Bruno laughed contemptuously. “Why, oo might as well say oo'd go to some place where there wasn't any air—supposing oo didn't like air!”
This was a rather difficult idea to grasp. I tried a change of subject. “You're nearly the first Fairy I ever saw. Have you ever seen any people besides me?”
“Plenty!” said Bruno. “We see'em when we walk in the road.”
“But they ca'n't see you. How is it they never tread on you?”
“Ca'n't tread on us,” said Bruno, looking amused at my ignorance. “Why, suppose oo're walking, here—so—” (making little marks on the ground) “and suppose there's a Fairy—that's me—walking here. Very well then, oo put one foot here, and one foot here, so oo doosn't tread on the Fairy.”
This was all very well as an explanation, but it didn't convince me. “Why shouldn't I put one foot on the Fairy?” I asked.
“I don't know why,” the little fellow said in a thoughtful tone. “But I know oo wouldn't. Nobody never walked on the top of a Fairy. Now I'll tell oo what I'll do, as oo're so fond of Fairies. I'll get oo an invitation to the Fairy-King's dinner-party. I know one of the head-waiters.”
I couldn't help laughing at this idea. “Do the waiters invite the guests?” I asked.
“Oh, not to sit down!” Bruno said. “But to wait at table. Oo'd like that, wouldn't oo? To hand about plates, and so on.”
“Well, but that's not so nice as sitting at the table, is it?”