The fairy lady shook her head. "Not exactly," she replied, "though for a little girl like you it is a very good guess. No, it is the fountain by which we know about the rain and showers. We send messages far and wide by its means. You could not understand if I explained. But we work very hard. Fairy folk are not idle, as some foolish mortals imagine. See--my husband is coming to speak to you. He and I work together, though behind there in your world people fancy we don't! Rain without sunshine, or sunshine without rain, would make a sad state of things." "Yes, indeed," said a merry voice, and from behind the mist and dazzle of the fountain Merran perceived a new-comer--a man with a nice brown face, dressed something like a charming old china figure which her aunt greatly treasured--brown velvet jacket and breeches, flowered waistcoat, a scarlet cap on his short curls--altogether quite the right sort of person to match the lovely Sunshine fairy. He doffed his cap as he came forward, Merran gazing at him in surprise. She would much have liked to ask him how ever he managed to keep so beautifully clean and smart if he was always working away at the water, but she felt rather shy, and only gazed. "So you have come at last, little maiden," he said pleasantly. "We have been waiting here a good while for you." [Illustration: "So you have come at last, little maiden."] Merran felt greatly astonished and puzzled. "Yes," said the Sunshine fairy, "our queen knows all about you. She always cares for lonely or unhappy children more than for any others, though they may not be aware of it. And she told us to stay here till the time came for us to be of service to you, poor little Merran. Not that it matters much to us where we live. Rain and I can do our work wherever we are, and move our abode in less time than it would take you to run downstairs." "I wish you would stay here always and let me come and live with you," pleaded Merran. "Nobody cares for me down there," and she nodded towards where she supposed the farm must be. "Couldn't you--couldn't your queen turn me into a fairy for good? I shouldn't ever want to be a real little girl again, and nobody would mind. They'd just think I'd got lost--they'd never imagine I'd gone to fairyland." "Would nobody mind--would nobody miss you?" the Sunshine fairy asked gently. Merran's eager face fell. She hesitated.