dozen hens who would each lay an egg every morning in the yearwithout fail. I should thus have as many fresh eggs as I could possiblywant, and enough to spare for setting whenever I liked. Some of mypresent hens are very good mothers, and would hatch them beautifully."
"I think your wish a very good one," said Arminel. "But now as to thefulfilment. We have now expressed our wishes distinctly, but there isno use as yet in going to look for the new cow in the shed or hens inthe hen-house, seeing that there remains, alas! the third one! What canit be?"
"Could it be for a hen-house?" said Chloe; "my poor hens are not verywell off in their present one, and it is right to make one's animalscomfortable; so this would be a kind-hearted wish."
"Not more than to wish for a warm shed for my cows," said Arminel."Cows require much more care than hens. I daresay that is what we aremeant to wish for."
"I am certain it is not," said Chloe. "At least, if you wish for acow-shed, _I_ wish for a hen-house."
"That, of course, is nonsense," said Arminel. "I feel sure the dwarfmeant we were to agree in what we wished for. And if you were amiableand unselfish you would join with me, Chloe."
"I might say precisely the same thing to you," said Chloe coldly.
And though they went on talking till bedtime they came to no conclusion.Indeed, I fear a good many sharp and unkind words passed between them,and they went to bed without saying good-night to each other. So far itdid not seem as if the dwarf's gift was to bring them happiness.
CHAPTER SIX.
THE STORY OF THE THREE WISHES--CONCLUDED.
When they woke in the morning they were in a calmer state of mind, andbegan to see how foolish they had been.
"Chloe," said Arminel, as they sat at breakfast, "we were very nearlyquarrelling last night; and if we quarrel we shall certainly never findout the secret of the third wish; and all our hopes will be at an end.Now, let us think over quietly what the third wish is likely to be. Letme see--what were the dwarf's exact words?"
"He said we must seek for it in our own hearts," replied Chloe. "Thatmeans, of course, that it must be something kind."
"Perhaps he meant that it must be something to do us both good," saidArminel. "What is there we are equally in want of? Oh! I know;suppose we wish for a good stack of fuel for the winter. That wouldcertainly benefit us both."
"It can do no harm to try," said Chloe; "so I agree to the wish for astack of fuel."
Arminel's eyes sparkled.
"I daresay we have guessed it," she exclaimed, jumping up. "Come out atonce to see, Chloe."
But, alas! the heap of brushwood for their winter's firing, in thecorner of the yard, had grown no bigger than the day before. No freshsounds of cheerful cackling reached them from the hen-house; andStrawberry stood alone in her stall.
The wishes were still unfulfilled.
The sisters returned to the house rather crestfallen.
"What can it be?" said Arminel; and this time Chloe made a suggestion.
"Supposing we wish that the copper coins we have put aside for ourChristmas charities should be turned into silver," she said. "Thatwould be a kind thought for the very poor folk we try to help a little."
"As you like," said her sister; "but I doubt its being any use. We arealways told that charity which costs us nothing is little worth."
She was right. When they opened the little box which held the coins shespoke of, there they still were, copper as before, so this time it wasno use to look outside for the new cow and hens. And all through theday they went on thinking first of one thing, then of another, withoutany success, so that by the evening their work had suffered from theirneglect, and they went tired and dispirited to bed.
The next day they were obliged to work doubly hard to make up, and oneor two new ideas occurred to them which they put to the test, always,alas! with the same result.
"We are wasting our time and our temper for no use," said Arminel atlast.
"I am afraid the truth is that the dwarf was only playing us amischievous trick." And even Chloe was forced to allow that it seemedas if her sister was in the right.
"We will try to forget all about it," said Arminel. "It must be indeedtrue that having anything to do with the dwarfs only brings bad luck."
But though she spoke courageously, Chloe was wakened in the night byhearing her sister crying softly to herself.
"Poor dear Arminel," thought Chloe, though she took care to lie quitestill as if sleeping. "I do feel for her. If I had but my hens I couldsoon make up to her for her disappointment."
But of course as the dun cow did not come, neither did the fairy hens,and a time of really great anxiety began for the sisters. Strawberry'smilk dwindled daily; so did the number of eggs, till at last somethingvery like real poverty lay before them. They were almost ashamed to goto market, so little had they to offer to their customers. Never hadthey been so unhappy or distressed.
But out of trouble often comes good. Their affection for each othergrew stronger, and all feelings of jealousy died away as each felt moreand more sorry for her sister.
"If only we had never gone near the wood," said Arminel one evening whenthings were looking very gloomy indeed, "none of these worst troubleswould have come upon us, I feel sure. I begin to believe everythingthat has been said about those miserable dwarfs. It is very good ofyou, dear Chloe, not to blame me as the cause of all our misfortunes,for it was I who heard the cries in the wood and made you come with meto see what was the matter."
"How could I blame you?" said Chloe. "We did it together, and it waswhat grandmother would have wished. If we had not gone we should alwayshave reproached ourselves for not doing a kind action, and even asthings are, even supposing we are suffering from the dwarfsspitefulness, it is better to suffer with a clear conscience than toprosper with a bad one."
Her words comforted her sister a little. They kissed each otheraffectionately and went to bed, sad at heart certainly, but notaltogether despondent.
In the night Arminel awoke. There was bright moonlight in the room, andas she glanced at her sleeping sister, she saw traces of tears onChloe's pale face.
"My poor sister!" she said to herself. "She has been crying, and wouldnot let me know it. I do not care for myself, if only dear Chloe couldhave her hens. I could bear the disappointment about my cow. How Iwish it might be so."
As the thought passed through her mind, a sweet feeling of peace andsatisfaction stole over her. She closed her eyes and almost immediatelyfell asleep, and slept soundly.
Very soon after this in her turn Chloe awoke. She, too, sat up andlooked at her sister. There was a smile on Arminel's sleeping facewhich touched Chloe almost more than the traces of tears on her own hadtouched her sister.
"Poor dear Arminel," she thought. "She is dreaming, perhaps, of her duncow. How little I should mind my own disappointment if I could see herhappy. Oh! I do wish she could have her cow!"
And having thought this, she, too, as her sister had done, fell asleepwith a feeling of peace and hopefulness such as she had not had forlong.
The winter sun was already some little way up on his journey when thesisters awoke the next morning, for they had slept much later thanusual. Arminel was the first to start up with a feeling that somethingpleasant had happened.
"Chloe!" she exclaimed. "We have overslept ourselves. And on such abright morning, too! How can it have happened?"
Chloe opened her eyes and looked about her with a smile.
"Yes, indeed," she replied. "One could imagine it was summer time, andI have had such a good night, and such pleasant dreams."
"So have I," answered her sister. "And I am so hungry!"
That was scarcely to be wondered at, for they had gone almost supperlessto bed, and there was little if anything in the larder for theirbreakfast.
"I am hungry too," said Chloe. "But I am afraid there isn't much forour breakfast. However, I feel in much better spirits, though I don'tknow why."
&n
bsp; Chloe was ready a little before her sister, and hastened into thekitchen, to light the fire and prepare such food as there was. But justas Arminel was turning to follow her, she was startled by a cry fromChloe.
"Sister!" she called. "Come quick! See what I have found!"
She was in the larder, which served them also as a dairy. Arminelhurried in. There stood Chloe, her face rosy with pleasure andsurprise, a basket in her hands full of beautiful large eggs of the samerich browny colour as those which had come so mysteriously the eveningof the dwarfs visit.
"After all," said Chloe, "I believe the little man meant well by us. Itmust be he who has sent these eggs.
An Enchanted Garden: Fairy Stories Page 7