So the Queen was very anxious that they should
be pleased; for they had been asked to be godmothers to the baby
Princess, and she wanted them to be in a good humor so that they
should be kind to her little one.
It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and the roses on the palace
terrace were nodding their heads sleepily in the warm breeze, when the
fairies' chariots came into sight, sailing through the blue sky like a
flight of bright-winged butterflies.
They were all good fairies, and had known the King and Queen all their
lives long, and as they had not seen them for some time there was
a great deal to talk about and much news to tell. And, dear me! how
pleased they were with the baby! They all agreed that she was the
prettiest little darling they had ever seen--almost as pretty as a
real fairy baby--and _that_ was a compliment indeed, I can tell you.
And when they went in to the great banqueting-hall and sat down to
table, they were even more delighted than at first. For each one of
them there was a set of six golden dinner things--knife, spoon, fork,
cup, dish, and plate--made on purpose as a present for each, and all
different. One was set with pearls, another with diamonds, the third
with rubies, the fourth with opals, the fifth with amethysts, the
sixth with emeralds, the seventh with sapphires; and nobody could tell
which was the most beautiful.
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