"That was nice."
"Yes," he added; "for them. But it wasn't for the gnome. You see, the gnome loved the princess, too."
"Did she know it?"
He shook his head. "No one knew it but the gnome," he returned. "And the prince and princess were very happy. Then a little princess came to live with them, and they were happier yet."
"A little princess like me?" she queried, interestedly.
"Very much like you," he assented.
"And what did the gnome do?"
"Why," he replied, "the gnome just went away and lived in a hole in the ground, all alone."
"Didn't he ever come out?"
"Yes; he used to come out sometimes to tell fairy stories to little girls. But he had to go back again, all alone."