THE GOLD OF FAIRNILEE. 293

 

There Randal said that he had quite for-
gotten his mother and Jean, and the world
where he was born, and Fairnilee.

But one day he happened to see a beautiful
golden bottle of a strange shape, all set with
diamonds, and he opened it. There was in it
a, sweet-smelling water, as clear as crystal, and
he poured it into his hand, and passed his hand
over his eyes. Now this water had the power
to destroy the “glamour” in Fairyland, and
make people see it as it really was. And when
Randal touched his eyes with it, lo, everything
was changed in a moment. He saw that no-
thing was what it had seemed. The gold
vanished from the 5
embroidered cur-
tains, the light grew
dim and wretched
like a misty winter
day. The. Fairy
Queen, that had
seemed so happy
and beautiful in her
bright dress, was a
weary, pale woman
in black, with a
melancholy face and |
melancholy eyes. |:
She looked as if she ~
had been there for
thousands of years,