Page:Tales of the Unexpected (1924).djvu/242

 with me so long, and it is time I let you go. You must go back to your Millie. You must go back to your Millie, and here—just as I promised you—they will give you gold.'

'She choked like,' said Mr Skelmersdale. 'At that, I had a sort of feeling ' (he touched his breastbone) 'as though I was fainting here. I felt pale, you know, and shivering, and even then—I hadn't a thing to say. He paused. 'Yes,' I said.

The scene was beyond his describing. But I know that she kissed him good-bye.

'And you said nothing?'

'Nothing,' he said. 'I stood like a stuffed calf. She just looked back once, you know, and stood smiling like and crying—I could see the shine of her eyes—and then she was gone, and there was all these little fellows bustling about me, stuffing my 'ands and my pockets and the back of my collar and everywhere with gold.'

And then it was, when the Fairy Lady had vanished, that Mr Skelmersdale really understood and knew. He suddenly began plucking out the gold they were thrusting upon him, and shouting out at them to prevent their giving him more. '"I don't want yer gold," I said.

"I 'aven't done yet. I'm not going. I want to speak to that Fairy Lady again." I started off to go after her and they held me back. Yes, stuck their little 'ands against my middle and shoved me back. They kept giving me more and more gold until it was running all down my trouser legs and dropping out of my 'ands.

"I don't want yer gold," I says to them, "I want just to speak to the Fairy Lady again."'

'And did you?'

'It came to a tussle.'

'Before you saw her?'

'I didn't see her. When I got out from them she wasn't anywhere to be seen.'