it's on your
head.... Will you try it?"

"Yes, yes!" cried the Children, clapping their hands.

The hat was no sooner on the little boy's head than a magic change
came over everything. The old Fairy turned into a young and beautiful
princess, dressed all in silk and covered with sparkling jewels; the
walls of the cottage became transparent and gleamed like precious
stones; the humble deal furniture shone like marble. The two children
ran from right to left clapping their hands and shouting with
delight.

"Oh, how lovely, how lovely!" exclaimed Tyltyl.

And Mytyl, like the vain little thing she was, stood spell-bound
before the beauty of the fair princess' dress.

But further and much greater surprises were in store for them. Had not
the Fairy said that the Things and the Animals would come to life,
talk and behave like everybody else? Lo and behold, suddenly the door
of the grandfather's clock opened, the silence was filled with the
sweetest music and twelve little daintily-dressed and laughing dancers
began to skip and spin all around the Children.

"They are the Hours of your life," said the Fairy.

"May I dance with them?" asked Tyltyl, gazing with admiration at those
pretty creatures, who seemed to skim over the floor like birds.

But just then he burst into a wild fit of laughter! Who was that funny
fat fellow, all out of breath and covered with flour, who came
struggling out of the bread-pan and bowing to the children? It was
Bread! Bread himself, taking advantage of the reign of liberty to go
for a little walk on earth! He looked like a stout, comical old
gentleman; his face was puffed out with dough; and his large hands, at
the end of his thick arms, were not able to meet, when he laid them on
his great, round stomach. He was dressed in a tight-fitting
crust-coloured suit, with stripes across the chest like those on the
nice buttered rolls which we have for breakfast in the morning. On his
head--just think of it!--he wore an enormous bun, which made a funny
sort of turban.

He had hardly tumbled out of his pan, when other loaves just like him,
but smaller, followed after and began to frisk about with the Hours,
without giving a thought to the flour which they scattered over those
pretty ladies and which wrapped them in great white clouds.

It was a queer and charming dance; and the Children were delighted.
The Hours waltzed with the loaves; the plates, joining in the fun,
hopped up and down on the