They moved in a jerky sort of way certainly , but that was because they used crutches . An elderberry hobbled across the walk , and stood chatting with some young quinces , and they all had crutches . The crutches were the sticks that are tied to young trees and shrubs . They were quite familiar objects to Maimie , but she had never known what they were for until to-night . She peeped up the walk and saw her first fairy . He was a street boy fairy who was running up the walk closing the weeping trees . The way he did it was this , he pressed a spring in the trunk and they shut like umbrellas , deluging the little plants beneath with snow . `` Oh , you naughty , naughty child ! '' Maimie cried indignantly , for she knew what it was to have a dripping umbrella about your ears . Fortunately the mischievous fellow was out of earshot , but the chrysanthemums heard her , and they all said so pointedly `` Hoity-toity , what is this ? '' that she had to come out and show herself . Then the whole vegetable kingdom was rather puzzled what to do . `` Of course it is no affair of ours , '' a spindle tree said after they had whispered together , `` but you know quite well you ought not to be here , and perhaps our duty is to report you to the fairies ; what do you think yourself ? '' `` I think you should not , '' Maimie replied , which so perplexed them that they said petulantly there was no arguing with her . `` I would n't ask it of you , '' she assured them , `` if I thought it was wrong , '' and of course after this they could not well carry tales . They then said , `` Well-a-day , '' and `` Such is life ! '' for they can be frightfully sarcastic , but she felt sorry for those of them who had no crutches , and she said good-naturedly , `` Before I go to the fairies ' ball , I should like to take you for a walk one at a time ; you can lean on me , you know . '' At this they clapped their hands , and she escorted them up to the Baby Walk and back again , one at a time , putting an arm or a finger round the very frail , setting their leg right when it got too ridiculous , and treating the foreign ones quite as courteously as the English , though she could not understand a word they said . They behaved well on the whole , though some whimpered that she had not taken them as far as she took Nancy or Grace or Dorothy , and others jagged her , but it was quite unintentional , and she was too much of a lady to cry out . So much walking tired her and she was anxious to be off to the ball , but she no longer felt afraid .
The reason she felt no more fear was that it was now night-time , and in the dark , you remember , XXXXX was always rather strange .
Dorothy English Maimie Nancy earshot elderberry first quinces right to-night