most happy when she was looking over her property, but rather more because she possessed valuable curiosities than because she cared about them, I fear.  For my part, I wonder very much that the humming birds and shells did not teach her to be more humble-minded; for no art or jewellery can imitate or come up to their glorious beauty.  Well, she amused herself tolerably in spite of the visions of the fillagree box and the queen’s hair, which now and then came between her and her usual feeling of self-satisfaction.

Presently her young friends came—­several little girls of various ages, and now nature once more revived in poor Julia.  The children felt and expressed such hearty pleasure at the sight of her treasures.  There were such joyous exclamations; such bursts of delight; such springing and jumping about, that Julia became infected with the general pleasure, and was a happy child herself.  Yes! even though the fillagree box had been shown off and admired.  But what do children in general know about the value of things and how much they cost?  Ah, much more just in their judgments than we elders are apt to be, a bird of Paradise such as adorned the top of Julia’s cabinet, or a peacock’s tail, such as she had in a drawer, is to their unprejudiced eyes more desirable than the gold of Ophir itself!

So now you see this triumph of simplicity over art, despoiled the fillagree box of all its horrors, for the innocent children admired her shells yet more—­unsophisticated, and insensible to the long story about the value of the rubies, the maid of honour, and even the queen’s hairs.

Still the Fairies felt and saw that it was not Euphrosyne’s gift, but rather the forgetfulness of it which caused these hours of happiness to Julia, and somewhat puzzled as to the result they left the votary of riches, not quite without a sensation that little Aglaia’s proposal of moderate health and enough riches to be “comfortable without being puzzled,” was about the best thing after all, though not much of a Fairy gift.  And now, my little readers, I am beginning to get rather tired of my story, and to feel that you may do so too.  I think I am getting rather prosy, so I must try and cut the matter short.  Four out of the five Fairy gifts were like beauty and riches, worldly advantages.  For instance, there was the little girl who was to have every earthly pleasure at her feet—­i.e. she was to have every thing she wished for—­why she was fifty times worse off than either Aurora or Julia, for I will tell you whom she was like.  She was like the fisherman’s wife in Grimm’s German popular fairy tales, who had every thing she wished, and so at last wished to be king of the sun and moon.  I doubt not you remember her well, and how she was in consequence sent back to her mud cottage.  I think, therefore, I need not describe the young lady who had that Fairy gift.

There was another who was to be loved wherever she went; but nothing is worth having that is had so easily, and this child got so sick of being kissed and fondled and loved, that it was the greatest nuisance to her possible, for disagreeable people loved her just as much as nice ones, and for her part she hated them all alike.  It was a very silly Fairy gift.