“Alas! Alack! If on my back I wore such lovely, lovely clothes I’d never freeze my little toes, Nor wiggle up my little nose.”
“If I could wear such lovely garb, I then would feel no deadly barb Of arrows aiméd at my heart. That’s a grand rhyme! Am I that smart?”
“Enough of this fun For to-day. Away, you rascals― Run away!
“Mary Frances, if you please, Take the patterns, and make these Pretty things―a lot of fun! Let me see them when they’re done.”
[Illustration: She drew these patterns from under the cushion]
MARY FRANCES stepped into the sewing room. She had Mary Marie’s trunk under her arm.
[Illustration: “They’re gone! They’re gone!”]
“Oh, did you finish the cute little muff and tippet, and work bag, your Seamstress-ship?” asked Fairy Lady.
“Yes, indeed,―I’ll show them to you,” said Mary Frances, lifting the lid of the trunk.
“Oh, mercy!” she cried, “Oh, dear! Oh, my! Oh―oh!”
“Why, what’s the matter?” asked Fairy Lady and Scissors Shears in one breath.
“Why,―they’re gone! They’re gone! They’re gone―the trunk is empty! Who could have stolen them? Ou―ou―! Ou! Ou!”
[Illustration: “They’re gone!” cried Emery Bag]
“What―shall―I―do? What―shall―I―do? What―shall―I―do?” sobbed Mary Frances.
“Oh, that sweet little kimono and Mary Marie’s bath robe, and―her―her―everything―they were all in the trunk. Last night, when I finished her tippet, I put that in. I’m sure I did! I wanted to show them all to Mother, and now, I won’t have them. Oh, dear! Mary Marie has on her nightie―that’s all that’s left of her lovely, lovely things!”
“Perhaps you didn’t put them in the trunk,” suggested Scissors Shears; “one can be mistaken about such things.”
“I feel certain―sure,” said Mary Frances, “but I’ll go look in my room again.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Fairy Lady, “I didn’t think she’d mind so. We don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“What shall we do?” asked Scissors Shears. “We don’t dare tell her until the last lesson―the King said―”
As Mary Frances neared the door she heard voices; but when she stepped in, all was still. She was crying as hard as ever.
[Illustration: “Will I, dear, dear Fairy Lady?”]
“No,” she sobbed, “they’re not there! They are all gone!”
Then suddenly remembering how everyone had stopped talking, she began to be curious.