CHRISTMAS [IN SWITZERLAND. 17

astonishment. There, on a large bough of the beech-tree,
immediately above their heads, stood the Forest Fairy. She
was dressed in her winter cloak of mole skin, but so elegantly
was it made, that you could tell at once that it belonged to a
Fairy, even if you had not seen the beautiful diamond buttons,
and the gold and silver braid all over it. She had a branch
of mistletoe in her hand, and a squirrel sat on each side of
her, whilst she stood on the bough, and spoke to her visitors
below. The latter, though startled at first, felt that no harm
was intended, for they had only to look upon the kind expres- -
' sion on the face of the Forest Fairy, to be quite sure that
she had the most friendly feeling towards them.

“Why have you come to my palace, good people?” she
asked; and the grandfather opened his mouth very wide, as
some people always. do when they are asked a question by a
person of higher rank than themselves. But Marie clasped
her little hands, and said at once to the Fairy:

«‘Oh, do not be angry, dear Lady, for we did not know —
Gran and I-—that this was your palace, and we came down
here to eat our dinner quietly under the boughs of the beech.
And, as to our having only bread and potatoes, indeed that
isn’t our choice, but we can get.nothing else, for we are
poor, very poor, Gran and I, and we hardly know one day
whether we can look forward to any dinner at all on the next.
But it is my fault bringing Grn down under the beech, so
pray don’t be angry with Az /’

Then the Fairy smiled sweetly upon the child, and she
said : :
“ Marie!”’ (for Fairies know children’s names by chen
and, if they are good -children, are very partial to them) “I,
am not angry, nor are you so:‘very, very poor; for no one is,