not Tom, or anyone else she knew, but six little pisky
gentlemen, handsome little creatures, with pleasant smiles and brilliantly
shining eyes.

To her astonishment they did not seem at all disturbed at seeing her, but
came up and ranged themselves in a row before her and bowed to the ground.
They were all dressed alike in green knickerbockers and tunics, edged with
scarlet, and tiny green caps, and one, the handsomest of the lot, had a
beautiful red waving feather at one side of his. They stood and looked at
Anne and smiled, and Anne, not at all frightened now, but pleased, smiled
back at them. Then he with the red feather stepped in front of the
others, and bowing to her in the most courtly manner, addressed her with a
charming friendliness which set her at ease at once.

Whether this strange little gentleman was really attracted by her charms,
or whether he acted in the same way to every pretty girl he met, one
cannot say, but he certainly looked at Anne very affectionately and
admiringly, and poor Anne's heart was captured at once. She was certain
there never had been such a charming little gentleman before, nor ever
could be again, nor one with such good taste.

Stooping down she held out her hand, whereupon the little gentleman
stepped into it, and Anne lifted him to her lap. From her lap he soon
climbed to her shoulder, and then he kissed her, and not only kissed her
once, but many times, and Anne thought him more charming than ever.
Presently he called his companions, and they climbed up and kissed Anne,
too, and patted her rosy cheeks, and smoothed her hair. But while one of
them was patting her cheek, he ran his finger across her eyes, and Anne
gave a terrible scream, for with his touch she felt as though a needle had
been run through her eyeballs, and when she tried to open them again she
found she was blind.

At the same moment she felt herself caught up in the air, and for what
seemed to her a very long time she was carried through it at a tremendous
rate. At last they came to a stop, whereupon one of the Little Men said
something which Anne could not understand, and, behold, her eyesight at
once came back!

And now, indeed, she had something to use it on, for she found herself in
what seemed to be a perfectly gorgeous palace, or rather two or three
palaces joined together, all built of gold and silver, with arches and
pillars of crystal, large halls with walls of burnished copper, and
beautiful