Next day Margaret hurried to her room wearing a pretty little white apron over her school dress.

“To keep my work clean,” said she to Sir Bodkin.

“Good plan. Now let’s get to work, for there is plenty to do,” he answered her.

Margaret took up the handkerchief with the rolled hem.

“We’ll have to overcast around the entire edge once so you can turn and go back the other way to finish,” said Sir Bodkin when the hem was rolled.

He called Embroiderer to him and asked Margaret if she had any fine French embroidery cotton.

“Yes, Mother bought some for me to use,” she said holding up several skeins in colors pink, blue, and red.

“Fine!” cried Sir Bodkin; “which color shall you use to work this edge? You may use one or two.”

“I think blue and red would be pretty,” said Margaret.

“Very good. We’ll overcast red one way and blue the other. All ready?” he said to Embroiderer, when he was harnessed.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the Fairy.

“Then go!” cried the King. Margaret held the square with the hem at the top, in her left hand rolled side away from her.

Fastening the thread under the rolled hem so it couldn’t come out and didn’t show, the Fairy began to step over and over from right to left, singing:

“O dear,” said Margaret, “the thread gets so twisted as he goes over and over.”

“Let him hang for a minute from the end and he’ll swing it around straight again,” laughed Sir Bodkin.

This was done and the overcasting went on. After a while they were around the four sides of the handkerchief.

“What shall we do now!” cried Margaret.

“Fasten the red thread, take a blue one, then turn around and go the other way from left to right and you’ll see how pretty it looks,” said the King. The Fairy sang:

“Oh, doesn’t it look pretty!” cried Margaret as the tiny crosses began to appear on the edge.

“Now leave that and start the third one,” said Sir Bodkin and Margaret took up the third square.

“Turn a tiny hem all around, one-eighth inch both turns, and baste it,” said the King.

When this was done, Sir Bodkin told Margaret of two ways to finish this hem.

“You can hem it with tiny invisible stitches or you can blanket-stitch it in pink,” he said. “Nothing is more dainty or charming than a plain white linen handkerchief finely hemmed by hand, but for a Christmas present, the pink blanket-stitching would be more festive,” he advised.

“And I know how to do that, too. I think these handkerchiefs will all look sweet when they are finished,” said Margaret.

“Wash them in the bowl with lukewarm water and white soap, rinse them, blue them, and then press them when damp and you’ll have three first-class presents. Remember to take your time, make your stitches even, keep your work clean as you do it, and you’ll come out all right,” Sir Bodkin said.

Margaret was very busy after school for several days after this working to finish carefully and daintily the edges of the three handkerchiefs. At last all three were done.

“Thank you very much, Sir Bodkin, for showing me how to make such lovely gifts. I know those who get them will like them very much. Thank you all, and a very Merry Christmas to every one,” she said smiling as she put each one away carefully in the needle-book.

“Don’t eat too much turkey or candy and don’t forget your little friends,” laughed Sir Bodkin as he bowed to Margaret from the table.

“No, I’ll try to be wise and I’ll never forget you!” said she and then she ran away and was soon busy wrapping up her Christmas gifts.

Outside the Christmas snow was falling, inside the little One-Eyed Fairies all prepared to take a long rest until after the holidays.