I see a double red in the roses, and a double fairness in the lilies. And what is more, I shall see your flowers when they have gone out of the room."

"Oh," returned Farinonna, "I forgot that the knowledge of Fairian was to double one's eyesight, as well as one's knowledge. I suppose it doubles one's presence too?"

66 Why, it might as well, sister," said Farinetta, "while its about it; and it does accordingly."

"Sister, sister," re-iterated the other, with a reddening gravity, and forgetting her flowers in her impatience;" you know I love you; for the truth is you are very generous, and when you don't take these freaks into your head, very sensible. But the more I love you, the more angry you make me at seeing you let yourself be so imposed upon by this nonsense about Fairies. Do you think one's common senses are to be deceived? Why, upon this principle of a double presence, you ought yourself to be able to be in five or six places at ence, enjoying yourself."

66 My dear sister," said Farinetta with a pleasant earnestness, "give me a kiss, and don't spoil your beautiful mouth. You see that new gown of mine, worked all over with curious imagery. I say nothing to you but what I will prove, this very evening, if you please ;—but if I do certain things, and then put on that Fancy-Dress, I can be in five or six places at once, and enjoy myself in all. I will give away, for instance, half the peaches off my best tree, send them in portions to five or six of your friends and mine, and go the same day and enjoy them with every one."

Farinonna wept outright at this assertion, partly with impatience, partly at her sister's being so extravagant, and partly from a lurking notion how silly and uninformed she must be herself, if all this were true. After a variety of Pshaws! Nonsenses! and Now Positivelys! the upshot was, that she agreed to let her sister make the experiment, and to write letters to the receivers of the fruit all round, in order to see what they would say in answer. "But then," said she, recollecting herself, supposing this impossibility of yours to be possible, we shall not have half the peaches we should have had, to eat for the next fortnight-that will be very foolish." "Well, but dear Nonna, for the sake of the experiment, you know."- 66 Well, well, for the sake of the experiment" So half laughing, and half blushing at being so ridiculous, Farinonna helped her sister to put the peaches in green leaves and baskets, and send them off with their several letters. Farinetta then put on her fancy-dress, and saying

Fairies, Fairies, wise and dear,

Send me there and keep me here,

sat down very quietly at the window, to the equal amusement of herself and her sister; of the latter for seeing her still remain where she was, and of the former for seeing the amusement of the latter.

Farinetta, though the more thoughtful of the two, had as much or more animal spirit occasionally; and she entertained herself exces

sively in the course of the evening with her sister's extreme watchfulness over her. The latter, knowing the other's love of truth, and seeing her at once so confident and so merry, began to have a confused and almost fearful notion that there was more in the business than she fancied. "Perhaps," thought she, as the dusk of the evening gathered in, and she recollected the ghost-stories of her childhood, "these Fairies are evil spirits who have put a phantom here in my sister's shape;" and creeping towards her with as much courage as she could muster, she put forth her trembling hand, and touched her. Farinetta guessed what she was thinking about, and burst into a fit of laughter. This set the other off too, and they both laughed till the room rang again, the one at her sister's fears, and the other at her own.

Farinonna, all that evening, walked about with her sister, sat with her, talked with her, played music with her, sung with her, laughed with her, nay, was silent and looked grave with her; and at last, went to bed with her. She would not suffer her out of her sight. "Tis plain flesh and blood, you goose," said Farinetta, seeing the other look wistfully at her hand, which she jerked against her cheek as she spoke. "So is this, for that matter," said Farinonna, and was peevishly lifting her own to give her sister a little harder smack, when it suddenly smote herself on the cheek. "My dear sister!" exclaimed the other gravely, and at the same time embracing her,"Thank you for that. You were angry with yourself for intending me a little bit of a twinge, and so resolved to let it recoil on your own cheek. I hail the omen." "Hail the omen!" cried her sister, half in alarm, and half angry : "I did feel a little as you say, but I assure you I know not by what odd sort of palsy or convulsion I gave myself a blow." "Enough!" returned Farinetta, embracing her still more warmly: "I see how it is the Fairies have begun with you: you will know and love them soon." So saying, she blessed her and went to sleep. Enough! thought Farinonna, rubbing her cheek; but she kept silent, and shortly after dropped asleep too.

