"I thought I'd come up and see how you were getting on, my dear," began the latter, after sinking into the chair Daphne had brought forward for her, and recovering her breath. "I hope you are happy here--and--and well treated?" "Quite, thanks, Court Godmother," said Daphne. "But you shouldn't sit moping here by yourself like this." "Her Majesty doesn't like me to come down until she sends for me," explained Daphne; "and she hasn't to-day. But I haven't been moping, Court Godmother; I've been listening to the swallows. They're discussing their plans for the winter, and they _can't_ make up their minds where to go, poor darlings!" "That's only what you _fancy_ they're talking about," said the Fairy sharply; for the gift of understanding bird-language is comparatively rare, and only possessed by those who have a strain of Fairy blood in their descent. "You can't possibly _know_!" "I didn't till I came here, and then I suddenly found I could. Princess Ruby declares I make it all up--but I don't. I can even understand what some of the animals have to say, and its rather fun sometimes. The other morning in the Gardens I heard a tortoise telling a squirrel----" "I daresay, I daresay," interrupted the Court Godmother, who had not come there to hear the small talk of any tortoise; "I find their conversation wearisome myself--and so will you when you've been here a little longer. And so you're comfortable here, are you?" she went on, looking round the chamber, which had walls of mother-o'-pearl with hangings of delicate shimmering blue-green at the window and round the small ivory four-post bed. "Well, this room looks very cool and pleasant. And you've pretty dresses to wear, it seems. I like that one you have on--most becoming, though it wants an ornament of some kind to set it off. But perhaps you don't care for jewellery?" "I do," said Daphne, "very much. But I haven't any now, you see." "But you had once, hadn't you? I seem to recollect the Queen telling me she bought something--a pendant, I fancy she said--from you before you came to Maerchenland. Or was it somebody else?" "No, it was me," said Daphne. "It was very decent of her, because I was in rather a hole just then--with a debt I couldn't possibly have paid otherwise--and the pendant was no use to _me_, you see--not a thing I could ever have worn." "So you wasted your money in buying an ornament which was unsuited to you, eh?"