unfortunately, in her haste, she fell over
her dress, and rolled down several steps, screaming like a child, from
fright. She was not really much hurt, though she h