tulip bed. For the fairies dwelt among the flowers, and she often told
her gossips how that she could hear the fairy mothers singing their
babies to sleep at night, when the moon was full and the evening was
warm. She had never seen the little folks herself, for few folks are
given to look upon them, and Dame Margery's eyes were not of that
nature. Nevertheless, she heard them, and that, in my opinion, is the
next best thing to seeing them.

Dame Margery Twist, as I said, was a good, kind, comfortable old soul,
and was, moreover, the best nurse in all of Tavistock town. Was any one
ill, it was Dame Margery who was called upon to attend him; as for the
dame herself, she was always ready to bring a sick body into good health
again, and was always paid well for the nursing.

[Illustration: DAME TWIST DRINKETH TEA]

One evening the dame was drinking her tea by herself with great comfort.
It was just at the dusking of the twilight; the latticed window was
opened, so that the little breezes came rushing into the room, or stayed
a while to play wantonly with the white linen curtains. The tabby cat
was purring in the door-way, and the dame was enjoying the sweetness of
the summer-time. There came a knock at the door, "Who is it?" said Dame
Margery.

"It's Tommy Lamb, if you please, ma'am," said a little voice.

"Come in, Tommy," said the dame.

So in came Tommy Lamb, a little, curly-headed fellow, not any older than
you, "What is it you want, Tommy?" said the dame.