[Illustration] The Counterpane Fairy Written and Illustrated by Katharine Pyle Published by E.P.Dutton & Co. New York Copyright E. P. Dutton & Co. 1898 Contents Chapter I. THE PRINCESS OF THE GOLDEN CASTLE Chapter II. THE OWLS AND THE GAMBLESOME ELF Chapter III. STARLEIN AND SILVERLING Chapter IV. THE MAGIC CIRCUS Chapter V. AT THE EDGE OF THE POLAR SEA Chapter VI. THE RUBY RING Chapter VII. THE RAINBOW CHILDREN Chapter VIII. HARRIETT’S DREAM Chapter IX. DOWN THE RAT-HOLE Chapter X. THE COUNTERPANE FAIRY SAYS GOOD-BYE [Illustration] CHAPTER FIRST. THE PRINCESS OF THE GOLDEN CASTLE Teddy was all alone, for his mother had been up with him so much the night before that at about four o’clock in the afternoon she said that she was going to lie down for a little while. The room where Teddy lay was very pleasant, with two big windows, and the furniture covered with gay old-fashioned India calico. His mother had set a glass of milk on the table beside his bed, and left the stair door ajar so that he could call Hannah, the cook, if he wanted anything, and then she had gone over to her own room. The little boy had always enjoyed being ill, for then he was read aloud to and had lemonade, but this had been a real illness, and though he was better now, the doctor still would not let him have anything but milk and gruel. He was feeling rather lonely, too, though the fire crackled cheerfully, and he could hear Hannah singing to herself in the kitchen below. Teddy turned over the leaves of _Robinson Crusoe_ for a while, looking at the gaily colored pictures, and then he closed it and called, “Hannah!” The singing in the kitchen below ceased, and Teddy knew that Hannah was listening. “Hannah!” he called again. At the second call Hannah came hurrying up the stairs and into the room. “What do you want, Teddy?” she asked. “Hannah, I want to ask mamma something,” said Teddy. “Oh,” said Hannah, “you wouldn’t want me to call your poor mother, would you, when she was up with you the whole of last night and has just gone to lie down a bit?” “I want to ask her something,” repeated Teddy. “You ask me what you want to know,” suggested Hannah. “Your poor mother’s so tired that I’m sure you are too much of a man to want me to call her.” “Well, I want to ask her if I may have a cracker,” said Teddy. “Oh, no; you couldn’t have that,” said Hannah. “Don’t you know that the doctor said you mustn’t have anything but milk and gruel? Did you want to ask her anything else?” “No,” said Teddy, and his lip trembled. After that Hannah went down-stairs to her work again, and Teddy lay staring out of the window at the windy gray clouds that were sweeping across the April sky. He grew lonelier and lonelier and a lump rose in his throat; presently a big tear trickled down his cheek and dripped off his chin. “Oh dear, oh dear!” said a little voice just back of the hill his knees made as he lay with them drawn up in bed; “what a hill to climb!”