“MASTER, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?”
“That will do,” she said. And then she took out the little tortoiseshell comb, pulled off her cap, and threw it into the river. She had a little knot of soft grey hair, and she let it down, and began to comb. And as she combed the hair got much longer and thicker, till it fell in waves all about her throat. Then she combed again, and it all turned gold colour, and came tumbling down to her waist; and then she stood up in the boat, and combed once more, and shook out the hair, and there was such a quantity that it reached down to her feet, and she was so covered with it that you could not see one bit of her, excepting her eyes, which peeped out, and looked bright and full of tears.
Then she began to gather up her lovely locks; and when she had dried her eyes with them, she said, “Master, do you know what you have done? look at me now!” So she threw back the hair from her face, and it was a beautiful young face; and she looked so happy that Jack was glad he had bought her with his half-crown—so glad that he could not help crying, and the fair slave cried too; and then instantly the little fairies woke, and sprang out of Jack’s pockets. As they did so, Jovinian cried out, “Madam, I am your most humble servant;” and Roxaletta said, “I hope your Grace is well;” but the third got on Jack’s knee, and took hold of the buttons of his waistcoat, and when the lovely slave looked at her, she hid her face and blushed with pretty childish shyness.
“These are fairies,” said Jack’s slave; “but what are you?”
“Jack kissed me,” said the little thing; “and I want to sit on his knee.”
“Yes,” said Jack, “I took them out, and laid them in a row, to see if they were safe, and this one I kissed, because she looked such a little dear.”
“Was she not like the others, then?” asked the slave.
“Yes,” said Jack; “but I liked her the best; she was my favourite.”
Now, the instant these three fairies sprang out of Jack’s pockets, they got very much larger; in fact, they became fully grown—that is to say, they measured exactly one foot one inch in height, which, as most people know, is exactly the proper height for fairies of that tribe. The two who had sprung out first were very beautifully dressed. One had a green velvet coat, and a sword, the hilt of which was encrusted with diamonds. The second had a white spangled robe, and the loveliest rubies and emeralds round her neck and in her hair; but the third, the one who sat on Jack’s knee, had a white frock and a blue sash on. She had soft, fat arms, and a face just like that of a sweet little child.