"I must go, it is my time to be on duty," she said, smoothing her apron
and settling her cap importantly, "I will come back when I can."

Lucia looked envious. "Do not be long," she called after her.

She settled back with a sigh, and the little goat came over to have her
neck patted. Lucia stroked it lovingly.

"Garibaldi," she said aloud, "we are in a dream, you and I, and soon we
will both wake up and find ourselves back in the white cottage with
Nana scolding because we are late for supper. And we'll be sorry too,
won't we? For that will mean that the beautiful sheets and the soft
pillow will vanish the way they do in the fairy tales, and this lovely
garden will go too."

"But what if there were another one to take its place?" a voice
inquired from the doorway.




CHAPTER XIV

THE FAIRY GODFATHER

Lucia turned and looked up quickly. She was startled and not a little
embarrassed at having her confidence overheard.

Through the door that led from the ward the American was pushing a bed
on wheels. Lucia had seen that same bed many times before. It had