THE FAIRY He won't see it; no one can see it as long as it's on your head.... Will you try it?... (_She puts the little green hat on_ TYLTYL'S _head_.) Now, turn the diamond.... One turn and then....
(TYLTYL _has no sooner turned the diamond than a sudden and wonderful change comes over everything. The old_ FAIRY _alters then and there into a princess of marvellous beauty; the flints of which the cottage walls are built light up, turn blue as sapphires, become transparent and gleam and sparkle like the most precious stones. The humble furniture takes life and becomes resplendent; the deal table assumes as grave and noble an air as a table made of marble; the face of the clock winks its eye and smiles genially, while the door that contains the pendulum opens and releases the Hours, which, holding one another by the hand and laughing merrily, begin to dance to the sound of delicious music_.)
TYLTYL (_displaying a legitimate bewilderment and pointing to the Hours_) Who are all those pretty ladies?...
THE FAIRY Don't be afraid; they are the hours of your life and they are glad to be free and visible for a moment....
TYLTYL And why are the walls so bright?... Are they made of sugar or of precious stones?...
THE FAIRY All stones are alike, all stones are precious; but man sees only a few of them....
(_While they are speaking, the scene of enchantment continues and is completed. The souls of the Quartern-loaves, in the form of little men in crust-coloured tights, flurried and all powdered with flour, scramble out of the bread-pan and frisk round the table, where they are caught up by_ FIRE, _who, springing from the hearth in yellow and vermilion tights, writhes with laughter as he chases the loaves_.)
THE FAIRY Oh, they're nothing; they are merely the souls of the Quartern-loaves, who are taking advantage of the reign of truth to leave the pan in which they were too tightly packed....
TYLTYL And the big red fellow, with the nasty smell?...
THE FAIRY Hush!... Don't speak too loud; that's Fire.... He's dangerous. (_This dialogue does not interrupt the enchantment. The_ DOG _and the_ CAT, _lying rolled up at the foot of the cupboard, utter a loud and simultaneous cry and disappear down a trap; and in their places rise two persons, one of whom has the face of a bull-dog, the other that of a tom-cat. Forthwith, the little man with the bull-dog face, whom we will henceforward call the_ DOG, _rushes upon_ TYLTYL, _kisses him violently and overwhelms him with noisy and impetuous caresses; while the little man with the face of a tom-cat, whom we will simply call the_ CAT, _combs his hair, washes his hands and strokes his whiskers before going up to_ MYTYL.)