Bountiful Lady Read online

  II

  MARY SEES HER FAIRY-GODMOTHER

  Mary Brown did not go to sleep very early that night, and as soon as sheawoke the next morning, she began to ask questions. She wanted SisterAgatha to tell her at what time her fairy-godmother would come, andwhere she was coming from, and what she would be most likely to do whenshe arrived.

  'And what is her name?' she cried.

  'Her name is Evangeline Royal,' said Sister Agatha, 'and a very prettyname too.'

  'I suppose she doesn't live anywhere?' said Mary.

  'Not live anywhere!' cried Sister Agatha. 'Of course she livessomewhere. She lives here.'

  'I thought fairies never seemed to live anywhere,' said Mary; 'and itdoes seem strange she should come to William Street.'

  'Ah! well, perhaps, she was looking for you.'

  'I should think she's everywhere at once,' said Mary.

  'Dear me!' exclaimed Sister Agatha, 'what a funny child you are! Justnow, you said she didn't live anywhere.'

  'That's what I mean,' answered Mary; 'because if she's everywhere atonce, how can she live anywhere, you know?'

  Whilst Sister Agatha washed her and put on her dressing-gown, whilst thedoctor was there, whilst she drank her beef-tea for luncheon and ate herchicken for dinner, Mary Brown thought of nothing but Evangeline Royal,wondering what she would look like, what she would say, and all the restof it. And when she went to bed again after dinner as usual and fellasleep, she dreamed of Evangeline Royal still.

  But it was a dreadful dream. She dreamed that her fairy-godmother came,and that she wore a veil, and that when she lifted it her face was largeand red and shiny just like Mrs. Coppert's. Mary could not forget thedream, even when she was wrapped in the blanket again and sitting in thearm-chair. But she waited with her wondering eyes on the door, watchinghalf afraid for Evangeline.

  It had struck four when Sister Agatha went away, leaving Mary alone. Shesat very still, staring at the door until presently it opened again, andMary thought that now she should see Evangeline Royal at last. But itwas only Sister Agatha who entered the room.

  'She has come!' cried Sister Agatha. 'It won't be long before you seeher now. As soon as she has taken off her hat.'

  'Does she wear a hat?' asked Mary.

  'Indeed, she wears the prettiest hats. She is not like me, you know. Igo out in a plain little bonnet. But Evangeline wears the most wonderfulhats.'

  Sister Agatha had scarcely finished speaking before the door openedagain, and Mary leaned forward eagerly in her chair. All her fears lefther now, and she held out her arms; for she saw the most beautifulobject her eyes had ever looked upon. Evangeline Royal was tall, muchtaller than Sister Agatha, and a few years younger. She crossed the roomso softly that Mary could not hear her footsteps; her hair looked as ifthe sunshine had fallen upon it and never gone away again, and her eyeswere as blue as the sky on the finest day! She came to Mary and took herhands just as if she knew her quite well, and Mary felt as if she hadknown Evangeline all her life.

  'I'm so glad!' exclaimed Mary; 'I wanted to see you so much. I'm so gladyou're young too; I'm glad about everything. And how pretty you are!'

  'Mary wants to see your wings,' said Sister Agatha, as Evangelinestooped to kiss the child.

  'Yes,' cried Mary, 'please do show them to me!'

  'Well,' answered Evangeline, 'I'm afraid I cannot show them to you justnow.'

  'You will, some day!' Mary pleaded.

  'Oh, I shall have such lots of things to show you,' said Evangeline.

  'And you can tell me when I may walk again,' said Mary; 'because Ireally won't run away.'

  'I fear I can't tell you that,' answered Evangeline a little sadly, andshe stooped to kiss Mary again.

  'Oh yes, you can!' cried Mary; 'because you can do anything. You broughtme here, and I like being here--very much, ever so much! I never want togo away again. You won't let me go away again!' cried Mary.

  'You can't go until you can walk, you see,' said Evangeline.

  'Shall I be able to walk soon?'

  'Ah! that is more than I can tell you, dear.'

  'Oh, I hope not! I hope not!' exclaimed Mary.

  'But surely you want to be able to walk again?' said Evangeline.

  'Not if I have to go away,' Mary answered. 'I hope I shall never be ableto walk again, then you will let me stay always.'

  As soon as Evangeline left the room, Mary wanted to know when she shouldsee her again, and Sister Agatha said not before to-morrow.

  'Then I should like to go to bed now!' cried Mary.

  'Why do you want to go so early?' asked Sister Agatha; 'you generallylike to sit up as late as you can.'

  'Because I want to-morrow to come soon,' said Mary, and she shut hereyes and tried to go to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow inorder to make to-morrow come sooner.

  'You must remember that Evangeline has a great deal to do,' said SisterAgatha, as she dressed Mary the next morning. 'She has been away so longthat now she has come home again a lot of people want to see her.'

  'Who?' asked Mary.

  'Oh, well, wherever there's a very beautiful fairy there is usually aprince not far off,' answered Sister Agatha. 'And some day he will cometo take Evangeline away with him.'

  'Not if she doesn't want to go,' cried Mary. 'I do hope she won't go.And of course she can do whatever she likes, can't she?'

  'She can certainly do a great many things,' said Sister Agatha, when shehad put Mary in the arm-chair and given her a cup of soup. 'And she canmake other people do a great many things too.'

  'How does she make people do things?' asked Mary.

  'That depends what kind of people they are,' was the answer. 'There aresome, like the prince, who would go to the end of the earth to pleaseher if she only looked at them in a particular manner.'

  'I wish he would go there if it's a long way off!' exclaimed Mary;'because I don't want him to take her away. How does she make otherpeople do things?' she asked.

  'She gives them some of her magic counters, you know.'

  'Magic counters!' cried Mary, opening her eyes more widely.

  'Yes,' said Sister Agatha; 'I don't know whether you have ever seen amagic counter. But they're little round, flat things, very hard andbright yellow. And when she gives them to people they generally dowhatever she tells them to do. Now, doesn't that seem very wonderful?'

  'Very!' murmured Mary. 'But I shouldn't want her to give them to me. Ishould do what she told me when she looked at me, like the prince, youknow. Is the prince pretty like Evangeline?' Mary asked.

  As she spoke the door opened, and Evangeline entered the room.

  'Why, you've got another dress on!' cried Mary. For this morningEvangeline was dressed all in white. There was not any colour about herdress, and this seemed to Mary quite as it ought to be, though she couldnot help thinking she should like to see the wings. 'Is the prince verylovely?' Mary cried, as Evangeline stooped to kiss her, and SisterAgatha laughed as she left the room.

  'Yes, dear,' answered Evangeline, sitting on a low stool by Mary's side.'My prince is beautiful and good and noble.'

  'Then he must be everything at once,' said Mary.

  'He is everything to me,' answered Evangeline quietly.

  'Why do you look so red?' asked Mary, staring into her face.

  'Do I look red?' said Evangeline.

  'Very,' answered Mary, 'and now you're redder than ever. Sister Agatha,'Mary went on, 'says you can do everything you like, and I know you can,because you brought me here, you see.'

  'Not quite everything,' said Evangeline.

  'Sister Agatha says you have a lot of magic counters,' answered Mary.'She says they're flat, round, yellow things that you give to people tomake them do what you like.'

  'Ah! well,' said Evangeline, 'they will make people do a good manythings that would please you very much. Suppose we try!'

  'Yes,' answered Mary, 'I should like that.'

  'Then you shall tell me what you want,' sai
d Evangeline, 'and we willsee whether we can make it come. Now,' she exclaimed, 'what should youlike to have first?'