The little sprite gazed at the hard sugar scene
inside the egg and laughed. "Thank you for the gift!", he said in a
sugary voice, "it is a fine picture and much nicer than that lumpy old
thing," nodding toward the crown.
"You're welcome," Julia told
him happily, "and we are sorry if we offended you before."
"Yes, quite sorry," Prince Michael told him, but the sprite was
already off, and with a wink of light he disappeared under an oak leaf.
