FAIRY WELL AND PLOT OF GNOMES..- 47.

nothing could have tempted them to address
their queen until she had given them permis-
sion to do so.

“Well?” demanded the blue dragon-fly
ial al condescending tone, “what have ye to
report?”

“Gracious lady,” replied the first lady-in-
waiting deferentially, “we followed thy com-
mands and hovered over the lake in the
vicinity of the rover’s nets. Ere long we
heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and
soon the rover’s children appeared. ‘I wish
we might see Mona when she finds her nets
empty, said Wassa as she seized the cord of
her own nets and began pulling them toward
the shore. ‘How heavy they are!’ she cried
as she drew them through the water; ‘we shall
have plenty of fishes to-day.’

“Imagine her surprise, gracious queen,
when, instead of fishes, two large, flat stones
lay in the nets!” She exclaimed angrily,
‘This is Mona’s work!’ and the other chil-
dren echoed, ‘ Yes, this is Mona’s work! It is
she who did the mischief.’

“ Then, gracious lady, my attention was sud-
denly attracted by a tall, yellow lily that waved