She was not in the least cold . She was wearing a russet-coloured pelisse and had the hood over her head , so that nothing of her showed except her dear little face and her curls . The rest of her real self was hidden far away inside so many warm garments that in shape she seemed rather like a ball . She was about forty round the waist . There was a good deal going on in the Baby Walk , when Maimie arrived in time to see a magnolia and a Persian lilac step over the railing and set off for a smart walk . 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 XXXXX , `` Well-a-day , '' and `` Such is life ! ''
arguing assured cried heard known moved said showed shut used