The next morning the answers to the letters were brought to Farinonna all at once. She snatched them from the servant's hand, exclaiming "Now then! "A good phrase," said Farinetta," that same Now then-you will believe in another presently,-Here there." It was true enough. The first letter ran as follows:

DEAR FARINONNA,-What do you mean by asking whether your sister was with us yesterday? To be sure she was. She joined us during the desert, in her beautiful fancy dress, and was the merriest among the party. Didn't she tell you?

Letter the second :

Yours,

L. Y.

DEAR FARINONNA,-What has come to you? Your sister told us at the desert yesterday, that she had just parted with you. Her fancydress and her peaches were the admiration of us all. You would have thought we should devour one as we did the other. I am learning Fairian.

Yours,

B. R.

The third letter was from a fine lady :→→

MY DEAR CREATURE-Was ever such a whimsical being as thou? Why thou dear giddy thing, one would think that you had not seen your sister for ages, just as we have not seen you. It's a week now, I declare, since Monday. I die to see you. Don't you die to have a fancy-dress like your sister's? I do. I quite die. I die to learn Fairian on purpose: only it's so hard, they tell me. Lord! Here is a quantity of Dies: Well-you must have another, for do you know Lady Di said she blushed for me yesterday; upon which that witty thing Lady Bab said, loud enough for her to hear, " And the paint for her Ladyship." Wasn't that good now? Quite charming. If Lady Bab were but good looking, she would be quite charming. Excuse faults and all that.

The fourth was from Lady Bab :PRETTY ONE," Divinest" was with us yesterday, looking, I really must say, like her name, in her fancy-dress. I only think it a little too crowded with imagery, to look quite reasonable. How came you not to know? I thought I heard her say she had just seen you, but that doll Lady Di and that stupid pretender Mrs. F. were gabbling away at the time. Brilliante will tell you, she says, that I sported one of my best things yesterday; but, entre nous, it was not very happy, I think; at least not so happy as many foolish things I said the day before. But I'm tired," as you say. They are all threatening to learn Fairian, so I must get it up in mere self-defence. Is not this hard upon one who has taken the trouble to know all the genteel languages already, and who is, dear Pretty-Protty,

Your obedient humble servant,

B. Q.

"An affected ill-natured thing!" said Farinonna, "I wonder what she always takes the liberty of calling me Pretty-Protty for? I think I see her odious puckered mouth grunting it. What next? Oh, here's poor Trady."

DEAR MADAM,-Received yours of to-day. Saw your sister, as hope you did afterwards; for she had the finest fancy-dress on I ever saw, much better than Miss Jones's, and Miss Jones's was the finest ever seen, Excuse running hand, not having time to write text. Should like to know, if you have time to write, why you ask about Miss Farinetta, as she said she saw you; but suppose she was mistaken. Excuse haste. Also, blots; and the way of writing the letter r, which Miss Jones says is best.

I have the honour to be, dear Madam,.
Your very obedient and humble servant,

P. S. Miss Jones lives next door.

A. T.

"What a pack of nonsense about Miss Jones," said Farinonna "I've no patience with such stupid worship of nobody. Ah, here's dear Toady's hand.

DIVINEST,-Other Divinest was with us yesterday, sharing her peaches with us, and looking really celestial in her fancy-dress. She reminded me so of you, that I quite longed to see you. Why didn't you come? And why, pray, do you write to know about your sister, after having just seen her? That is what we all want to know; but you know it is no new matter to want to know every thing which you do, however whimsical and witty. Adieu, Divinest! Pray learn Fairian, and get the dear delightful creaturcs in the wood to get you an Imagination, for so, you must know, we call Farinetta's dress on account of its imagery. All the world is beginning to believe in 'em. We don't quite understand about it. The mixture of such odd things as language and knowledge, being here and being there, &c. confuses one; but I've no doubt it's true, because they say so. However, I shall never learn Fairian myself, that's certain, because you know I'm such a lazy creature. And entre nous, ma belle, I've another reason, which is, that I am quite happy and contented as long as I can see such places as Green Bower, and the fairer than fairies that live in it. Adieu, adieu! Parting is such sweet sorrow, &c. Mille graces for your kind present of the box. Believe me to be your ever obliged and affectionate friend, with esteem, E. T. P.S. I shall come to spend a day or two next week at Green Bower; but don't get any thing particular, there's a love.

