PART II
In went the shepherd's wife, and she prepared quite a good supper forFairyfoot and gave it to him. But Fairyfoot was scarcely hungry at all;he was so eager for the night to come, so that he might see thefairies. When he went to his loft under the roof, he thought at firstthat he could not sleep; but suddenly his hand touched the fairywhistle and he fell asleep at once, and did not waken again until amoonbeam fell brightly upon his face and aroused him. Then he jumped upand ran to the hole in the wall to look out, and he saw that the hourhad come, and the moon was so low in the sky that its slanting lighthad crept under the oak-tree.
He slipped downstairs so lightly that his master heard nothing, and thenhe found himself out in the beautiful night with the moonlight so brightthat it was lighter than daytime. And there was Robin Goodfellow waitingfor him under the tree! He was so finely dressed that, for a moment,Fairyfoot scarcely knew him. His suit was made out of the purple velvetpetals of a pansy, which was far finer than any ordinary velvet, and hewore plumes and tassels, and a ruffle around his neck, and in his beltwas thrust a tiny sword, not half as big as the finest needle.
"Take me on your shoulder," he said to Fairyfoot, "and I will showyou the way."
Fairyfoot took him up, and they went their way through the forest. Andthe strange part of it was that though Fairyfoot thought he knew ill theforest by heart, every path they took was new to him, and more beautifulthan anything he had ever seen before. The moonlight seemed to growbrighter and purer at every step, and the sleeping flowers sweeter andlovelier, and the moss greener and thicken Fairyfoot felt so happy andgay that he forgot he had ever been sad and lonely in his life.
Robin Goodfellow, too, seemed to be in very good spirits. He related agreat many stories to Fairyfoot, and, singularly enough, they were allabout himself and divers and sundry fairy ladies who had been so verymuch attached to him that he scarcely expected to find them alive atthe present moment. He felt quite sure they must have died of grief inhis absence.
"I have caused a great deal of trouble in the course of my life," hesaid, regretfully, shaking his head. "I have sometimes wished I couldavoid it, but that is impossible. Ahem! When my great-aunt's grandmotherrashly and inopportunely changed me into a robin, I was having a littleflirtation with a little creature who was really quite attractive. Imight have decided to engage myself to her. She was very charming. Hername was Gauzita. To-morrow I shall go and place flowers on her tomb."
"I thought fairies never died," said Fairyfoot.
"Only on rare occasions, and only from love," answered Robin. "Theyneedn't die unless they wish to. They have been known to do it throughlove. They frequently wish they hadn't afterward--in fact,invariably--and then they can come to life again. But Gauzita--"
"Are you quite sure she is dead?" asked Fairyfoot.
"Sure!" cried Mr. Goodfellow, in wild indignation, "why, she hasn't seenme for a couple of years. I've moulted twice since last we met. Icongratulate myself that she didn't see me then," he added, in a lowervoice. "Of course she's dead," he added, with solemn emphasis; "as deadas a door nail."
Just then Fairyfoot heard some enchanting sounds, faint, but clear. Theywere sounds of delicate music and of tiny laughter, like the ringing offairy bells.
"Ah!" said Robin Goodfellow, "there they are! But it seems to me theyare rather gay, considering they have not seen me for so long. Turn intothe path."
Almost immediately they found themselves in a beautiful little dell,filled with moonlight, and with glittering stars in the cup of everyflower; for there were thousands of dewdrops, and every dewdrop shonelike a star. There were also crowds and crowds of tiny men and women, allbeautiful, all dressed in brilliant, delicate dresses, all laughing ordancing or feasting at the little tables, which were loaded with everydainty the most fastidious fairy could wish for.
"Now," said Robin Goodfellow, "you shall see me sweep all before me.Put me down."
Fairyfoot put him down, and stood and watched him while he walked forwardwith a very grand manner. He went straight to the gayest and largestgroup he could see. It was a group of gentlemen fairies, who werecrowding around a lily of the valley, on the bent stem of which a tinylady fairy was sitting, airily swaying herself to and fro, and laughingand chatting with all her admirers at once.
