Chapter II: Fairies

_Hyde Park_

The fairies live in Hyde Park--the London ones, I mean;
They love to see the blue sky and feel a bit of green;
They look out for the children, and beckon as they pass,
And fix up fairy notices, "Please keep ON the grass."

The fairies live in Hyde Park because they love to hide;
They tell the roar of London Town to keep itself outside,
For there are all the furry things, the birds and woolly lambs,
And little new-born fairy-folk asleep inside their prams.

The fairies live in Hyde Park, and in the month of March
A little girl comes riding underneath the Marble Arch;
She goes by way of Hyde Park, the fairies say she can--
A busy little Wendy girl, to stay with Peter Pan.

_Moss_

Very wee and low,
Creeping, as you know,
Up and then across,
Is the little moss.

Fairy fronds of green,
Spreading out are seen,
Very soft and neat,
Fit for fairy feet.

If you see it there,
Will you please take care?
Always step across
When you see the moss.

_Little Moth_

He didn't know a lamp could burn,
Poor dainty little thing,
So back again he did return,
And burnt his tiny wing!

A fairy heard him crying there,
So like a loving elf
She found she had a wing to spare,
The kind she wore herself.

She fixed it on--her dainty wing--
With bits of softest cloth;
Now half of him's a fairy thing,
The other half is _moth_!

_Fairies in the Cupboard_

I _know_ they're in our cupboard;
Shall I tell you why?
I hear them laughing, talking,
As I am passing by.
A teeny-weeny rustle,
The way that dry leaves go--
Oh, yes, they're in our cupboard,
'Cos I _know_!

I _know_ they're in our cupboard--
One night I heard a chink,
I guess they like our china,
It's rather thin and pink!
It's very smooth and shiny,
For a tiny fairy toe--
Oh, yes, they're in our cupboard,
'Cos I _know_!

And once when I was peeping,
And it was rather late,
I saw a ring of fairies
Upon the biggest plate!
And there, upon the teapot,
I saw a _perfect row_--
Oh, yes, they're in our cupboard,
'Cos I _know_!

I _know_ they're in our cupboard,
I've _heard_ them in the jug;
They scramble on the saucers,
And hide inside my mug.
Their babies _love_ the egg-cups--
They stand inside them--so!
Oh, yes, they're in our cupboard,
'Cos I _know_!

_Fairy Frilly_

Fairy Frilly for half an hour
Went to sleep in a poppy flower--
Went to sleep in her little green frock,
And the time of the ball was ten o'clock.
Quarter to ten and five to ten
Ticked from the dandelion clock again,
But Fairy Frilly was deaf to all,
_And ten was the time of the fairy ball!_

Little West Wind came by that way,
And he pulled off the petal where Frilly lay,
Pulled it off with the fairy on it,
And blew with a great big breath upon it.
Off sailed the petal, Frilly and all--
And _that's_ how she managed to get to the ball.

_The Snail and the Fairy_

A fairy went a walk one day
And found that she had lost her way.
"Oh, dear," she cried, "what shall I do,
I promised I'd be in by two!"

Now Brother Snail was passing by;
He heard the little fairy cry;
He stopped awhile and then turned back,
And made for her a silver track!

So if _you_ take a walk to-day,
Don't tread the silver tracks away.
Remember, as you walk along,
To nervous fairies they belong!

_When Fairies have a Picnic_

When fairies have a picnic they always tidy up;
It would be a disgraceful thing to leave a broken cup.
They roll up bits of paper, and hide the orange-skin,
And find a most convenient hole to put the rubbish in!

When fairies have a picnic they see the fire is out,
For fear that Brother Wind may come and scatter it about.
They leave a pile of brushwood, as that is nice and dry,
For other picnic people who are certain to pass by!

When fairies have a picnic they never break the trees,
They smooth the grass and daisy-buds as gently as you please,
And packing up their baskets they softly steal away,
And leave the place all beautiful for some one else to play!

_Fairy Gramophone_

When you're still and quite alone
Hear the fairy gramophone,
Now a march for fairy feet,
Now a lullaby so sweet;
Overture from fairy play,
Melody of little fay.
Sit upon this mossy stone--
Play on, fairy gramophone!

Sweet the fairy records are,
Sun, and moon, and twinkling star,
Winds that call and streams that rush,
Song of Tit, and Brother Thrush,
Call of little furry things,
Rustle of a hundred wings--
Hear the fairy gramophone
When you're still and quite alone!

_A Wish_

I wished a wish the other night as hard as hard could be,
That just a fairy would peep in and come and talk to me.

I cuddled tightly in my bed, the clothes up round my chin,
And kept my eyes awake to watch the fairy coming in.

I counted patterns on the wall and pictures just the same,
To help to while the time away until the fairy came.

The little clock went tick-a-tock, the wind sang round the house,
I heard a step upon the floor as soft as any mouse.

I watched the door so carefully--I didn't want to miss,
But it was only _Mother dear_ who came to have a kiss.

I told my daddy the next day how silly I had been;
He said, "Your wish came _more_ than true---_you saw the fairy Queen!_"