GRANDMOTHER _listens to them, then begins her story_: Well, once
there was a wicked king, who didn't like cold weather; so he sent his
soldiers, and told them to catch all the cold Wind Fairies and--

TOM _interrupts her to ask_: Are there really Wind Fairies, Grandmother?

GRANDMOTHER _answers_: Of course there are. I think I heard them a
moment ago. Listen!

_They all listen. The Wind Fairies are heard outside, like this_:

z--z--z z--z--z z--Z--Z--Z--z--z--z


Do you hear them? _asks_ GRANDMOTHER. _The children all nod_.
Yes, _she continues, going on with the story_, the king told his
soldiers to catch all the Wind Fairies, and all the Snow Fairies, and
Jack Frost himself, and to lock them all up in prison.

And did the soldiers do it? _asks_ HELEN.

Yes, _answers_ GRANDMOTHER. They locked up all of them except one
little Wind Fairy, and he was so small and so quick, that they couldn't
catch him; and what do you suppose he did? He rattled the windows so
hard that the king couldn't sleep, and he blew so hard down the chimney
and through the cracks around the doors, that he blew out all the lights
in the king's house, and gave the king such a bad cold in his head,
that--

_Here Grandmother herself sneezes. And the Wind Fairies are heard