She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely; indeed, it was disgracefullyplain that she was having a great deal of fun. One gentleman fairy wasfanning her, one was holding her programme, one had her bouquet, anotherher little scent bottle, and those who had nothing to hold for her werescowling furiously at the rest. It was evident that she was very popular,and that she did not object to it at all; in fact, the way her eyessparkled and danced was distinctly reprehensible.
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEY FOUND THEMSELVES IN A BEAUTIFULLITTLE DELL.]
"You have engaged to dance the next waltz with every one of us!" said oneof her adorers. "How are you going to do it?"
"Did I engage to dance with all of you?" she said, giving her lily stemthe sauciest little swing, which set all the bells ringing. "Well, I amnot going to dance it with all."
"Not with _me_?" the admirer with the fan whispered in her ear.
She gave him the most delightful little look, just to make him believeshe wanted to dance with him but really couldn't. Robin Goodfelllow sawher. And then she smiled sweetly upon all the rest, every one of them.Robin Goodfellow saw that, too.
"I am going to sit here and look at you, and let you talk to me," shesaid. "I do so enjoy brilliant conversation."
All the gentlemen fairies were so much elated by this that they began tobrighten up, and settle their ruffs, and fall into graceful attitudes,and think of sparkling things to say; because every one of them knew,from the glance of her eyes in his direction, that he was one whoseconversation was brilliant; every one knew there could be no mistakeabout its being himself that she meant. The way she looked just provedit. Altogether it was more than Robin Goodfellow could stand, for it wasGauzita who was deporting herself in this unaccountable manner, swingingon lily stems, and "going on," so to speak, with several parties at once,in a way to chill the blood of any proper young lady fairy--who hadn'tany partner at all. It was Gauzita herself.
He made his way into the very centre of the group.
"Gauzita!" he said. He thought, of course, she would drop right off herlily stem; but she didn't. She simply stopped swinging a moment, andstared at him.
"Gracious!" she exclaimed. "And who are you?"
"Who am I?" cried Mr. Goodfellow, severely. "Don't you remember me?"
"No," she said, coolly; "I don't, not in the least."
Robin Goodfellow almost gasped for breath. He had never met with anythingso outrageous in his life.
"You don't remember _me_?" he cried. "_Me_! Why, it's impossible!"
"Is it?" said Gauzita, with a touch of dainty impudence. "What'syour name?"
Robin Goodfellow was almost paralyzed. Gauzita took up a midget of aneyeglass which she had dangling from a thread of a gold chain, and shestuck it in her eye and tilted her impertinent little chin and looked himover. Not that she was near-sighted--not a bit of it; it was just one ofher tricks and manners.
"Dear me!" she said, "you do look a trifle familiar. It isn't, it can'tbe, Mr. ----, Mr. ----," then she turned to the adorer, who held herfan, "it can't be Mr. ----, the one who was changed into a robin, youknow," she said. "Such a ridiculous thing to be changed into! What washis name?"
"Oh, yes! I know whom you mean. Mr. ----, ah--Goodfellow!" said the fairywith the fan.
"So it was," she said, looking Robin over again. "And he has been peckingat trees and things, and hopping in and out of nests ever since, Isuppose. How absurd! And we have been enjoying ourselves so much since hewent away! I think I never _did_ have so lovely a time as I have hadduring these last two years. I began to know you," she added, in a kindlytone, "just about the time he went away."
"You have been enjoying yourself?" almost shrieked Robin Goodfellow.
"Well," said Gauzita, in unexcusable slang, "I must smile." And shedid smile.
"And nobody has pined away and died?" cried Robin.
"I haven't," said Gauzita, swinging herself and ringing her bells again."I really haven't had time."
Robin Goodfellow turned around and rushed out of the group. He regardedthis as insulting. He went back to Fairyfoot in such a hurry that hetripped on his sword and fell, and rolled over so many times thatFairyfoot had to stop him and pick him up.
"Is she dead?" asked Fairyfoot.
"No," said Robin; "she isn't."
