The window was wide open, and the room was bright with moonbeams; but now a softer, tenderer light, shone through the apartments; the air was filled with delicious fragrance, and low sweet music was heard: afar off, a halo in the moonlight was seen; it came near and nearer; now it was close to the window, and one could plainly perceive that it was a shining band of fairies, floating on the moonbeams with their beautiful Queen at their head.

They stopped at the window, for the Queen, with a wave of her sceptre, gave them to understand that she would enter alone.

She was radiant to-night; a magnificent necklace of many-colored stones cut from a rainbow, sparkled like a wreath of prismatic fire around her white and slender throat; her wings were fringed with small diamond dew-drops; her robe was fashioned of the royal purple velvet of the pansy; and her crown and sceptre flashed with precious gems.

"But, oh! her beauty was far beyond Her sparkling jewels:"

for the sweet loving expression that beamed from her eyes, and the smile that played about the corners of her beautiful mouth, mirrored the pure, unselfish, spotless nature of the Queen.

Softly she floated towards the couch, and gently touched the boy with her sceptre.

Charley opened his blue eyes. In a sweet amaze he slowly raised himself and leaned upon his arm, gazing in bewildered delight upon the radiant stranger. The little mother still slept on; but in the room was a young kitten--a daughter of Crocus, of whom you read in "New Nightcaps," and whom Charley so loved, that he brought her away with him. She was lying at the foot of his bed; in a moment she bristled up her coat and tail, and darted out her sharp claws in terror at the sight; but at a touch of the Queen's sceptre she drew them into their velvety sheath again, and laid quietly down.

"Dear Charley," said the Queen in a low, sweet voice, "we do so love your innocent and guileless nature, that while the pulses beat, and the blood flows in your frail and fading form, we will do our utmost to drive the demon of pain far away; tender and beautiful influences shall surround you; you shall be a most favored mortal, for you shall behold the happiest scenes in fairy life; you shall dream the sweetest dreams of fairy-land; this night is our great midsummer festival; even now our subjects are hastening to the beautiful hollow, where the fairy revels are kept. Hark to the fairy call! they are inviting the fays from the beautiful green island that is sleeping in the moonlight opposite to us."

Charley with all his senses quickened, his lips slightly apart, his eyes dilated, one hand raised in an att.i.tude of intense listening, caught the delicious harmony of fairy voices singing these words:

"Hasten fairies--haste away; Hasten through the golden spray; Hasten to the frolic play.

"Fly o'er water--fly o'er vale; Ply the oar, and spread the sail; Hie ye to the moon-lit dale.

"Silver sweet the music swells Of the snow-white lily-bells, And the sounding pink sea-sh.e.l.ls.

"Hither--hither, haste away To the fairies' frolic play; 'Tis the festive fairy-day."

Brighter grew the eyes of the sick boy, and his cheek flushed with excitement as he listened.

"Oh, how beautiful!" he murmured; "what dainty little rippling notes!"

"Listen again," said the Queen, with a gratified smile, for she liked to hear her people praised; "listen! the island fairies are answering."

Was it magic that brought those tiny voices so far over the water?

Surely it was, for there rose on the air a clear tinkling sound like the ringing of little gla.s.s bells; and Charley heard these words:

"Beaming moon--shimmering fountain-- Light, and deck the fairy dell; We are coming to the mountain, From the isle we love so well: To the fairy ball we hie; Thought-swift through the purple sky We are hastening at the call; 'Tis the great midsummer ball.

"Open lily--blossom rose, Shed around thy perfume light; Heliotrope--thy sweets disclose To the fragrant dews of night.

Dogwood grim we fairies banish; Purple nightshade! fly! evanish!

We are hastening at the call; 'Tis the great midsummer ball.

"Chime hare-bells! clearly, sweetly, Joy our hearts with blithe accord, As we fairies neatly, featly, Trip it o'er the dainty sward.

Velvet sod thy carpet spread, With small buds enamelled, We are hastening at the call; 'Tis the great midsummer ball.

"Oh!" exclaimed the entranced boy, "how I should like to see the beautiful fairies dancing in the moonlight. May I, sweet lady?"

With a loving smile the Queen bent over and lightly tapped him thrice upon each shoulder-blade with her jewelled sceptre. Immediately a pair of gauzy wings started from his back. With an involuntary motion he gently waved them back and forth, and felt himself rising--_rising_ --RISING--till he had floated out of the window into the moonbeams.

The poor little kitten set up a piteous cry, but a fairy spell was upon the mother, for she slept quietly on.

Oh! with what delight was the enchanted boy now welcomed by the waiting train outside! They pressed lovingly around him; they played with his golden curls; they fanned him with their delicate wings; they looked down into the lambent depths of his clear blue eyes, and saw his pure spirit within so free from guile; they touched with their tender fingers his poor little thin white neck and breast, and felt his heart beating fast and faster with delight.

Up, up they mounted, and a joyous thrill, like a sweet and sudden wind, shook the leaves of the trees as they pa.s.sed swiftly by them.

