Unfortunately what the governess had heard was two gardeners coming to plant new flowers in that very bed . They were wheeling a hand-cart with the flowers in it , and were quite surprised to find the bed occupied . ` Pity to lift them hyacinths , ' said the one man . ` Duke 's orders , ' replied the other , and , having emptied the cart , they dug up the boarding-school and put the poor , terrified things in it in five rows . Of course , neither the governess nor the girls dare let on that they were fairies , so they were carted far away to a potting-shed , out of which they escaped in the night without their shoes , but there was a great row about it among the parents , and the school was ruined . As for their houses , it is no use looking for them , because they are the exact opposite of our houses . You can see our houses by day but you ca n't see them by dark . Well , you can see their houses by dark , but you ca n't see them by day , for they are the colour of night , and I never heard of any one yet who could see night in the daytime . This does not mean that they are black , for night has its colours just as day has , but ever so much brighter . Their blues and reds and greens are like ours with a light behind them . The palace is entirely built of many-coloured glasses , and it is quite the loveliest of all royal residences , but the queen sometimes complains because the common people will peep in to see what she is doing . They are very inquisitive folk , and press quite hard against the glass , and that is why their noses are mostly snubby . The streets are miles long and very twisty , and have paths on each side made of bright worsted . The birds used to steal the worsted for their nests , but a policeman has been appointed to hold on at the other end . -LSB- Illustration : The fairies are exquisite dancers -RSB- One of the great differences between the fairies and us is that they never do anything useful . When the first baby laughed for the first time , his laugh broke into a million pieces , and they all went skipping about . That was the beginning of fairies . They look tremendously busy , you know , as if they had not a moment to spare , but if you were to ask them what they are doing , they could not tell you in the least . They are frightfully ignorant , and everything they do is make-believe . They have a postman , but he never calls except at Christmas with his little box , and though they have beautiful schools , nothing is taught in them ; the youngest child being chief person is always elected mistress , and when she has called the roll , they all go out for a walk and never come back .
It is a very noticeable thing that , in fairy families , the youngest is always chief person , and usually becomes a prince or princess ; and children remember this , and think it must be so among humans also , and that is why they are often made uneasy when they XXXXX upon their mother furtively putting new frills on the basinette .
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