and laughing eyes, seemed to rise out of the mist and look at
her with odd wistfulness, Fern never spoke of it; a sort of golden
haze pervaded it. Sometimes those eyes were eloquent, and seemed
appealing to her; a strange meaning pervaded the silence; in that poor
room blossomed all sorts of sweet fancies and wonderful dreams as
Fern's needle flew through the stuff.

As Fluff rubbed her rough head confidingly against her shoulder, Fern
gave a musical little laugh that was delicious to hear. "You absurd
child," she said, in an amused tone, "I really must tell Mr. Erle not
to take you again to the Zooelogical Gardens; you talk of nothing but
bears and jaguars. So you want a story, you are positively insatiable,
Fluff; how am I to think of one with my wits all wool-gathering and
gone a-wandering like Bopeep's sheep? It must be an old one. Which is
it to be? 'The Chocolate House,' or 'Princess Dove and the Palace of
the Hundred Boys.'"

"Humph," returned Fluff, musingly; "well, I hardly know. 'The
Chocolate House' is very nice, with its pathway paved with white and
pink sugar plums, and its barley-sugar chairs; and don't you remember
that, when Hans was hungry, he broke a little brown bit off the roof;
but after all, I think I like 'Princess Dove and the Palace of the
Hundred Boys' best. Let us go on where you left off."

"Where we left off?" repeated Fern, in her clear voice. "Yes, I
recollect. Well, when Prince Happy-Thought--"

"Merrydew," corrected the child.

"Ah--true--well, when it came to Prince Merrydew's turn to throw up
the golden ball, it went right over the moon and came down the other
side, so Princess Dove proclaimed him victor, and gave him the
sapphire crown; and the hundred boys--and--where was I, Fluff?"

"In the emerald meadow, where the ruby flowers grew," returned Fluff.
"Go on, Fern."

"So Princess Dove put on the crown, and it was so heavy that poor
Prince Merrydew's head began to ache, and the wicked old fairy
Do-nothing, who was looking on, hobbled on her golden crutches to the
turquois pavilion, and--hush! I hear footsteps. Jump off my lap,
Fluffy, dear, and let me light the candles." And she had scarcely done
so before there was a quick tap at the door, and the next moment two
young men entered the room.

Fluff ran to them at once with a pleased exclamation.

"Why, it is Percy and Mr. Erle; oh, dear, how glad I am."

"How do you do, Toddlekins," observed her brother, stooping to kiss