She began to cry bitterly, and Uncle John Philip sat beside his little niece and tried to comfort her.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, my dear!” said the great man over and over.
“O Uncle John Philip,” sobbed the little girl, “I know why you don’t believe in the beautiful fairies. It’s all on account of these horrid spectacles.”
Then she told him all about her adventure in his study and questioned him between sobs and tears.
“That dear little star-fish isn’t a great creepy thing is it, uncle?”
“No dear, no dear, no dear!” declared the professor.
“And you don’t keep black monsters in bottles of water, now, do you, uncle?”
“No, no, no, no!” cried the great man.
“You’re not a wicked giant and you do believe in fairies, don’t you, uncle?”
“Surely, surely, I do, I do.”