You are such a tremendous creature!"

Fairyfoot took the whistle and put it very delicately to his lips. He
blew, and there came from it a high, clear sound that seemed to pierce
the deepest depths of the forest.

"Blow again," commanded Robin Goodfellow.

Again Prince Fairyfoot blew, and again the pure clear sound rang through
the trees, and the next instant he heard a loud rushing and tramping and
squeaking and grunting, and all the great drove of swine came tearing
through the bushes and formed themselves into a circle and stood staring
at him as if waiting to be told what to do next.

"Oh, Robin Goodfellow, Robin Goodfellow!" cried Fairyfoot, "how grateful
I am to you!"

"Not as grateful as I am to you," said Robin Goodfellow. "But for you I
should be disturbing that hawk's digestion at the present moment, instead
of which, here I am, a respectable fairy once more, and my late wife
(though I ought not to call her that, for goodness knows she was early
enough hustling me out of my nest before daybreak, with the unpleasant
proverb about the early bird catching the worm!)--I suppose I should say
my early wife--is at this juncture a widow. Now, where do you live?"

Fairyfoot told him, and told him also about the swineherd, and how it
happened that, though he was a prince, he had to herd swine and live in
the forest.

"Well, well," said Robin Goodfellow, "that is a disagreeable state of
affairs. Perhaps I can make it rather easier for you. You see that is a
fairy whistle."

"I thought so," said Fairyfoot.

"Well," continued Robin Goodfellow, "you can always call your swine with
it, so you will never be beaten again. Now, are you ever lonely?"

"Sometimes I am very lonely indeed," ananswered the Prince. "No one
cares for me, though I think the brook is sometimes sorry, and tries to
tell me things."

"Of course," said Robin. "They all like you. I've heard them say so."

"Oh, have you?" cried Fairyfoot, joyfully.

"Yes; you never throw stones at the birds, or break the branches of the
trees, or trample on the flowers when you can help it."

"The birds sing to me," said Fairyfoot, "and the trees seem to beckon to
me and whisper; and when I am very lonely, I lie down in the grass and
look into the eyes of the flowers and talk to them. I would not hurt one
of them for all the world!"

"Humph!" said Robin, "you are a rather good little fellow. Would you like
to go to a party?"

"A party!" said Fairyfoot. "Wh