And now they approached the beautiful hollow; they heard the stirring sound of the fairy kettle-drums (which you know are chestnut sh.e.l.ls, divided in half, with mouse-skin drawn tightly over). Quickly they floated over the last tree-tops; the frisky young fairies folding their wings and sliding down the moonbeams for fun, just as you slide down the bannisters.

They are there, directly over the beautiful hollow, floating slowly downward with a graceful waving motion; and Charley looked on a most enchanting sight. Crowds of fairies were a.s.sembled within an immense circle of sparkling dew-drops, tricked out in all their holiday attire. More were coming in on every side; some in their nut-sh.e.l.ls and four--others flying through the soft air. In the centre of the hollow the mossy throne was this night surmounted by a magnificent canopy of scarlet geraniums, looped up at the sides by splendid clasps, formed of the backs of the scarlet lady-bug, dotted with spots of jet. The canopy was heavily fringed with small scarlet fuchsias, or lady's ear-drops. At the foot of the throne there appeared to be a low seat of heaped-up rose-leaves, and in a circle round it a double row of glow-worms shed a soft clear light. Small mushroom tables, filled with plates of dew-drop ices, were already laid out; and the fairies only waited for the presence of their beloved Queen to open the ball.

Suddenly the music quickened; the fire-flies sparkled and danced, and all rose respectfully as the Queen touched the green velvety floor.

Bowing and smiling, she gracefully seated herself upon the throne, and tenderly placed the spell-bound Charley upon the rose-leaf couch at her feet. The rich color of the beautiful canopy threw a rosy blush over the boy's sweet face; and the glancing fairies thought they had never seen a lovelier mortal. Although the soft rose-leaves pressed caressingly around him and hid his poor deformed limbs, it would have made no difference if they had been plainly seen, for the fairies only looked in his _face_, where so much purity and goodness shone; and, seeing this, they loved him, and were glad he had come.

"Where is Slyboots?" said the Queen.

"At your feet, most gracious Majesty," answered the sprite, dropping down all at once from somewhere.

"And what is the last piece of mischief, you comical imp?"

"Your Majesty! Mischief! I disapprove of it! but I have just been tying Peas-cod and Bean-pod together by their long green coat-tails, because they are such grumbling, discontented chaps."

"How do you know?" asked the Queen.

"Please your Majesty," answered Slyboots, "I heard Peas-cod say that he hated the sight of every thing and everybody; that all other fairies could wear different colors, while he had to be green all his days; then he opened his mouth so wide, and gave such a fearful yawn, I thought all his round bones would roll out; _I_ think, your Majesty, he is not only green--he is '_jolly_' green."

"Don't talk slang to me," said the Queen, though she laughed a little; "but go on and tell me about Bean-pod."

"Oh! Bean-pod is miserable because of his shape; he says he is bigger round his waist than anywhere else, and that is _so_ ungenteel; all your Majesty's maids of honor laugh and make faces at him."

"Ah! I cannot have that," said the Queen; "all must be happy here, especially on midsummer night. Go, Slyboots, and command them to come into my presence."

Off started the sprite, and presently returned with the naughty fairies looking very much ashamed of themselves, with their coat-tails all curled round from having been tied in a hard knot.

Lilliebelle and Dewdrop laughed behind their b.u.t.terfly wing-fans, while Ripple and Firefly curled their mustaches, and looked on with dandified airs.

The Queen began with a severe aspect: "I regret to learn, Peas-cod and Bean-pod, that you are indulging in discontent; it is very wicked in any one to murmur or repine at his lot in this world. Learn from this mortal," she continued, placing her hand tenderly on Charley's head; "almost since his birth he has led a life of suffering, yet no repining falls from his patient lips; he is willing to live, and he will be resigned to die. I think my story-teller, Charm-ear, has written down something that happened to some neighbors of ours in the little brook near by, which will serve as a warning to you. Would you like to hear this story, Charley?"

"Oh, beautiful lady!" cried Charley; for, being an American boy, he did not know he must say 'your Majesty.' "Oh, beautiful lady! a story would be so--so _fairy_ nice!"

The Queen smiled, and, waving her hand to Charm-ear, the court story-teller, he began as follows:

THE THREE LITTLE FISH.

"Not very long ago, in our beautiful brook, there lived three little silver trouts, who were very great friends. For some time they were happier than the day was long, playing together, eating together, and sleeping cosily together in the same little cave scooped out of a stone under the water, and wanted for nothing that good little fishes ought to have.

"But after this I am sorry to have to tell that two of the little trout became very sad and discontented: one wished for this, the other for that, and neither cared a shrimp for any thing he had, because they were always foolishly sighing for something else.

"At last Neptune, the King of the Sea, heard of these naughty little fish, and he resolved to punish them, by granting them all their desires.

"Accordingly he called them before him, and told them they should have whatever they wanted.

"Now, the oldest was a very proud little fish, and wanted to be able to snub up all the other fishes, by being set above them--so he said,