"This," said she, "was the work of the Wicked Fairy Gobo, whom I have
warned never to interfere in matters outside of his own home in yonder
mountain. Had you only telephoned to me by the White Cricket instead of
the Black Cricket, all would have been well, for in that case I should
have sent the Bumblebee Express quite up to the top of the ladder for
you, and should have commanded the Dragon to let you pass; but at any
rate, here you are, my dears, and I think no one will be the worse off
for that, except the Wicked Fairy Gobo, who knew very much better than
to use the Fairy Telephone Line. Him I shall punish for this act in due
time. But we must not be angry or unhappy over these things. After you
have finished your supper, we will have a short sail upon the lake, and
make a visit to some of the floating islands."
So they all went out sailing upon the Fairy lake, in a beautiful
pale-green boat, which moved very gently through the water under the
oars of a crew of Fairy dwarfs, who used oars made of wheaten straws,
rowing so gently that the boat hardly made a ripple on the water. They
had also a sail of white silk, which was hoisted at the bow of the boat,
and which was filled by a gentle wind that blew across the lake. The
Queen sat on the high seat at the stern of the boat, with Lulu and Zuzu
at her feet. After some time they landed at the edge of one of the
floating islands, which the Twins were sure was one of the most
beautiful places they had ever seen in all the world.
As they moved from the shore they found themselves in a grove of trees,
and a short distance ahead in this grove they saw gleaming the sides of
a sort of small temple, surrounded by a fence. To their great surprise
they found that this fence was built of red and white and blue rails,
laid up like any rail fence; but that these rails were sticks of candy
instead of wood.
"Come now, my children," said the Fairy Queen, "and let us be seated at
yonder temple or kiosk, and have some more cakes and tea." So they all
went to a little table in the kiosk, and the Queen touched a tiny bell.
Some very small Fairies brought cakes and tea of the finest sort
imaginable, of which it seemed they could not eat so much as to injure
themselves, and which no matter how much they ate always tasted as good
as they had before.
"Now," said the Queen, "I see that you still have the Royal Wishing
Wands which the good King of Gee-Whiz has given to you. Why do you not
wish for something, if there is anything you would like to have?"
"Alas!" said Lulu, "we had but three wishes a week, and we have used
them all up but two. We are saving those for some important occasion."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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