“So it will,” replied Sir Bodkin. “It doesn’t seem a year since we came to live with you, My Lady.” “No, the time has gone very fast for me. It’s been lots of fun knowing you all and learning how to sew and make pretty things,” said Margaret looking at her tiny friends with shining eyes. “We’ll always stick to you, My Lady,” they all cried. “I’m glad, for I never could do without you. Oh, there goes that clock striking half-past five! It’s late. I must hurry to tidy myself before Father comes home to dinner. Good-bye, dears,” she said running out of the room. Next morning early Sir Bodkin and the One-Eyes were wakened out of their sleep by a loud noise in their work-basket home. “Tick-tick,” it sounded. “Mercy sakes!” cried Sir Bodkin hopping up very much frightened. “I never heard such a queer noise in my life!” [Illustration] Every one of the One-Eyed Fairies was frightened, too. There in the work-basket among the sewing things was a long blue box. The noise was coming from inside. “Maybe it’s a bomb!” cried Baster who had a vivid imagination. “It’s something terrible, I know!” said Hemmer timidly. “I think we’re all wrong!” said Sir Bodkin suddenly. “This is Margaret’s birthday and I believe this is for her, ’cause it looks something like a jewel-box to me and——” [Illustration: “A silver wrist-watch for my birthday!”] “What’s the matter? What are you all looking at so intently!” cried Margaret herself just then as she jumped out of bed and ran over to see. “Oh, look!” she cried in delight, picking up the blue leather box and pressing the spring-button in the front. The lid flew up and the cause of all the disturbance lay there, before their eyes, ticking away on the white satin lining. “A silver wrist-watch for my birthday!” gasped Margaret with her eyes growing bigger and bigger with surprise and pleasure. Sir Bodkin and all the One-Eyed Fairies fell back in astonishment. “Many, many happy returns of the day, My Lady!” said the King, bowing and bending. “That’s just what it says on this card,” cried Margaret and read aloud: “Many happy returns of your birthday, our dear, We wish, with this little surprise. For your stitches have made us quite glad all the year, With the help of your friends, the One-Eyes. “MOTHER, FATHER, AND BROTHER JIM.” [Illustration] [Illustration] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. 2. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. End of Project Gutenberg's The One-Eyed Fairies, by Georgia Eldridge Hanley