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and this time, almost at the first stroke of his weapon, the serpent seemed crushed, and ready to expire. Then Una came forward, almost dreading lest the cruel monster should revive again; but little by little he sank away, until life was really extinct.

Then, need we say, joyfully they entered beyond the brazen wall of the castle, and the father and mother came out to meet them; and a great festival was made; and the sequel of it all was, that the Red-cross Knight and the gentle Una were united heart and hand in reward for her patience and his valor.

CHAPTER XX.

THE FLOWER-FAIRIES.

WE think Glassée must have become again as tired telling her long stories as she was before; and now, as our two young friends, Nannine and Gianina, instead of imaginary travels, were about to travel in reality, as will be seen in the remaining chapters of this little work, we will stop but a few moments more with our own "Garden Fairies,” and then turn to those other recitals.

We have seen, heretofore, only what the queen did among her fairy band: we will now see how the king of the fairies ruled among his troop of elfin subjects. He seems to have had a much more difficult task than the queen, according to the following account, which is called

THE COURT OF THE FAIRIES.*

There was a time when a fairy king held his court. Elves and fays were assembled from far and near. Some met from interest, and the love of duty; others from curiosity, and to criticise the doings of the court. There were various opinions; for, even in Fairyland, minds will differ. Some differed in principle, others in education, and others differed owing to circumstances beyond their control. Notwithstanding these various elements, the king held his court; although one would have thought, at times, that these very elements were ready to dissolve, and to leave both king and court to utter annihilation.

This fairy court was held under a shady, flowery arbor. At times, the lowering atmosphere threatened an approaching storm; and, finally, the rain

* The moral of this little story- the production of a friend might be deemed by our older readers as a leaf from the history of the times; but it must not be so construed in any partial manner, as it is designed simply as a general expression for peace and harmony.

descended.

The king betook himself for shelter to the cup of a blooming tulip. The assembly were seen to flee in all directions: some took refuge under the awning of a neighboring vine; others clung to the under-surface of a leaf, fearing to face the wind, lest the resistless storm should disarrange their fairy toilet; others boldly withstood the blast, but, being wrestled with by the contending elements, slid upon the slippery foundation of a petiole, yet quickly recovered their attitude, and maintained their position.

Slowly and surely the storm died away. The king, who was amply protected within the corolla of the tulip, left its crimson drapery at the announcement of fair weather. Again the fays assembled around his tribunal. Not many had been dispersed by the storm; yet there were those, who, fearing longer to trust themselves to the uncertain elements, withdrew from the fairy circle.

Such was the disorder into which the arbor had been thrown by the wind, that it required no little time to re-adjust it. Broken petals were to be removed;

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and rubbish, scattered about by the breeze. On one side might be seen the mid-rib of a huge leaf that had fallen from its support, and which was, to the eye of a fairy, as if one half his heavens had been shut from view. To remove this encumbrance, it required not merely the strength of fays, but their magic also. Finally every obstacle was removed, and their sylvan arbor again received the fairy band beneath its shade.

Since they last met, the king had refreshed himself by solitude. During the storm he had remained tranquil, and had reflected upon the best methods of bringing calm and prosperity to his little realm; how to allay the irritations of his subjects, and to resolve their doubts. He brought to his court a vigor to comprehend, and a determination to meet every want. Of the elves and the fays, some met again as formerly, in the pursuit of duty; others brought with them indecisions, jealousies, and disturbances, such as had characterized them before the dispersion. Could you have heard the whisperings of resentment, you might have fancied

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