v.] HARRY’S DREAM. 283

 

‘Ha!’ cried the brown gentleman, ‘our young
friend is awake. Come, Cinderella, let us go and talk
to him.’

Upon this the lady without more ado stepped out
of her bath-chair, and in so doing exhibited a remark-
ably small foot with such a tiny slipper upon it that
Harry began to think he had before his eyes the verit-
able Cinderella of the olden story. The old gentleman
offered her his arm, and they walked together straight
up to the window at which Harry was now sitting up-
right on his sofa. Then he perceived for the first time
that the lady was somewhat smaller than the gentle-
man, and that her features bore an extraordinary re-
semblance to those of his own sister May, of whom he
was excessively fond, but whom he never expected to
find walking arm in arm with a brown gentleman in
what was evidently a fairy garden. But not only was
it like May but it absolutely was May: Harry was
perfectly sure of it; so sure, indeed, that as soon as
the pair came close to the window, which they presently
did, he shouted out in a tone of surprise, ‘Why,
May? is that you? How ever did you come here, and
what are you doing ?’

The person addressed received his words in a
strange and novel manner. She sat plump down
upon a rosebush (which to most persons would have
been exceedingly inconvenient) and began to cry ;
whilst the old gentleman, as if it was a thing of every-
day occurrence, to which he was quite accustomed,
deliberately drew from his pocket a clean brown
pocket-handkerchief, gracefully unfolded it and began
with tender care gravely to dry the tears as they