For instance, the witch—­who was known by the name of Fussioldfuri, and lived in a miserable cavern when she was not travelling about—­had great delight in spoiling any one’s innocent amusement or upsetting his or her plans; she even started children quarrelling and disputing; indeed, she found this one of her particular pastimes when she was not engaged in annoying older people.

It was among children that she made Florio particularly useful—­so useful, in fact, that he never had a friend.  If she found him amusing himself with a happy little company, she made him do some selfish or ugly thing which at once put a stop to all the cheerfulness; and often, before he knew what he was about, he would be struggling and kicking and screaming and flinging himself upon one or the other of his comrades, while Fuss—­as we must call her for convenience—­laughed till she shook, and tears of joy ran down her ugly leathery cheeks.  Then Florio, ashamed, miserable, and unhappy, would creep off to a corner and weep as if his little heart would break.

It was after one of these dreadful occurrences one day that Florio, hiding in the woods, heard a strange rustling among the bushes.  He was so used to wandering about after old Fuss, and living anyhow and anywhere, that he was more like a little creature of the woods himself than anything else, and it took a good deal to frighten him.  Patter, patter, patter it went.  What could it be?  He peered in and out and under the bush, but he saw nothing except a nest full of little blue eggs, which he would not touch for the world; no, he knew too well how pleased old Fuss would be to have him disturb this little bird family, and he concealed it again.  As he did so, the sweetest little voice said,

“That’s right.”

Florio jumped as if a wasp had stung him.

“Yes,” continued the voice, “you couldn’t have pleased me better.”

“But who are you? where are you?” asked Florio, to whom kind words were unknown, but on whom they had the effect of making his heart beat with a new and strange emotion.

“I cannot tell you anything just now very well, but if you will meet me here in the moonlight this evening, Florio, I will be glad to see you.”

“To-night?” questioned the boy, who did not like the darkness.

“Yes, child; have no fear.  I am the fairy Florella.  Adieu.”

The days were generally too short for Florio, who hated the nights in the dismal cavern, when Fuss pulled his hair and pinched his nose and tripped him up over her staff by way of amusement; but now he longed for the night to come, although it must be confessed he was not without fears.  Fuss was uglier than usual, but this did not affect Florio as it might have done had he not had something unusual and exciting to think of.  Soon as the witch tumbled down on her heap of straw for the night, and showed by her heavy breathing and frightful snoring that she was asleep, Florio crept softly from the cavern.