Much Ado About SomethingLawrence, C. E. (Charles Edward)
Science
Much Ado About Something
Lawrence, C. E. (Charles Edward)
England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Fairies -- Fiction
She was glad to change her gaze and look above her. There it
spread--star dust, the firmament, myriads of worlds and suns supremely
magnificent, infinite, uplifting, yet, with all the stir of the soul it
occasioned, bringing strengthening humility. If men used their eyes and
minds and saw more of the shine of the universe; if they watched the
constellations in their annual orbits, knew the unique Sirius as a
friend, recognized Arcturus, greeted the Pleiades after their summer
absence, would not ideals be nobler, hopes happier, tolerance of
meanness in its many shapes impossible?
While the fairy rested in her blissful aerial loneliness, she became
aware of a gradual gladness, an added sense of joy--more subtle than had
blessed her spirits since her flight from the Violet Valley--visiting
her. It roused her from reverie to realities.
Fairies--her own people--were approaching, calling her. Their voices
and brilliance were better than pearls and wealth.
"June, our June, come back to us! Come back! Come back!"
The appeal was powerful. With almost the swiftness of light the fairies
flew. It was the company of knights, half a century strong, who had
been commissioned to conduct June after the crowning home to the Land of
Wild Roses. She turned with gladness to greet them. Like was coming to
like. Sympathies were drawing together. They were her own people, her
comrades; they pleaded with her to leave her crusade in the darkness,
and return to delight.
Their presence was welcome, but not even then could she forget the
children and those others whose plight required the gifts of the
fairies. When the elf-world had helped them, she would go back gladly,
but--not yet. She could not leave Sally and her mates of Paradise Court
or the other dim millions whose need of beauty and joy and light she
knew.
She closed her wings and sank to earth, leaving the knights above the
cloud, wheeling and calling to her in vain. They looked through the
veil at the world beneath and reluctantly flew back to Fairyland.
She found Bim busy, home-building. He had gathered some "smoke-dried"
moss from roofs and chimneys, wondering the while at the angular world
he clambered over, and had beaten it into a bed for her, with cobwebs
for coverlet. He was coaxing the newly-planted flowers to feel at home,
and all the while was singing, croakingly and cheerily, as if a draughty
roof over Paradise Court was as near Fairyland as need be. So it was to
him then, while working for June.
She did not interrupt him--his activity and happiness were balm and
strength to her--but descended the chimney into the room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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