She obeyed, and almost cried out to see them take fire in mid-air and
float away in ashy flakes.

Face flushed, eyes brilliant, she turned to him, hanging on his every
movement, every expression.

Before her rapt eyes the multicolored mice danced jigs on slack wires,
then were carefully rolled up into little balls of paper which
immediately began to swell until each was as big as a football. These
burst open, and out of each football of white paper came kittens,
turtles, snakes, chickens, ducks, and finally two white rabbits with
silly pink eyes that began gravely waltzing round and round the room.

"Please stand up and shake your skirts," he said.

She rose hastily and obeyed; a rain of silver coins fell, then gold, then
banknotes, littering the floor. Then precious stones began to drop about
her; she shook them from her hair, her collar, her neck; she clenched her
hands in nervous amazement, but inside each tight little fist she felt
something, and opening her fingers she fairly showered the floor with
diamonds.

"Can't you save one for me?" he asked. "I really need it." But when again
she looked for the glittering heap at her feet, it was gone; and, search
as she might, not one coin, not one gem remained.

Glancing up in dismay she found herself in a perfect storm of white
butterflies--no, they were red--no, green!