“What can you do?” asked Margaret.
“I can run the ribbons in your doll’s dresses, put the drawing-strings in a marble-bag or a sewing-bag. I can draw the ribbons and tapes through your pretty underwear and lots of other things too numerous to mention. Just put a piece of ribbon in my one eye and watch me work!” he answered eagerly to his new friend.
“Indeed I will this minute!” cried Margaret. She jumped up and ran to her doll’s bureau to get a pretty dress trimmed with lace beading around the waist and sleeves. Then she took a roll of narrow pink satin ribbon from her own bureau and hurried back to the table.
“Here we are,” she said to the tiny King, holding up the dress and ribbon for him to see.
“Very pretty, very pretty. Now measure how much ribbon you’ll need to run around the waist and to tie in a bow at the back when finished,” said Sir Bodkin.
After Margaret had measured the ribbon the right length she cut it from the roll with her new scissors.
“Put it neatly in my eye and then we’ll start,” the Fairy King told her. No sooner said than done.
“Put your right fingers on my head,” ordered he. Margaret did as she was bidden. Holding the dress in her left hand, she put her pink fingers on Sir Bodkin’s head and off he stepped; slipping his foot through the slits in the lace beading at the back of the little dress where it fastened he sang: