"Girls, Miss Melford knows all about it, and approves."
At this juncture, Miss Melford's voice was heard saying: "Follow me, my dears," and we all filed out of the room, and down the stairs to the carriages in waiting. The Town Hall was beautifully decorated, and the costumes were delightful. There were cavaliers, sweeps, princesses, and beggar-maids, but no one attracted more notice than Fairy Queen, who instead of dancing glided about amongst the company, offering fondants and caramels from her big bonbonnière.
The young guests laughed as they ate the sweetmeats, and rallied her upon the character she had chosen.
"Why have you left Fairyland?" asked a musketeer, and Fairy Queen replied:
"Because I want you all to have fairy fare."
"Won't you dance, Fairy Queen?" asked Bonnie Prince Charlie, persuasively, but Fairy Queen curtsied, and answered:
"I pray you excuse me, I'm on duty for the Company in Wayverne Square."
I guessed that there was something behind all this, and the sequel proved my conjecture true.
For when the Bal Masqué was a golden memory, Maura came to me with a little bundle of receipted bills in her hand, saying:
"Look, Gloria, "Fairy Queen" paid these. I was with Ivy in a confectioner's one day when the mistress told us that a member of the newly started firm of sweetmeat manufacturers, who traded as the Fairyland Company, had said that he wished he had a daughter who could go to the ball as Fairy Queen, and exploit his goods.