“What’s the matter? Don’t you know a fairy when you see one?” went on the clear voice.
The girls looked all around.
“But—but we don’t see anything,” stammered Rose.
“What do you look like?” queried Ruth.
“Can’t see me? How extremely provoking. I’m sitting right here on the arm of the settee, and I look just like a fairy—what would you have me look like?” The voice sounded the least bit impatient.
Rose, who was nearest to it, started back a trifle. She wasn’t exactly frightened,—but it was a little—well, startling—to hear a fairy and then not be able to see it! Rose had never expected that sort of adventure.
“I—I can hear you,” she said, politely. “Perhaps if you got right in front of the fire we could see you.”
“The fire won’t help. Why, I have a shine of my own. Come now, look hard.”
Both girls looked hard at the sound of the voice. But they couldn’t see it a whit better than they could see the bang of a door or the creak of a board. They felt very sorry and embarrassed, for they could tell the fairy was trying her hardest to be seen.
“It’s too bad,” said Rose, at last. And Ruth echoed her sadly. “To think that there is really a fairy here with us, and we can’t see you!”