"Oh, no," I said. "I think you've made a very good choice." But she was not quite satisfied.
"I shall hate going away from you," she said. "Couldn't you come too?"
"Where?"
"To Fairyland."
"Ah!" I said, "that takes some thinking about. Could we come back if we didn't like it?"
"N-no, I don't fink so. I've never heard of anyone doing that. But you'll love it," she went on earnestly. "You'll be ever so tiny and you can draw funny frost pictures wiv rainbows and fold up flowers into buds and splash dew-water over everyfing at night and ride on butterflies and help the birds to make nests. Fink what fun to help a bird to make a nest! You'll love it!"
"Is that all?" I said sternly. "Are you keeping nothing from me? What about witches and spells and being turned into frogs? I'm sure I remember that in my fairy tales."
"Oh, nothing that matters," she said quickly. "You can always tell a witch, you know, and we'll keep out of their way. An' if a nasty fairy turns you into a frog a nice one will always turn you back quite soon. It's all right. You mustn't worry about that. There won't be any fun if you don't come too, darlin'," she ended shamelessly.
I considered.
"Veronica," I said at last, "is there such a thing as Ireland in Fairyland? Is there an exchange that won't keep steady? Is there any labour trouble?"