something in your ear--and then you go and see if it isn't so."

"Whisper it now, please," begged Mary Alice, going over to her
godmother and putting her ear close.

"Oh, no," said Godmother, kissing Mary Alice's ear, "this isn't the
time at all. And it's _fatal_ to tell till the right time comes."

And no teasing would avail to make her change her mind.




III

FINDING THE FIRST FAIRY

The next few days were spent in sightseeing; and Mary Alice would never
have believed there could be any one so enchanting to see sights with
as Godmother. They looked in all the wonderful shop-windows and
"chose" what they would take from each if a fairy suddenly invited them
to take their choice. No fairy did; but they hardly noticed that.

Then they'd go and "poke" in remnant boxes on the ends of counters in
the big department stores, and unearth bits of trimming and of lace
with which Godmother, who was clever with her needle and "full of
ideas," showed Mary Alice how to put quite transforming touches on her
clothes.

They visited art galleries, and Godmother knew things about the