At first, half asleep as he was, he thought that it must be little
Cousin Harriett winding up the music-box in the room, and then he
suddenly started into consciousness with the remembrance that he was
alone and that it couldn't be Cousin Harriett. She was at home; in bed
perhaps, already.

The music seemed to sound quite near him, and it was very sweet and
soft. Now that he was awake it sounded more like the voice of the
singing garden than anything else.

Suddenly a faint rosy light appeared at the foot of the bed, and
standing in it was the most beautiful lady that Teddy had ever seen. She
was quite tall,--as tall as his own mother, and not even the fairy
Rosine, or the Bird-maiden,--no, nor the Princess Aureline herself, had
been half as beautiful.

But though the lady was so lovely there was something very familiar
about her face. "Why, Counterpane Fairy!" cried Teddy.

The Counterpane Fairy, for it was indeed she, did not speak, but smiling
at Teddy she moved softly and smoothly, as though swept along by the
music to the side of the bed, and, still smiling, she bent above the
little boy.

As he looked up into the face that leaned above him, it seemed to change
in some strange way, and now it was the old Italian woman who had given
him the presents from her basket; a moment after it was the face of the
little child who had talked with him upon the rainbow; no, it was not;
it was really the Counterpane Fairy herself, and no one else.