for she knew that he
would never be strong enough to travel about the world as he wished.

"Why don't you be an author, Dan, and write books?" she said, "or a
great painter, or a clergyman, like father?"

"I might be a clergyman," said Dan, "but if I was I should be a
missionary, and go and preach to black people. Oh, Una!" he said,
breaking off suddenly, "do you know, twice now I have thought you were
a fairy--once when you were talking to Norah yesterday, and again
to-day. And do you know what I was going to ask you if you had been a
fairy? To give me and Norah a carpet so that we could go wherever we
liked. Mother read us a tale about a fairy carpet last winter."

Again the puzzled look which Norah had noticed the day before came into
Una's face.

"I don't know what you do mean," she said. "What are fairies? Are
they people, or just little children?"

"Why," said Dan, "fairies are dear little people who live in a lovely
country called Fairyland, and nobody knows where that country is--only
there are lots and lots of doors to fairyland if only we knew where to
find them.

"Norah and I have looked for a fairy door everywhere," he went on, "but
we have never found one yet. And we have never found a fairy either,
though we know _exactly_ what we should ask her for if we did see one;
and fairies do come out of fairyland sometimes; it says so in nearly
all the fairy-tale books. Let's all wish now!" he cried suddenly.
"Out loud, you know, so that if there _should_ be a fairy hiding
somewhere around she'll hear what we are asking for, and perhaps give
it us!"

"Oh, but Dan----," Norah was beginning, when Una sprang to her feet and
made a queer sort of little dance in front of them.

"Fairies! fairies!" she cried, clapping her hands as though she were a
little fairy queen herself, calling all her little people together. "I
want father to be quite happy, please, and not to have to work so hard
in that nasty dark study, and I want some little boys and girls to play
with and do lessons with, just as if they were my very own brothers and
sisters; and I want a puppy-dog for my very own, please, fairies,
and----"

[Illustration: "'Fairies! fairies!' she cried, clapping her hands."]

"Oh, Una, Una! stop!" cried Norah. "You are spoiling all your wishes
saying them out loud like that. Fairies never grant people's wishes if
they call them out loud for everyone to hear."

But whether there were any fairies hidin