"Make it gold!" cried another.
"Diamonds!" cried a third.
But the queen said, "Leave it to me."
She went up to the old, old elf who had been playing for the dance. Taking his violin from him, she gave it to Donal. You see, the queen knew the dearest wish of his heart.
Then Donal was a happy lad, indeed! He thanked the queen and went home playing on his new violin.
II
There lived near Donal's home a lad named Conal. He was not such a fine lad as Donal, nor such a gay one. He was a greedy lad, and the dearest wish of his heart was to be rich. And he did not know where to wear his smile. If he had one, he kept it in his pocket.
When Conal heard what had happened to Donal, he wished to know all about it. So he went to him and said, "Donal, man, how did you get that beautiful violin?"
Donal told the story backward and forward, and forward and backward, from beginning to end, until Conal knew it by heart.