  Do you know, children, how and where all the valentines are made that you see in the shops nowadays? Well, suppose I tell you all about it. When you go to fairy-land, turn to the left after you enter the gate, and the first house you come to will be Saint Valentine’s. This is what I did when I went there, and you shall hear what I saw. On entering the house, I found myself in a large hall hung with gold and silver paper, and glittering with an incomparable brightness. Here were hundreds of little cupids with tiny wings, who were running and flying about, as busy as bees. One was carrying a roll of gold paper as big as himself; another was painting beautiful flowers on white paper; others were making paper lace. But all seemed to be helping and waiting on a person who sat by a huge table at the farther end of the hall, and this person I soon found to be Saint Valentine himself. He was a young man, and very handsome. He was dressed in sky-blue velvet, embroidered with gold, and had great fat pearls for buttons. He seemed as busy as the rest, and merely nodded and smiled when he saw me, and called out,— “Number Three Shears, Approach, my dears!” I heard a queer, sharp voice at my elbow, saying, “Now, then, by your leave!” and turning, saw at my elbow an enormous “Dear Number Threes, A million sevens, if you please!” said Saint Valentine. Snip-snap! snip-snap! went the shears, and there lay a million little sheets of white paper. Then the Saint cried,— “Bring me some hearts, And flaming darts!” and a dozen cupids came up, dragging a great basket full of hearts, and carrying bundles of darts under their arms. Quick as lightning, Saint Valentine took a couple of hearts out of the basket, clapped them on a sheet of paper, stuck a dart into them, flung a wreath of flowers round them, then, thump! a great stamp came down on the paper, and out of it came a lovely valentine. That was quick work! in five minutes, I should think, five hundred valentines were turned out. I stood looking on in delight. Suddenly the Saint called out,— “A big one let us now begin, And let us put the lady in!” At first I did not know what he meant: but he took an enormous sheet, and after showering hearts and roses and cupids upon it, turned to me, and said, sweetly,— “Now if you will venture in it, I’ll stamp you out in half a minute.” This was too much, and making him a low bow, I awoke! |
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