Wherever they footed the dew was not wet;

They bowed and they curtsied, the brave and the fair;

And laughter like chirping of crickets was there.

Then all on a sudden a church clock struck loud:

A flutter, a shiver, was seen in the crowd,

The cock crew, the wind woke, the trees tossed their heads,

And the fairy folk hid in the lavender beds.

W. B. Rands.


Farewell to the Fairies