The Fairy Godmothers. 13

and tell whether Mifs Aurora, Mifs Julia, Mifs
Hermione, &c. &c. &c. were brought up on baked
flour, groat-gruel, rufks, tops and bottoms, or re-
valenta food! Whether they took more caftor-
oil, or rhubarb and magnefia; whether they
fqualled on thofe occafions or were very good.
When they cut their teeth and how, together
with all the &c. and ups and downs of Nurfery
life which large families, fuch as you and I belong
to, go through daily.

Well then, fuppofe I altogether pafs over a pe-
riod of ten years, and enter into no minute parti-
culars refpecting that portion of Time. You
muft know that the Fairies had agreed that all the
children fhould have the fame (and rather a large)
amount of intelle&t, or what you would call cle-
vernefs : that is to fay, they were all equally capa-
ble of learning anything they chofe to learn: alfo
they had all fair health, plenty to eat and drink,
and all the fo called “ neceflary ” comforts of life.

Now then to our ftory.

At the end of ten years the Fairies agreed to go
and have a peep how their charges were going on.
They quite knew that nothing decifive could be
found out, till the children had come to years of
difcretion and were their own miftrefles. Still
they thought it would amufe them juft to go and
fee how the charms were working, as it were ; fo,
away they went.

Now pi@ture to yourfelves a nice large nurfery,
much fuch a one as your own, in which feveral