Farinonna was now as impatient in her wish to enjoy the privileges of her sister, as she had been in doubting and contradicting her. She had heard the latter say, that the first and greatest step towards obtaining them, was a good hearty will; and that instances had been known, in which it superseded all the other means, and gifted the wisher with the power of speaking Fairian at once. She therefore borrowed her sister's manuscript grammar, and blushing, asked her to lend her the gown too. Farinetta guessed what she was going to do; but said nothing. She only kissed her very kindly, and gave them her. Farinonna hurried up into her room, locked the door, threw the grammar on the floor, slipped on the gown, and cried out as fast as she could, "I want to be in five places at once.' However, she did not find herself any where else. "I want, I say," cried she, stamping her foot angrily, to be in five places at once.' Not a step did she budge. Enraged at her disappointment, she began to tear off the gown; when lo for every rent which she made in it, she hit herself a great thump in the face. She wept bitter tears for fear and vexation. She did not dare to exclaim that it was shameful to treat a person so ; but she thought it, and wished she could smack the Fairies' faces all round. Suddenly, she recollected that her sister called that involuntary selfpunishment a good omen; and this recollection brought to mind another, namely, that one of the first steps towards favour with the Fairies was to do something not entirely for yourself, but for somebody else too. "I will give away half my box of sweetmeats," cried she, clapping her hands. She put half of them accordingly into another box, thrust the lid to, threw up the window, and called out to

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a little boy who was going by," Hallo, there, little boy!" The child looked up, and gaped. There's a box of sweetmeats for you, little boy." The boy looked at the box, as if doubtfully, and then looking up at the young lady, gaped again."Don't stand gaping there, you ninny," said Farinonna; take up the box, and go and eat the sweetmeats directly. I'll come and eat 'em with you presently. There, go-make haste ;-make haste, I say." "Where, Ma'am?" asked the boy, after taking up the box. Any where, you dolt," said Farinonna, slamming down the window. "Now then," cried she, "I shall do it. Oh, I forgot the charm before:-I shall do it certainly now ;" and she half-said and half-sung, in the requisite manner,

Fairies, Fairies, wise and dear,
Send me there, and keep me here.

Not a jot did they send her any where. Farinonna was bewildered. "The sweetmeats perhaps," said she, were not valuabie enough. I'll give away half-what? let's see any thing valuable-oh, my shelf of books; I'll give away half my shelf of books." She rang the bell violently, and the old deaf housekeeper appeared: Lord bless us!" said the good old dame, "why, what's the matter with my young lady; I heard the bell ring, and I should never forget the sound of that bell, Ma'am, if I was to live a hundred"-" Ay, ay," said Farinonna, "Well, never mind what you shall never forget; but here-take these valuable books, Judith, and keep 'em, and read 'em, and-there, go." Judith, not hearing a word, bent her ear to under stand the orders. "Take these valuable books," bawled Farinonna, "and keep 'em, and read 'em, and Go." She uttered the last word so fiercely, that the good old gossip started with another "Lord bless us!" muttering after her, "Keep 'em, and read 'em, and Go! Why, Lord, Miss, how am I to read 'em." They cost I don't know how much," answered Farinonna. "But how am I to understand 'em ?" returned Judith. "They are bound in morocco," bawled the lady. "But I tell you, dear Miss Nonna, I can't read, and what's more, I can't hear any body read; and what's Then give 'em somebody who can," interrupted the sister. Give 'em!" cried Judith, doubting her ears; give 'em who!" Any one," shouted Farinonna; "and tell 'em, I'll come and read 'em with 'em directly.""Read 'em with 'em," repeated the housekeeper. "Why, you would not read 'em with the cook, or the hostler, or the footman, or the scullion, would you, Miss ?" "Mark me, Judith," said Farinonna, suppressing her anger: Take those books to my sister, and tell her"" Mister who?" asked the deaf woman. 66 My sister," reechoed the young lady; "and tell her, that she must read 'em directly, because I want to stop here and read 'em there; and now go:-You can go, can't you, if you can't do any thing else?" yes," ," returned the dame, proudly, "I can go. Blessed be heaven, f can go fast enough, considering I'm seventy-eight; but I tell you what, Miss Nonna, if you take infirm old people by the shoulders in this manner, and make 'em go faster than Heaven wills, you'll not live to

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more,

Oh,

I