extra's a very little one,' he added reassuringly.

'Humph!' said the Sand-fairy. (If you read this story aloud,
please pronounce 'humph' exactly as it is spelt, for that is how he
said it.) 'Humph! Do you know, until I heard you being
disagreeable to each other just over my head, and so loud too, I
really quite thought I had dreamed you all. I do have very odd
dreams sometimes.'

'Do you?'Jane hurried to say, so as to get away from the subject of
disagreeableness. 'I wish,' she added politely, 'you'd tell us
about your dreams - they must be awfully interesting.'

'Is that the day's wish?' said the Sand-fairy, yawning.

Cyril muttered something about 'just like a girl,' and the rest
stood silent. If they said 'Yes,' then good-bye to the other
wishes they had decided to ask for. If they said 'No,' it would be
very rude, and they had all been taught manners, and had learned a
little too, which is not at all the same thing. A sigh of relief
broke from all lips when the Sand-fairy said:

'If I do I shan't have strength to give you a second wish; not even
good tempers, or common sense, or manners, or little things like
that.'

'We don't want you to put yourself out at all about these things,
we can manage them quite well ourselves,' said Cyril eagerly; while
the others looked guiltily at each other, and wished the Fairy
would not keep all on about good tempers, but give them one good