They seemed to fly rather than ride upon the hard ground, for the hedges and cottages and orchards flew past as though in a dream.  But fast as they went, the old dame saw many things which she had never dreamed of before.  She saw all of the hedge-rows, the by-ways, the woods and fields alive with fairy-folk.  Each little body was busy upon his or her own business, laughing, chatting, talking, and running here and there like folks on a market-day.

[Illustration:  Dame Twist visits A strange Patient]

So they came at last to a place which the dame knew was the three-tree-hill; but it was not the three-tree-hill which she had seen in all of her life before, for a great gateway seemed to open into it and it was into this gateway that the little man in green urged the great white horse.

After they had entered the hill, Dame Margery climbed down from the pillion and stood looking about her.  Then she saw that she was in a great hall, the walls of which were glistening with gold and silver, while bright stones gleamed like so many stars all over the roof of the place.  Three little fairy children were playing with golden balls on the floor, and when they saw the dame they stopped in their sport and stood looking silently upon her with great, wide-opened eyes, just as though they were little mortal children.  In the corner of the room was a bed all of pure gold, and over the bed were spread coverlets of gold and silver cloth, and in the bed lay a beautiful little lady, very white and ill.  Then Dame Margery knew well enough that every one of these little people were fairies.

The dame nursed the fairy lady all that night, and by cock-crow in the morning the little woman had ease from her pain.

Then the little man spoke for the first time since Dame Margery had left home.  “Look’ee, Dame Margery,” said he; “I promised to pay you well and I will keep my word.  Come hither!” So the dame went to him as he had bidden her to do, and the little man filled her reticule with black coals from the hearth.  The dame said nothing, but she wondered much whether the little man called this good pay for her pains.  After this she climbed up on the great horse again, and behind the little man, and they rode out of the place and home, where they were safe and sound ere the day had fairly broken.  But before the little man had left her he drew out another little box just like the one that Tommy Lamb had brought her the evening before, only this time the box was filled with red ointment.  “Rub your eyes with this, Dame Margery,” said he.

[Illustration:  Dame Twist drives away the little folks]

Now Dame Margery Twist knew butter from cheese, as the saying is.  She knew that the green salve was of a kind which very few people have had rubbed over their eyes in this world; that it was of a kind which poets would give their ears to possess—­even were it a lump no larger than a pea.  So, when she took the box of red ointment, she only rubbed one eye with it—­her left eye.  Her right eye she pretended to rub, but, in truth, she never touched it at all.