“Good morning, Jack,” said the Queen. “Good morning, dear.” This was to the apple-woman; and then she stood still for a moment and looked earnestly at little Mopsa, and sighed.
“Well,” she said to her, “don’t you mean to speak to me?” Then Mopsa lifted up her pretty face and blushed very rosy red, and said, in a shy voice, “Good morning——sister.”
“I said so!” exclaimed the Queen; “I said so!” and she lifted up her beautiful eyes, and murmured out, “What is to be done now?”
“Never mind, Queen dear,” said Jack. “If it was rude of Mopsa to say that, she is such a little young thing that she does not know better.”
“It was not rude,” said Mopsa, and she laughed and blushed again. “It was not rude, and I am not sorry.”
As she said this the Queen stepped on to the carpet, and all the flowers began to drop down. They were something like camellias, and there were thousands of them.
The fairies collected them in little heaps. They had no tables and chairs, nor any plates and dishes for this breakfast; but the Queen sat down on the carpet close to Jack’s boat, and leaned her cheek on her hand, and seemed to be lost in thought. The fairies put some flowers into her lap, then each took some, and they all sat down and looked at the Queen, but she did not stir.
At last Jack said, “When is the breakfast coming?”
“This is the breakfast,” said the apple-woman; “these flowers are most delicious eating. You never tasted anything so good in your life; but we don’t begin till the Queen does.”
Quantities of blossoms had dropped into the boat. Several fairies tumbled into it almost head over heels, they were in such a hurry, and they heaped them into Mopsa’s lap, but took no notice of Jack, nor of the apple-woman either.