"And the Fairy sang and sang, and the child dreamed and dreamed, until every shadow of its life had faded away. And still it dreamed and dreamed—"
"Sally! Sally!"
The little girl that had been listening under the hedge close to the stone wall, jumped at the sound of her name.
Oh, dear! must she go back to Slipside Row, and hear the scolding voice of Mistress Cory Ann Brace, after being lifted almost into the clouds, and having a tiny peep into Fairy Town?
Could she come back to earth again, and cook, and scrub, and sew, and do all kinds of hard things, after hearing that wonderful scrap of glory about the dear, beautiful creatures called the Fairies?
"Sally! Sally!"
"Yes, Mistress Cory Ann, I'm coming."
Swiftly back through Shady Path and Lover's Lane ran Sally, her frowsly head full of the strange, sweet fragment of fairy song that she had heard.
"Now, where've you been?" cried Mistress Cory Ann, as Sally came panting into the Row. "Not up to Ingleside, I hope! I had to run way up the path to make you hear. Haven't I told you more'n a hundred times you'd better keep away from there? Just let the people up at the big house catch you pokin' around, and back you'll come faster'n ever you went. Do you hear, Sally Dukeen?"