there was once a fairy who took a great fancy to a tiny white lamb. he really was a dear little creature, and i don’t wonder she fell in love with him. she used often to come and visit him in the meadow where he lived with his mother, and she was very anxious to take him to a fairy party some evening.
the little lamb was shy. “what do you do at the parties?” he asked.
“oh, dance mostly,” said the fairy.
but the little lamb explained that he didn’t know how to dance.
“i will soon teach you,” said the fairy.
so she came every evening when her day’s work was done and showed the little lamb how to dance, and he soon learned to skip about quite nicely.
at last a day came when the fairy took him off to the party, but his mother made him promise to come back the next morning. she knew the ways of the fairies.
he enjoyed himself tremendously.
[100]all the fairies admired him very much. they thought his coat so beautifully white and soft, they loved his little black nose and quaint woodeny legs. he gave them all rides on his back in turn (even the fairy queen had one), and when the time for dancing came he did very well indeed and astonished them all with his pretty steps. when he left, the fairy queen presented him with a garland of daisies. “they are fairy flowers,” she said. “they will never fade, and so long as you wear them you will remain young.”
when the lamb got home he had great tales to tell about his happy adventures, so that he became quite a celebrity, and every one made such a fuss of him that he got rather proud and silly, and after a very short time would hardly speak to his friends.
of course this vexed them very much, and the wicked old rat who lived in the mill-pond and was always ready to do any one an ill turn, suggested a way to pay him out for his pride. “while he is asleep i will gnaw through his gay garland that he is so proud of,” she said, “and when he goes out walking he will lose it.” all of which happened just as she had planned. and so the foolish lamb lost his fairy garland and grew older like any other lamb.
his friend the fairy did not come to see him for some time. she was very busy helping on all[101] the spring things, and had no time for visiting. when she did come again she was very disappointed to find that the lamb had grown into quite a good-sized sheep, fat and comfortable. his wool was no longer downy and white, and he had entirely forgotten how to dance.
“where is your magic garland?” said the fairy. and he had to confess that he had lost it.
the fairy went back to her friends. she really did not feel that a big solemn sheep would be very welcome at their revels. but every year in early spring when the new lambs are born, their mothers tell them the story of the lamb that was invited to fairyland, and they all go skipping about in the meadows practising their dancing steps.
[102]each of them hopes that he may one day find the magic garland, and never grow old and staid, and be able to go a-visiting to fairyland. after all, it must be lying about somewhere, so if you find it, you’ll know what to do with it, won’t you? but be sure to give it to a lamb with a black nose. they’re so much the prettiest.
