a thing to say."

He paused. "Yes," I said.

The scene was beyond his describing. But I know that she kissed
him good-bye.

"And you said nothing?"

"Nothing," he said. "I stood like a stuffed calf. She just looked
back once, you know, and stood smiling like and crying--I could
see the shine of her eyes--and then she was gone, and there was
all these little fellows bustling about me, stuffing my 'ands and
my pockets and the back of my collar and everywhere with gold."

And then it was, when the Fairy Lady had vanished, that Mr. Skelmersdale
really understood and knew. He suddenly began plucking out the gold
they were thrusting upon him, and shouting out at them to prevent
their giving him more. "'I don't WANT yer gold,' I said. 'I 'aven't
done yet. I'm not going. I want to speak to that Fairy Lady again.'
I started off to go after her and they held me back. Yes, stuck
their little 'ands against my middle and shoved me back. They kept
giving me more and more gold until it was running all down my
trouser legs and dropping out of my 'ands. 'I don't WANT yer gold,'
I says to them, 'I want just to speak to the Fairy Lady again.'"

"And did you?"

"It came to a tussle."