The Fairy Godmothers. 25

the ladies were talking to her, for fhe perceived
their eyes frequently attracted by its brilliancy and
beauty. Then her mind rambled into futurity, to
the day when fhe would aftonifh thefe very ladies
far more than now by the richnefs of her coftume.
Ah, dear readers, would our Saviour if prefent
have called this little child to him, and faid, “ Of
fuch is the kingdom of Heaven?” But all thefe
felfifh thoughts made her converfation lefs pleafant
and cheerful than it would otherwife have been;
for you may be fure fhe was not liftening with any
intereft to what was faid to her, while fhe was
thus planning filly {chemes about herfelf.

And not having liftened with any intereft to
what was faid to her, you may guefs that her an-
fwers were dull and ftupid; for when people are
talking of one thing and thinking of another they
become very flat companions. At times when
fhe could forget herfelf fhe became natural and
then was both pleafant and pleafed, and afked fome
ladies to let their children come and fee her next
day, to which they confented. But now came a
fad drawback. One of the ladies told her that her
little girl fhould bring to fhew her a moft beautiful
gold fillagree work-box fet with precious ftones,
which one of the maids of honour about court,
who was her godmother, had given her a few
days before. This lady had faved a few of the
queen’s hairs very carefully, and had had them
placed in a little circle of cryftal in the middle of
the box, and they were fet round with the moft