It was amazing and even irritating to her that the Duke of Christmas Daisies should be able to keep out of love for a moment : yet out of love his dusky grace still was : you could see it by the shamed looks of the Queen and court -LRB- though they pretended not to care -RRB- , by the way darling ladies brought forward for his approval burst into tears as they were told to pass on , and by his own most dreary face . Maimie could also see the pompous doctor feeling the Duke 's heart and hear him give utterance to his parrot cry , and she was particularly sorry for the Cupids , who stood in their fools ' caps in obscure places and , every time they heard that ` Cold , quite cold , ' bowed their disgraced little heads . She was disappointed not to see Peter Pan , and I may as well tell you now why he was so late that night . It was because his boat had got wedged on the Serpentine between fields of floating ice , through which he had to break a perilous passage with his trusty paddle . The fairies had as yet scarcely missed him , for they could not dance , so heavy were their hearts . They forget all the steps when they are sad , and remember them again when they are merry . David tells me that fairies never say , ` We feel happy ' : what they say is , ` We feel dancey . ' Well , they were looking very undancey indeed , when sudden laughter broke out among the onlookers , caused by Brownie , who had just arrived and was insisting on her right to be presented to the Duke . Maimie craned forward eagerly to see how her friend fared , though she had really no hope ; no one seemed to have the least hope except Brownie herself , who , however , was absolutely confident . She was led before his grace , and the doctor putting a finger carelessly on the ducal heart , which for convenience ' sake was reached by a little trap-door in his diamond shirt , had begun to say mechanically , ` Cold , qui -- , ' when he stopped abruptly . ` What 's this ? ' he cried , and first he shook the heart like a watch , and then he put his ear to it . ` Bless my soul ! ' cried the doctor , and by this time of course the excitement among the spectators was tremendous , fairies fainting right and left . -LSB- Illustration : They warned her -RSB- Everybody stared breathlessly at the Duke , who was very much startled , and looked as if he would like to run away . ` Good gracious me ! ' the doctor was heard muttering , and now the heart was evidently on fire , for he had to jerk his fingers away from it and put them in his mouth . The suspense was awful . Then in a loud voice , and bowing low , ` My Lord Duke , ' said the physician elatedly , ' I have the honour to inform your excellency that your grace is in love . ' You ca n't conceive the effect of it .
Brownie held out her arms to the Duke and he flung himself into them , the XXXXX leapt into the arms of the Lord Chamberlain , and the ladies of the court leapt into the arms of her gentlemen , for it is etiquette to follow her example in everything .
Brownie Cupids Duke Pan Queen Serpentine left night right trap-door