“poor giant,” said little peggy, climbing up the hedge to look down at his round, good-tempered face, and wide-open mouth. “sometimes he talks so grandly, but he’s not a bit grand really. i’ll let him stay asleep for a nice long time whilst i pick a huge, big bunch to send mummie,” and she jumped down into the field again.
“i’ve only two wishes left now,” she thought to herself, as she ran in and out amongst the daisies. “or really only one that’s any good, for i suppose i must use the last to get me home. i really think,” she went on, as she sat down to tie a bit of grass round a bunch of scarlet daisies, “that the giant ought to get me home himself without making me waste a wish on it! i’m sure that’s always done in books. i’ll speak to him about it when he wakes.”
the running about in the hot sun had made peggy quite thirsty, and after some searching she found a dear little stream running right through the field, at which a lot of butterflies were drinking. it was a beautiful golden colour, and when she tasted it she found it was the most delicious[20] lemonade, and it had crystallised rose leaves floating here and there upon it. the butterflies flew round her in hundreds and allowed her to stroke their soft red and blue and yellow wings, and when she suggested a game of hide-and-seek they were all delighted, and fluttered round in such quantities that she could scarcely breathe.
this is the picture peggy drew of the second adventure. it was a very difficult one to do. the butterflies are just coming up in hundreds and hundreds to try and wake the giant. mother showed peggy how to draw the butterflies, but she did nearly all the rest quite by herself. the giant sometimes wore that red hat, and sometimes a green pointed one. the butterflies and daisies were the most fun to paint. i hope you see the ring.
it turned out a failure in the end, as not one butterfly could be induced to remain hidden long enough for the others to find him, but was always flitting in and out of his hiding-place, which, as everyone knows, completely spoils hide-and-seek.
however, they had a lovely romp, and it was quite a pretty sight to see several hundreds of them chasing peggy back to “home” (which was the giant’s boot) after she had hidden.
“oh, do let’s wake the giant!” said peggy, as they stopped for breath, “and make him play too! i know he’d love it!”
they all gathered round the sleeping giant, who was lying just as peggy had left him, snoring loudly, with his head comfortably pillowed amongst the spreading roots of a fallen tree.
but do you think they could wake him? not they!
peggy climbed the hedge and tickled his face with a branch. then she tried to shake his arm, but of course couldn’t move it at all. then she begged the butterflies to help, and they all flew round him with a great swishing of wings, making as much noise as they possibly could; but still the giant lay there snoring, for he was not used to being up a whole night long, and was very, very tired.
a large blue and gold butterfly suggested pouring lemonade on to his face, and they fetched a good deal[21] between them all, but that wasn’t the least good, and only slid on to his beard and made it very wet and sticky.
“oh, what am i to do?” cried peggy. “it’s not fair! i never heard of such a thing happening in any fairy book! nannie always lifts me out of bed when i won’t wake up. i only wish she was here to do it to him!”
and then she could have bitten her tongue out, for the butterflies suddenly wheeled round and flew away in a great cloud, and “he is a heavy weight, miss peggy,” said nurse, appearing on the other side of the hedge, her face very red and hot. “but i’ll manage it in a moment. now then, up with you! there he is, great heavy thing! he ought to be ashamed of himself, the big baby!”
peggy felt dreadfully disappointed, and also rather angry, for though she didn’t mind getting annoyed with the giant herself, it was a different thing hearing nurse call him names. and now she’d wasted another wish entirely by accident, and must use her last up as quick as lightning, for nurse was already beginning to look very puzzled and suspicious.
“i wish we were back in the nursery,” she whispered to the giant, who was sitting up on the hedge, rubbing his eyes and staring at nurse.... “and i’m very, very angry with you!” she added, as she found herself on the nursery window-seat again. but she was only answered by a rattle of raindrops on the panes.
“you’ve dropped your nice book on the floor,” said nurse, coming in with a pile of aired linen in her arms and a deep frown on her face. “you’ll have to go back to rag-books again if you serve mary’s meadow like that!”
“oh dear, i quite forgot the bunch of daisies!” said peggy, aghast.
[22]“now what daisies, miss peggy?” asked nurse. “i can’t have you talking nonsense instead of attending to what i say. pick that book up immediately. and you’ve got that ring on your thumb again, i do declare! mother wouldn’t like it at all, nasty common thing.”
“oh, mayn’t i wear it sometimes, nannie?” peggy pleaded. “i know mummie wouldn’t mind. she always lets me wear the bead necklaces i make.”
“no arguing!” said nurse. “i’m going to put it in this cup on the bookshelf, and you can ask your mother when she comes back. time enough to wear it then if she’ll let you.”
she did seem cross. no wonder, for, though she didn’t know it, she had just travelled very many million miles in about three seconds, and that’s very upsetting to the temper if you’re not used to it.
and peggy looked sadly at the cup, for it was far out of her reach even if she stood on a chair.
“if i’d only had time to explain to the giant!” she thought. “he couldn’t help sleeping so soundly, poor thing. now perhaps i shall never see him again.” and she was very subdued indeed for the rest of the day.
but she needn’t have worried. you see she kept on forgetting it was a fairy ring.
