"There it is," said the dream, pointing toward the boat.And now Teddy saw that another gray figure was in it.As he looked, it slowly and sorrowfully stepped from the boat and came up the beach toward them.It was very beautiful, and in its hand it carried a great bunch of shining bubbles, fastened to a stick by parti-colored ribbons, just as Teddy had seen Italians carrying balloons, only these bubble-balloons were growing and shrinking and changing every moment, just as though they were alive.
As she came toward them the ugly dream frowned and shook his hands at her."Go away! Go away!" he cried."There's no use your following me around this way.You sha'n't be dreamed to-night.""I think you might let me go into her dream with you,' said the pretty dream, sorrowfully."She didn't know she oughtn't to eat the plum-cake.""Well, you sha'n't," said the ugly dream."She ain't going to have any dream but me, and I'm going to look just as ugly as I can.I'm going to do this way," and the naughty little dream put his thumbs in the corners of his mouth, drawing it wide, and at the same time drew down the outside corners of his eyes with his forefingers, just as Teddy had seen the boys at school do sometimes.Then the dream hopped up into the air and cut a caper."Ho, ho!" he cried, "won't it be fun? You can come along and see me frighten her, if you want to." This last he said to Teddy.
Teddy thought him a very naughty, ugly-tempered little dream, but still he went with him, wondering all the time how he could induce him to let the pretty dream go to Harriett, and as they walked up the road together the pretty dream still followed them, carrying her bunch of bubbles.
They went on and on, until they came to a place where the ground was rough, and broken up with a number of black holes.The ugly dream went from one to another of these, pausing, and laying his ear to their edges.
"What are you doing?" asked Teddy.
"Hush! can't you see I'm listening?" said the dream crossly.
At last, after pausing at one of them, he turned to Teddy and nodded his head."This is it," he said; "this is where Harriett lives.""Why, it isn't at all!" cried Teddy, indignantly."My cousin Harriett doesn't live in a hole! She lives in a great big house with doors and windows.""Well, anyway, this is her chimney," said the dream, "and it's the only way to get into her house from here.If you want to come, come; and if you don't want to, why, stay," and the dream sat down on the edge of the hole.
Teddy hesitated."If I went down that way, I think I'd fall and hurt myself," he said at last.
"Pooh! No, you wouldn't if you took my hand," said the dream."I always go this way, and it's as easy as anything."So Teddy sat down on the edge of the hole, and grasped the dream's shadowy fingers in his.Then they pushed themselves off the edge, and down they went through the darkness.
Teddy felt so frightened for a minute that he quite lost his breath, but he held on tight to the dream's fingers, and soon they landed, as softly and lightly as a feather, right in the nursery of Aunt Paulina's house, and the pretty dream was still following them.
"And now begins the fun," whispered the dream.
The house was very still, for everyone was fast asleep.The moon shone in through the window, making the room bright, and beyond the open closet door Teddy could see the toys all arranged in order just as Harriett had left them, (for she was a tidy little girl), and Harriett herself was tucked into her little white bed in the room beyond.
Teddy felt so sorry to think of her having such an ugly dream that he stood still."You won't frighten her very much, will you?" he asked.
"Yes, I shall!" said the ugly dream."I'll frighten her just as much as ever I can; I'll make her cry.""No, you mustn't," said Teddy, almost crying himself."I won't let you.""You can't help it," cried the dream, tauntingly.
Suddenly a bright thought came into Teddy's mind."Anyway, you're not so very ugly," he said."Harriet has a Jack-in-the-box that's a great deal--oh! ever so much uglier than you.""I don't believe it," said the dream.
"Yes, she has," said Teddy; "and it's right there in the closet.""Then I'll get it, and make myself look like it." With that the dream crawled into the closet, and pushed back the hook of the box where Jack lived, and pop! up shot the most hideous little man that ever was seen, with a bright red face and white whiskers."Hi! he is ugly!" cried the dream with delight, and sitting down before the box he began to make his face like the Jack's.
Then softly and quickly Teddy closed the closet door, and turned the key in the lock, fastening the dream in."Hi there! let me out! let me out!"cried the dream, beating softly on the door with its shadowy hands.
"No, I won't," cried Teddy."You can just stay in there, you ugly dream, for the pretty dream is going to Harriett now." Then he turned to the pretty dream and took her by the hand, and her face shone as brightly as one of her own bubbles.
Together they ran into Harriett's room, and there she lay in her little white bed, with her eyes closed and her curls spread out over the pillow, and when they came in she smiled in her sleep.
The dream shook the bubbles above the bed, and the dimples came into Harriett's cheeks."Oh! pretty, pretty!" she whispered with her eyes still closed."Oh, Teddy? isn't it pretty?""Yes, it is pretty!" cried Teddy.
* * * * * * * *
"Did you call me, dear?" asked mamma, opening the door.
Teddy was back in his own room, and all he could see of the Counterpane Fairy was the tip of her brown hood disappearing behind the counterpane hill, and that was gone in an instant.
"Oh, Mamma! it was such a pretty dream," cried Teddy.
"Was it, darling?" said mamma."Try to go to sleep again, dear, for it is very late, and you can tell me all about it to-morrow.Good-night, my little boy."
