"Yes," she replied. "This is the only form I am
really entitled to wear. But I seldom assume it because
there is no one here to admire or appreciate it and I
get tired admiring it myself."
"I see now why you are named Reera the Red," remarked
Ervic.
"It is on account of my red hair," she explained
smiling. "I do not care for red hair myself, which is
one reason I usually wear other forms."
"It is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then
remembering the other women present he added: "But, of
course, all women should not have red hair, because
that would make it too common. Gold and silver and
brown hair are equally handsome."
The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four
filled the poor Skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell
silent and attended to eating his supper, leaving the
others to do the talking. The three Adepts frankly told
Reera who they were. how they became fishes and how
they had planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to
transform them. They admitted that they had feared, had
they asked her to help, that she would have refused
them.
"You were quite right," returned the Yookoohoo. "I
make it my rule never to perform magic to assist
others, for if I did there would always be crowd at my
cottage demanding help and I hate crowds and want to be
left alone.
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