and change him altogether. Oh,
my child has been such a bad, bad child of late! It worries me almost
out of my wits. Not done a stroke of work these ten days."

"What shall be changed after him?" asked Riah, in a compassionately
playful voice.

"Upon my word, godmother, I am afraid I must be selfish next, and get
you to set me right in the back and legs. It's a little thing to you
with your power, godmother, but it's a great deal to poor, weak,
aching me."

There was no querulous complaining in the words, but they were not the
less touching for that.

"And then?"

"Yes, and then--_you_ know, godmother. Well both jump into the coach and
six, and go to Lizzie. This reminds me, godmother, to ask you a serious
question. You are as wise as wise can be (having been brought up by the
fairies), and you can tell me this,--Is it better to have had a good
thing and lost it, or never to have had it?"

"Explain, goddaughter."

"I feel so much more solitary and helpless without Lizzie now than I
used to feel before I knew her." (Tears were in her eyes as she
said so.)

"Some beloved companionship fades out of most lives, my dear," said the
Jew, "that of a wife, and a fair daughter, and a son of promise, has
faded out of my own life--but the happiness _was_"

"Ah!" said Miss Wren thoughtfully, by no means convinced. "Then I tell
you what change I think you had better begin with, godmother. You had
better change Is into Was, and Was into Is, and keep them so."

"Would that suit your case? Would you not be always in pain then?" asked
the old man tenderly.

"Right!" exclaimed Miss Wren. "You have changed me wiser, godmother.
Not," she added, with a quaint hitch of her chin and eyes, "that you
need to be a very wonderful godmother to do that, indeed!"

Thus conversing, they pursued their way over London Bridge, and struck
down the river, and held their still foggier course that way. As they
were going along, Jennie twisted her venerable friend aside to a
brilliantly lighted toy-shop window, and said: "Now, look at 'em! All
my work!"

This referred to a dazzling semicircle of dolls in all the colors of the
rainbow, who were dressed for all the gay events of life.

"Pretty, pretty, pretty!" said the old man with a clap of his hands.
"Most elegant taste!"

"Glad you like 'em," returned Miss Wren loftily. "But the fun is,
godmother, how I make the great ladies try my dresses on. Though it's
the hardest part of my business