“Well, you were almost asleep, weren’t you? It was probably fireflies and sleepiness all mixed up.”
Kate did not acknowledge that she was impressed by this reasoning. But deep in her mind she was.
“And you’re not to tell Aunt Katherine about the light. Promise me that. She would go investigating then. You’ve got to promise.”
Kate’s quick temper flashed up and ruined the new relation between them at Elsie’s brusque command.
“I haven’t got to promise. Why do you think you can boss me like that?”
Elsie’s answer to that was a tossed head. “I’m going in,” she said shortly.
“I’m not.” Kate sat down abruptly in a garden chair they were passing. When Elsie had gone on Kate bit her lip, hard, hard to keep back the tears. “Now I’ve spoiled everything,” she accused herself bitterly. “Why did I have to go talking about the orchard house at all? Everything was so jolly, so right at last! Elsie was beginning to be more than decent. What an idiot I am!”
She leaned her head down upon the arm of the chair. Then the inner, more tranquil Kate came forward. “Think about the King of the Fairies,” she said. “Look as he looked, see as he saw. Perhaps if you do, all this trouble will dissolve in light. Get above the quarrel.”
And as she sat curled up there, she tried hard to follow the inner Kate’s directions. She tried to look at the orchard with the different seeing. If she followed the King of the Fairies’ directions, mightn’t she see the all of things as the girl and boy on the fence had seen the all? She stayed very still, and watched, expectantly.
Elsie came back to her, silent as a shadow. It was almost as though she could read Kate’s thoughts; for she knelt down by her on the dewy grass, and putting her face quite close to Kate’s said in a low voice, but earnestly: “I’ll tell you this much, Kate Marshall, there is something fairyish about that little orchard house. If things fairyish show to you around it or in it, it is because they are there. This is no lie. I cross my heart. But you aren’t wanted there. And unless you are very mean you will keep your promise to me and not go near.”