He can neigh, bark, grunt, roar, and even burn
up things. Now, I should like to see the fairy that could beat him at
tricks. It was Puck himself, who told the world that he was in the
habit of doing all these things, and I want to see whether he was
boasting."
"Tut, tut, don't talk that way, about our king," said a fourth fairy.
All this was only chaff and fun, for all the fairies were in good
humor. They were only talking, to fill up the interval until the music
began.
Now the canny Welsh fairies had learned the trick of catching
farthings, pennies and sixpences from the folks who have more
curiosity in them than even fairies do. These human beings, cunning
fellows that they are, let the curtain fall on a show, just at the
most interesting part. Then they tell you to come next day and find
out what is to happen. Or, as they say in a story paper, "to be
continued in our next."
Or, worse than all, the story teller stops, at some very exciting
episode, and then passes the hat or collection-box around, to get the
copper or silver of his listeners, before he will go on.
This time, however, it was Puck himself who came forward and declared
that, unless everyone of the fairies would promise to attend the next
meeting, there should be no music.
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