“That’s true,” said the gentleman politely; “I never stand on it.”  At that Sara could not help showing that she noticed the large black spot left by the chocolate on the seat of his trousers.  He saw her look at it, and spoke to her kindly.

“That’s all right, little girl,” he said.  “Avrillia will have me change them in a minute.”

Then he noticed Schlorge’s dreadful impatience for something to stand on, and rang a little bell in his left ear.

Immediately a small servant, also of chocolate, came tumbling out of the house.  He was the most attractive-looking person you can imagine.  His eyes and teeth were exactly like the filling in a chocolate cream, and how his eyes rolled and his teeth twinkled!  But it was the inside of his mouth that fascinated Sara most.  It was of the lovely, violent red of certain jelly-beans she had known, and she caught the most tantalizing, cavernous glimpses whenever he grinned.

“Yassuh,” said his master, “go at once and get a piece of plain white satin for Mr. Schlorge to stand on.  You’ll find a bolt in the tool-box.”

Yassuh scrambled off down the path. (He was very bow-legged, because his mother had allowed him to go out in the sun too much, when he was a baby, and, being of chocolate, his legs had softened into that shape.) Almost immediately he came rolling back with the white satin, which he spread on the box.

All this time Schlorge had been in an agony of impatience.  Almost stepping on Yassuh in his eagerness, he jumped upon the box, and, arranging his hands as before, shouted loudly, “Pirlaps, this is Sara, a little girl!  Sara, this is Pirlaps, Avrillia’s step-husband!” Then he sprang down and went running down the path again, shouting excitedly, “See you again, Sara!  See you again!”

“Well, Sara,” said the pleasant fairy-gentleman, taking her hand, “how are you?  Did you come to see Avrillia?”

“Yes, sir,” said Sara, looking up at him from under her lashes and thinking she had never see a shaving-person, except her own father, so delightful.

“I think you’ll find her on her balcony,” said Pirlaps, kindly.  “I just heard a poem drop over the Verge.  Here, Yassuh,” he said, “take this little girl to your mistress.”

Sara followed Yassuh along the path of silver gravel that led around the house, and then up a little outside staircase of marble to the balcony; and there, on the third step from the top, she paused.

Has any mortal but Sara ever seen Avrillia?  Certainly there never was another fairy so wan and wild and beautiful.  When Sara caught sight of her she was leaning over the marble balustrade, looking down into Nothing, and one hand was still stretched out as if it had just let something fall.  She seemed to be still watching its descent.  Her body, as she leaned, was like a reed, and her hair was pale-gold and cloudy.  But all that was nothing beside Avrillia’s eyes.