about, made one spring and carried both Tom and the mouse up a tree.
Nothing daunted, Tom boldly drew his needle sword and attacked the enemy
with such fierceness that she let her prey fall. Luckily one of the
nobles caught the little fellow in his cap, otherwise he must have been
killed by the fall. As it was he became very ill, and the doctor almost
despaired of his life. However, his friend and guardian, the Queen of
the Fairies, arrived in a chariot drawn by flying mice, and then and
there carried Tom back with her to Fairyland, where, amongst folk of his
own size, he, after a time, recovered. But time runs swiftly in
Fairyland, and when Tom Thumb returned to Court he was surprised to find
that his father and mother and nearly all his old friends were dead, and
that King Thunstone reigned in King Arthur's place. So every one was
astonished at his size, and carried him as a curiosity to the Audience
Hall.
"Who art thou, mannikin?" asked King Thunstone. "Whence dost come? And
where dost live?"
To which Tom replied with a bow:
"My name is well known.
From the Fairies I come.
When King Arthur shone,
This Court was my home.
By him I was knighted,
In me he delighted
--Your servant--Sir Thomas Thumb."
This address so pleased His Majesty that he ordered a little golden
chair to be made, so that Tom might sit beside him at table. Also a
little palace of gold, but a span high, with doors a bare inch wide, in
which the little fellow might take his ease.
Now King Thunstone's Queen was a very jealous woman, and could not bear
to see such honours showered on the little fellow; so she up and told
the King all sorts of bad tales about his favourite; amongst others,
that he had been saucy and rude to her.
Whereupon the King sent for Tom; but forewarned is forearmed, and
knowing by bitter experience the danger of royal displeasure, Tom hid
himself in an empty snail-shell, where he lay till he was nigh starved.
Then seeing a fine large butterfly on a dandelion close by, he climbed
up and managed to get astride it. No sooner had he gained his seat than
the butterfly was off, hovering from tree to tree, from flower to
flower.
At last the royal gardener saw it and gave chase, then the nobles joined
in the hunt, even the King himself, and finally the Queen, who forgot
her anger in the merriment. Hither and thither they ran, trying in vain
to catch the pair, and almost expiring with laughter, until poor Tom,
dizzy with so much fluttering, and doubling, and flittering, fell from
his seat into a watering-pot, where he was nearly drowned.
So they all agreed he must be forgiven, because he had afforded them so
much amusement.
[Illustration: A spider one day attacked him]
Thus Tom was once more in favour; but he did not live long to enjoy his
good luck, for a spider one day attacked him, and though he fought well,
the creature's poisonous breath proved too much for him; he fell dead on
the ground where he stood, and the spider soon sucked every drop of his
blood.
Thus ended Sir Thomas Thumb; but the King and the Court were so sorry at
the loss of their little favourite that they went into mourning for him.
And they put a fine white marble monument over his grave whereon was
carven the following epitaph:
Here lyes Tom Thumb, King Arthur's Knight,
Who died by a spider's fell despite.
He was well known in Arthur's Court,
Where he afforded gallant sport.
He rode at tilt and tournament,
And on a mouse a-hunting went.
Alive he filled the Court with mirth,
His death to sadness must give birth.
So wipe your eyes and shake your head,
And say, "Alas, Tom Thumb is dead!"
HENNY-PENNY
One day Henny-penny was picking up corn in the rickyard when--whack!--an
acorn hit her upon the head. "Goodness gracious me!" said Henny-penny,
"the sky's a-going to fall; I must go and tell the King."
So she went along, and she went along, and she went along, till she met
Cocky-locky. "Where are you going, Henny-penny?" says Cocky-locky. "Oh!
I'm going to tell the King the sky's a-falling," says Henny-penny. "May
I come with you?" says Cocky-locky. "Certainly," says Henny-penny. So
Henny-penny and Cocky-locky went to tell the King the sky was falling.
They went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they met
Ducky-daddles. "Where are you going to, Henny-penny and Cocky-locky?"
says Ducky-daddles. "Oh! we're going to tell the King the sky's
a-falling," said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. "May I come with you?"
says Ducky-daddles. "Certainly," said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky. So
Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, and Ducky-daddles went to tell the King the
sky was a-falling.
So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they
met Goosey-poosey. "Where are you going to, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,
and Ducky-daddles?" said Goosey-poosey. "Oh! we're going to tell the
King the sky's a-falling," said Henny-penny and Cocky-locky and
Ducky-daddles. "May I come with you?" said Goosey-poosey. "Certainly,"
said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, and Ducky-daddles. So Henny-penny,
Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey went to tell the King the
sky was a-falling.
So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they
met Turkey-lurkey. "Where are you going, Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,
Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?" says Turkey-lurkey. "Oh! we're going
to tell the King the sky's a-falling," said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,
Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey. "May I come with you, Henny-penny,
Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, and Goosey-poosey?" said Turkey-lurkey. "Oh,
certainly, Turkey-lurkey," said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,
and Goosey-poosey. So Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,
Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey all went to tell the King the sky was
a-falling.
