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“ holiday fairies were laughing and joking as they came through the wood, dragging after them a very fat bag. It did not seem very heavy, for when Easter jumped on the top of it, Summer and Christmas were still able to move it, and did not appear to mind the extra weight the least bit.

“We’ll take it to the tree,” said Summer, “then we’ll open it.”

“I wonder, oh, I wonder what’s inside,” said Christmas.

Half-term came tumbling down out of a tree.

“Hullo!” he said. “What have you got there? Let me look.”

“No, we found it,” said Easter.

“Would you quite say, ‘found’ it?” asked Christmas.

“Scarcely, perhaps,” said Summer.

And then all three fairies, shouting with laughter, picked up their prize, carried it to the tree, and sat down on it.

“What’s the joke? What’s the joke?” called several voices, as Ellessdee, Sois, Miss Crimson Lake, Lucy, Minora, and the others came scrambling, jumping, and tumbling to the ground.

“There are the holiday fairies,” cried Ellessdee, “just in time too.”

“If it’s up a tree, which tree is it up?” shouted Sois.

“It seems to me you’ve all been up a tree,” laughed Christmas.

“Up several trees,” said Easter.

And then they all laughed louder than ever.

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