The page was not satisfied. “Since the Queen cannot be disturbed,” replied he, “you must yourself take it, and keep it until she awakens. Open the door, and I will give it to you.”
Obliged to control her anger, lest Spark should become suspicious that mischief was on foot, the Earth Fairy opened the door the merest crack, and received a marvelous golden box from his hands. At any other time she certainly would have turned it over curiously, and if no one had been by she would have peeped within, but now she was only anxious to guard the entrance to the room as well as she could, and to shut the door quickly, before the sharp eyes of Spark should see too much.
Careful as she was, however, she did not succeed in preventing him from catching a glimpse of the bundle of wands lying upon the Queen’s bed. The sight of them in this unexpected place excited his suspicions at once, but he was far too clever to say anything concerning them to the Earth Fairy. She would give him no satisfaction, he was sure. But he lost no time in going to Grey Smoke, who was his grandmother, and telling her what he had seen.
Grey Smoke looked very grave. She had never trusted Earth Fairy, and now a strange fear took possession of her. “I will go to the Queen at once,” declared she. “I—her old nurse, must see to it that no harm comes to her in the King’s absence.”
But swiftly as Grey Smoke hastened to the side of her mistress, she was too late, for as soon as the page had departed, the Earth Fairy snatched up her wand and rushed to the cradle of the Princess. Quickly she drew once more her magic circle. Quickly she waved the flaming wand three times above the sleeping child. “Become invisible!” she hissed—“Become invisible!”
Instantly the little Princess vanished from before her eyes, leaving only the golden cradle standing empty beside the Queen’s bed.
The Earth Fairy was filled with delight when she saw that she had accomplished what she had set out to do.
“Now I will awaken Queen Glow,” said she triumphantly. “She shall see that she is not the only one who can work spells.”
Though the form of the Princess had indeed vanished from the cradle, the Earth Fairy did not notice that a tender white flame was hovering above the place where the child had lain, for there was one thing that the wicked fairy, with all her knowledge of magic did not know: that is, that no Fire Fairy can ever be made entirely invisible. Though its form may vanish, its spirit is always seen as a fine flame.
The Earth Fairy, in her impatience to show the hapless Queen how she had revenged herself, had turned her back upon the cradle as soon as her spell was fully wrought, and was not aware of the presence of the tiny flame. She took up the wand with which to arouse the Queen. She leaned over her, and touched her with it.