III.] THE SILVER FAIRIES. 163

 

Simon listened to these words with as much attention
as his dozing condition permitted, and felt somewhat
uneasy at the tone and manner in which they were
sung, as well as at the actual words themselves.
Their meaning was not very clear to him, but he
supposed that the Silver Fairies, like himself, disliked
leaving the old den, and were taking their last fare-
well of the same, as in fact he himself was doing,
though after a different fashion.

In fact, the next day the old piece of furniture,
together with such of Simon’s other household goods
as had not already been moved to the new house,
was to be taken thereto, and placed in the room which
had been fixed upon for the study of the master of
the house. Doubtless, thought Simon, the Fairies
knew this as well as he did, and perhaps liked the
proposed change little better. However, it was too
late to make any alteration in his plans, and there-
fore he deemed it best to say nothing upon the
subject, but, after the scene which has just been
described, retired to rest with a heart by no means as
light as that with which in old days he had been used
' to close his evenings after a good day’s work anda
comfortable pipe at the end of it.

Next morning all was bustle and confusion in the
old house, men running to and fro, luggage being
moved from one place to another, would-be helpers
standing in the way at every corner, idle people
looking on, and all the usual preparations going for-
ward for the migration of a family from one house
to another. Simon felt more melancholy than ever,
but it seemed useless to indulge in such feelings, and

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