'What was the story?' Dolly demanded at this, and Mark floundered on, beginning to consider Dolly, for all her pretty looks and ways, a decided little nuisance.
'He—he said the Queen of the Fairies squinted,' he stammered in his extremity.
'Then it was she who turned him into sugar?'
'Of course it was,' said Mark.
'But you said he was the last fairy left!' persisted the terrible Dolly.
'Did I?' said Mark miserably; 'I mean the last but one—she was the other.'
'Then who was there to tell the story to?' Dolly cross-examined, and Mark quailed, feeling that any more explanation would probably land him in worse difficulties.
'I don't think you know very much about it, after all,' she said with severity. 'I suppose you put all you knew into the story. But you're quite sure there was no fairy inside the figure I ate, aren't you?'
'Oh yes,' said Mark, 'I—I happen to know that.'
'That's all right, then,' said Dolly, with a little sigh of relief. 'Was that the only fairy story you know?'