clocked pink stockings up to the garter, I can assure you that she
was great, and imposing even in her sprightliness.

Her costume, worthy of her face, was extremely magnificent; it
consisted of a robe of gold-and-silver brocade, and a mantle of
nacarat velvet, lined with vair. Her head-dress was a sort of
hennin, with two high points; and pearls of splendid lustre made
it bright and luminous as a crescent moon. Her little white hand
held a wand. That wand drew my attention very strongly, because my
archaeological studies had taught me to recognise with certainty
every sign by which the notable personages of legend and of history
are distinguished. This knowledge came to my aid during various
very queer conjectures with which I was labouring. I examined the
wand, and saw that it appeared to have been cut from a branch of
hazel.

"Then its a fairy's wand," I said to myself; "consequently the lady
who carries it is a fairy."

Happy at thus discovering what sort of a person was before me, I tried
to collect my mind sufficiently to make her a graceful compliment.
It would have given me much satisfaction, I confess, if I could have
talked to her about the part taken by her people, not less in the
life of the Saxon and Germanic races, than in that of the Latin
Occident. Such a dissertation, it appeared to me, would have been
an ingenious method of thanking the lady for having thus appeared to
an old scholar, contrary to the invariable custom of her kindred,
who never show themselves but to innocent children or ignorant
village-folk.