And there are three little fairies, all dressed
in silver and gold, and with paper-flowers in their hair, and long
diamond bangles hanging like fringe on their skirts. They're
following me, and they're skipping and jumping, too. They're the
three fairies in the verse."
"The three fairies?" Grandpa seemed puzzled.
Yes. It says 'Surely goodness and mercy,' you know."
"But that makes only two, doesn't it?" said grandpa, still puzzled.
Missy laughed at his stupidity.
"Why, no!--Three!" She counted them off on her fingers: "Surely--and
Goodness--and Mercy. Don't you see?"
"Oh, yes, dear--I see now," said grandpa, very slowly. "I wasn't
counting Surely."
Just then came a chuckle from the doorway. Missy hadn't seen Pete
enter, else she would have been less free in revealing her real
thoughts. What had he overheard?
Still laughing, Pete advanced into the room.
"So there's a fairy named 'Surely,' is there? What's the colour of
her eyes, Missy?"
Missy shrank a little closer into the haven of grandpa's knees. And
grandpa, in the severe voice that made the other children stand in
awe of him, said:
"That will do, Peter!"
But Peter, unawed, went on:
"I know, grandpa--but she's such a funny little dingbat! And now,
that she's turned pious--"
Grandpa interrupted him with a gesture of the hand.
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