little flowers that sleep under the snow!"

"The World is yet cold for the flowers, my children," answers the
Lady Elder. "They are all asleep, each to be awakened in her time. But
this you may do. You may call them up for to-night, and when you leave
this wood in the morning, they will all go back to their beds again."

"Our glad thanks to you, Ma'am," the fairies sing back joyfully.

[Illustration: VIOLET]

[Illustration: DOG ROSE]

Then they all join hands and frolic away, singing as they go:

"Little flowerets gay and sweet
Hear the patter of our feet;
Little flowerets sweet and gay
Come and dance a roundelay!"

Then slower and slower fades the dance.

* * * * *

"O Christmas Rose! O Christmas Rose!" called Rusialka, on the particular
night I am telling you of.

A little voice answered under the snow:

"I am here, good ladies!"

And the Christmas Rose, holding her blossom-standard in one hand, peeped
out.

"Will you join our dance?" asked Rusialka.

The Christmas Rose held out her hands, and the merry party danced on
singing a song the fairies love, till they came to a spot where the Ivy
slept on a little brown bed of earth under a bright white coverlet of
snow--with all her clusters of berries resting on her leaves.

[Illustration: HAWTHORN]

[Illustration: HONEYSUCKLE]

"Wake up! Wake up! little Ivy!" cried Rusialka.

"O, is it spring come again?" called out Ivy in a sleepy voice. "Or are
you two sad friends who at parting want to give each other a token of
true friendship?"

"We are not sad friends at all," answered Rusialka. "We are the Little
Ladies come to frolic on earth, and we want you, Ivy, to join in our
frolic."

"Isn't it cold out in the world now?" asked the little voice again.

"The dance will warm you," answered the fairy. "And in the morning
before we go, we will lay you back in your warm bed."

So Ivy joined the dance, and right merrily they went round and round,
till they all had to sit down to take breath.

[Illustration: POPPY]

[Illustration: WILLOW]

Highest of all, on a tuft of soft earth, sat Rusialka. All the little
white fairies sat in a circle round her. And Ivy and Christmas Rose
took one another by the hand and curtsied to Rusialka.

"White Lady," said the Ivy, "if you like we will go and wake up our
little sisters, and when we are all here we will dance to your company a
dance that the breezes taught us last sp