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Little Daylight 271
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him thus, giving a bite or two to every word before she could part with it:
" Please your Grace, I'm very deaf: would your Grace mind repeating the princess's name?"
"With pleasure, my good woman," said the archbishop, stooping to shout in her ear: "the infant's name is little Daylight."
"And little daylight it shall be," cried the fairy, in the tone of a dry axle, "and little good shall any of her gifts do her. For I bestow upon her the gift of sleeping all day long, whether she will or not. Ha, ha! He, he! Hi, hi!"
Then out started the sixth fairy, who, of course, the others had arranged should come after the wicked one, in order to undo as much as she might.
"If she sleep all day," she said mournfully, "she shall, at least, wake all night."
"A nice prospect for her mother and me!" thought the poor king; for they loved her far too much to give her up to nurses, especially at night, as most kings and queens do—and are sorry for it afterwards.
" You spoke before I had done," said the wicked fairy. "That's against the law. It gives me another chance."
"I beg your pardon," said the other fairies, all together.
"She did. I hadn't done laughing," said the crone. " I had only got to Hi, hi! and I had to go through Ho, ho! and Hu, hu! So I decree that if she wakes all night she shall wax and wane with its mistress the |
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