He sat down on a small mushroom and clasped his hands about his knees andlooked mad--just mad. Angry or indignant wouldn't express it.
"I have a great mind to go and be a misanthrope," he said.
"Oh! I wouldn't," said Fairyfoot. He didn't know what a misanthrope was,but he thought it must be something unpleasant.
"Wouldn't you?" said Robin, looking up at him.
"No," answered Fairyfoot.
"Well," said Robin, "I guess I won't. Let's go and have some fun. Theyare all that way. You can't depend on any of them. Never trust one ofthem. I believe that creature has been engaged as much as twice since Ileft. By a singular coincidence," he added, "I have been married twicemyself--but, of course, that's different. I'm a man, you know, and--well,it's different. We won't dwell on it. Let's go and dance. But wait aminute first." He took a little bottle from his pocket.
"If you remain the size you are," he continued, "you will tread on wholesets of lancers and destroy entire germans. If you drink this, you willbecome as small as we are; and then, when you are going home, I will giveyou something to make you large again." Fairyfoot drank from the littleflagon, and immediately he felt himself growing smaller and smaller untilat last he was as small as his companion.
"Now, come on," said Robin.
On they went and joined the fairies, and they danced and played fairygames and feasted on fairy dainties, and were so gay and happy thatFairyfoot was wild with joy. Everybody made him welcome and seemed tolike him, and the lady fairies were simply delightful, especiallyGauzita, who took a great fancy to him. Just before the sun rose, Robingave him something from another flagon, and he grew large again, andtwo minutes and three seconds and a half before daylight the ball brokeup, and Robin took him home and left him, promising to call for him thenext night.
Every night throughout the whole summer the same thing happened. Atmidnight he went to the fairies' dance; and at two minutes and threeseconds and a half before dawn he came home. He was never lonely anymore, because all day long he could think of what pleasure he would havewhen the night came; and, besides that, all the fairies were his friends.But when the summer was coming to an end, Robin Goodfellow said to him:"This is our last dance--at least it will be our last for some time. Atthis time of the year we always go back to our own country, and we don'treturn until spring."
This made Fairyfoot very sad. He did not know how he could bear to beleft alone again, but he knew it could not be helped; so he tried to beas cheerful as possible, and he went to the final festivities, andenjoyed himself more than ever before, and Gauzita gave him a tiny ringfor a parting gift. But the next night, when Robin did not come for him,he felt very lonely indeed, and the next day he was so sorrowful that hewandered far away into the forest, in the hope of finding something tocheer him a little. He wandered so far that he became very tired andthirsty, and he was just making up his mind to go home, when he thoughthe heard the sound of falling water. It seemed to come from behind athicket of climbing roses; and he went towards the place and pushed thebranches aside a little, so that he could look through. What he saw was agreat surprise to him. Though it was the end of summer, inside thethicket the roses were blooming in thousands all around a pool as clearas crystal, into which the sparkling water fell from a hole in the rockabove. It was the most beautiful, clear pool that Fairyfoot had everseen, and he pressed his way through the rose branches, and, entering thecircle they inclosed, he knelt by the water and drank.
Almost instantly his feeling of sadness left him, and he felt quitehappy and refreshed. He stretched himself on the thick perfumed moss,and listened to the tinkling of the water, and it was not long before hefell asleep.
When he awakened the moon was shining, the pool sparkled like a silverplaque crusted with diamonds, and two nightingales were singing in thebranches over his head. And the next moment he found out that heunderstood their language just as plainly as if they had been humanbeings instead of birds. The water with which he had quenched his thirstwas enchanted, and had given him this new power.
"Poor boy!" said one nightingale, "he looks tired; I wonder where hecame from."
"Why, my dear," said the other, "is it possible you don't know that he isPrince Fairyfoot?"
"What!" said the first nightingale--"the King of Stumpinghame's son, whowas born with small feet?"
"Yes," said the second. "And the poor child has lived in the forest,keeping the swineherd's pigs ever since. And he is a very nice boy,too--never throws stones at birds or robs nests."
"What a pity he doesn't know about the pool where the red berries grow!"said the first nightingale.