issing her good-night. She thought
her coverlet of snow was a warm blanket, and tried to pull it over her
head. And when she heard talking through her dreams she thought it was
mother bringing father to the nursery door to look at her as she slept.
But it was the fairies.

I am very glad to be able to say that they no longer desired to mischief
her. When she rushed away they had rent the air with such cries as "Slay
her!" "Turn her into something extremely unpleasant!" and so on, but the
pursuit was delayed while they discussed who should march in front,
and this gave Duchess Brownie time to cast herself before the Queen and
demand a boon.

Every bride has a right to a boon, and what she asked for was Maimie's
life. "Anything except that," replied Queen Mab sternly, and all the
fairies chanted "Anything except that." But when they learned how Maimie
had befriended Brownie and so enabled her to attend the ball to their
great glory and renown, they gave three huzzas for the little human, and
set off, like an army, to thank her, the court advancing in front
and the canopy keeping step with it. They traced Maimie easily by her
footprints in the snow.

But though they found her deep in snow in the Figs, it seemed impossible
to thank Maimie, for they could not waken her. They went through the
form of thanking her, that is to say, the new King stood on her body and
read her a long address of welcome, but she heard not a word of it. They
also cleared the snow off her, but soon she was covered again, and they
saw she was in danger of perishing of cold.

"Turn her into something that does not mind the cold," seemed a good
suggestion of the doctor's, but the only thing they could think of
that does not mind cold was a snowflake. "And it might melt," the Queen
pointed out, so that idea had to be given up.

A magnificent attempt was made to carry her to a sheltered spot, but
though there were so many of them she was too heavy. By this time all
the ladies were crying in their handkerchiefs, but presently the Cupids
had a lovely idea. "Build a house round her," they cried, and at once
everybody perceived that this was the thing to do; in a moment a hundred
fairy sawyers were among the branches, architects were running round
Maimie, measuring her; a bricklayer's yard sprang up at her feet,
seventy-five masons rushed up with the foundation stone and the Queen
laid it, overseers were appointed to keep the boys off, scaffoldings
wer