; her hair looked as if
the sunshine had fallen upon it and never gone away again, and her eyes
were as blue as the sky on the finest day! She came to Mary and took her
hands just as if she knew her quite well, and Mary felt as if she had
known Evangeline all her life.

'I'm so glad!' exclaimed Mary; 'I wanted to see you so much. I'm so glad
you're young too; I'm glad about everything. And how pretty you are!'

'Mary wants to see your wings,' said Sister Agatha, as Evangeline
stooped to kiss the child.

'Yes,' cried Mary, 'please do show them to me!'

'Well,' answered Evangeline, 'I'm afraid I cannot show them to you just
now.'

'You will, some day!' Mary pleaded.

'Oh, I shall have such lots of things to show you,' said Evangeline.

'And you can tell me when I may walk again,' said Mary; 'because I
really won't run away.'

'I fear I can't tell you that,' answered Evangeline a little sadly, and
she stooped to kiss Mary again.

'Oh yes, you can!' cried Mary; 'because you can do anything. You brought
me here, and I like being here--very much, ever so much! I never want to
go away again. You won't let me go away again!' cried Mary.

'You can't go until you can walk, you see,' said Evangeline.

'Shall I be able to walk soon?'

'Ah! that is more than I can tell you, dear.'

'Oh, I hope not! I hope not!' exclaimed Mary.

'But surely you want to be able to walk again?' said Evangeline.

'Not if I have to go away,' Mary answered. 'I hope I shall never be able
to walk again, then you will let me stay always.'

As soon as Evangeline left the room, Mary wanted to know when she should
see her again, and Sister Agatha said not before to-morrow.

'Then I should like to go to bed now!' cried Mary.

'Why do you want to go so early?' asked Sister Agatha; 'you generally
like to sit up as late as you can.'

'Because I want to-morrow to come soon,' said Mary, and she shut her
eyes and tried to go to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow in
order to make to-morrow come sooner.

'You must remember that Evangeline has a great deal to do,' said Sister
Agatha, as she dressed Mary the next morning. 'She has been away so long
that now she has come home again a lot of people want to see her.'

'Who?' asked Mary.

'Oh, well, wherever there's a very beautiful fairy there is usually a
prince not far off,' answered Sister Agatha. 'And some day he will come
to take Evangeline away with him.'

'Not if she doesn't want