Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno.djvu/218

190 able to see how the land lies, without so much as saying a word!"

It was a very hot afternoon——too hot to go for a walk or do anything——or else it wouldn't have happened, I believe.

In the first place, I want to know——dear Child who reads this!——why Fairies should always be teaching us to do our duty, and lecturing us when we go wrong, and we should never each them anything? You can't mean to say that Fairies are never greedy, or selfish, or cross, or deceitful, because that would be nonsense, you know. Well then, don't you think they might be all the better for a little lecturing and punishing now and then?

I really don't see why it shouldn't be tried, and I'm almost sure that, if you could only catch a Fairy, and put it in the corner, and give it nothing but bread and water for a day or two, you'd find it quite an improved character——it would take down its conceit a little, at all events.

The next question is, what is the best time for seeing Fairies? I believe I can tell you all about that.