“What a long, long word that is!” laughed the fairy again.  “But we are wind fairies; and yet the Father of the Winds is called Astraeus:  that sounds something like your long word, does it not?”

“It sounds more like Astrea, and that means a star.”

“Why, where did you learn so much?”

“I saw it in a big book called a dictionary.”

“Another long word.  Doesn’t your head ache?”

“Sometimes, not now.  I have not any books now, except picture-books.”

“Did you ever have?”

“Oh yes; when papa was living we had books and pictures and many beautiful things; but there was a great fire, and all sorts of trouble, and now I have only Lisa.  But Lisa does not understand as papa did; it was he showed me that word in the dictionary.”

“Oh, don’t say that great ugly word again!  Shall I tell my friends to make some more music?”

“Yes, please.”

The wind fairy struck her little hands together, and waved her wings.  In a moment the little white troop danced over the strings of the harp, and brought out sweet, wild strains, that made Phil nearly cry for joy.  They seemed to be dancing as they did it, for they would join hands and sway to and fro; then, parting, they wound in and out in graceful, wreath-like motions, and the tiny stars on their foreheads flashed like diamonds.  Up and down they went, the length of the strings, then across, then back again; and all the time the sweet wild music kept vibrating.  “How lovely! how lovely!” said Phil, when there was a pause.

“I am so glad you like it! we often make music for people, and they hardly hear it,” said the fairy.

“I do not see how they can help hearing,” said Phil.

“Why, I’ll tell you how:  we frequently are in the tree-tops, or whirling about low bushes; every soft breeze that blows has some of our music in it, for there are many of us; and yet very few people pay attention to these sounds.”

“When the wind screams and roars in winter, is it you, then, who does that too?” asked Phil.

“Oh no,” said the fairy, rustling her wings in some displeasure.  “We are of the South Wind only, and have no such rude doings; I hope I may never have any work to do for the North Wind, he is so blustery.  Now it is time you went to sleep, and we cannot stay longer, for if the moon rises we cannot see our star-beams, and might lose our way.  We will just fan you a little, and you will soon be in Dream-land.”

As she spoke, Phil saw her beckon to her troupe, and they all flocked about him, dazzling him so with their starry coronets that he was forced to shut his eyes, and as he closed them he felt a gentle wafting as of a hundred little wings about his forehead, and in another moment he was asleep.

CHAPTER II

PHIL’S NEW FRIEND