So they went along, and they went along, and they went along, till they
met Foxy-woxy, and Foxy-woxy said to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,
Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey, "Where are you going,
Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and
Turkey-lurkey?" And Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,
Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey said to Foxy-woxy, "We're going to tell
the King the sky's a-falling." "Oh! but this is not the way to the King,
Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and
Turkey-lurkey," says Foxy-woxy; "I know the proper way; shall I show it
you?" "Oh, certainly, Foxy-woxy," said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky,
Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. So Henny-penny,
Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, Turkey-lurkey, and Foxy-woxy
all went to tell the King the sky was a-falling. So they went along, and
they went along, and they went along, till they came to a narrow and
dark hole. Now this was the door of Foxy-woxy's burrow. But Foxy-woxy
said to Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and
Turkey-lurkey, "This is the short cut to the King's palace: you'll
soon get there if you follow me. I will go first and you come after,
Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and
Turkey-lurkey." "Why, of course, certainly, without doubt, why not?"
said Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and
Turkey-lurkey.
[Illustration: "I will go first and you come after, Henny-penny,
Cocky-locky Ducky-daddles, Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey"]
So Foxy-woxy went into his burrow, and he didn't go very far but turned
round to wait for Henny-penny, Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles,
Goosey-poosey, and Turkey-lurkey. Now Turkey-lurkey was the first to go
through the dark hole into the burrow. He hadn't got far when--
"Hrumph!"
Foxy-woxy snapped off Turkey-lurkey's head and threw his body over his
left shoulder. Then Goosey-poosey went in, and--
"Hrumph!"
[Illustration: So she escaped]
Off went her head and Goosey-poosey was thrown beside Turkey-lurkey.
Then Ducky-daddles waddled down, and--
"Hrumph!"
Foxy-woxy had snapped off Ducky-daddles' head and Ducky-daddles was
thrown alongside Turkey-lurkey and Goosey-poosey. Then Cocky-locky
strutted down into the burrow, and he hadn't gone far when--
"Hrumph!"
But Cocky-locky _will_ always crow whether you want him to do so or not,
and so he had just time for one "Cock-a-doo-dle d--" before he went to
join Turkey-lurkey, Goosey-poosey, and Ducky-daddles over Foxy-woxy's
shoulders.
Now when Henny-penny, who had just got into the dark burrow, heard
Cocky-locky crow, she said to herself:
"My goodness! it must be dawn. Time for me to lay my egg."
So she turned round and bustled off to her nest; so she escaped, but she
never told the King the sky was falling!
[Illustration: So she escaped]
[Illustration: They thanked her and said good-bye, and she went on her
journey.]
THE THREE HEADS OF THE WELL
Once upon a time there reigned a King in Colchester, valiant, strong,
wise, famous as a good ruler.
But in the midst of his glory his dear Queen died, leaving him with a
daughter just touching woman's estate; and this maiden was renowned, far
and wide, for beauty, kindness, grace. Now strange things happen, and
the King of Colchester, hearing of a lady who had immense riches, had a
mind to marry her, though she was old, ugly, hook-nosed, and
ill-tempered; and though she was, furthermore, possessed of a daughter
as ugly as herself. None could give the reason why, but only a few weeks
after the death of his dear Queen, the King brought this loathly bride
to Court, and married her with great pomp and festivities. Now the very
first thing she did was to poison the King's mind against his own
beautiful, kind, gracious daughter, of whom, naturally, the ugly Queen
and her ugly daughter were dreadfully jealous.
Now when the young Princess found that even her father had turned
against her, she grew weary of Court life, and longed to get away from
it; so, one day, happening to meet the King alone in the garden, she
went down on her knees, and begged and prayed him to give her some help,
and let her go out into the world to seek her fortune. To this the King
agreed, and told his consort to fit the girl out for her enterprise in
proper fashion. But the jealous woman only gave her a canvas bag of
brown bread and hard cheese, with a bottle of small-beer.
Though this was but a pitiful dowry for a King's daughter, the Princess
was too proud to complain; so she took it, returned her thanks, and set
off on her journey through woods and forests, by rivers and lakes, over
mountain and valley.
At last she came to a cave at the mouth of which, on a stone, sate an
old, old man with a white beard.
"Good morrow, fair damsel," he said; "whither away so fast?"
"Reverend father," replies she, "I go to seek my fortune."
"And what hast thou for dowry, fair damsel," said he, "in thy bag and
bottle?"
"Bread and cheese and small-beer, father," says she, smiling. "Will it
please you to partake of either?"
"With all my heart," says he, and when she pulled out her provisions he
ate them nearly all. But once again she made no complaint, but bade him
eat what he needed, and welcome.
Now when he had finished he gave her many thanks, and said:
"For your beauty, and your kindness, and your grace, take this wand.
There is a thick thorny hedge before you which seems impassable. But
strike it thrice with this wand, saying each time, 'Please, hedge, let
me through,' and it will open a pathway for you. Then, when you come to
a well, sit down on the brink of it; do not be surprised at anything you
may see, but, whatever you are asked to do, that do!"
So saying the old man went into the cave, and she went on her way. After
a while she came to a high, thick thorny hedge; but when she struck it
three times with the wand, saying, "Please, hedge, let me through," it
opened a wide pathway for her. So she came to the well, on the brink of
which she sate down, and no sooner had she done so, than a golden head
without any body came up through the water, singing as it came:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on a bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
"Certainly," she said, pulling out her silver comb. Then, placing the
head on her lap, she began to comb the golden hair. When she had combed
it, she lifted the golden head softly, and laid it on a primrose bank to
dry. No sooner had she done this than another golden head appeared,
singing as it came:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on a bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
"Certainly," says she, and after combing the golden hair, placed the
golden head softly on the primrose bank, beside the first one.
Then came a third head out of the well, and it said the same thing:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on a bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
"With all my heart," says she graciously, and after taking the head on
her lap, and combing its golden hair with her silver comb, there were
the three golden heads in a row on the primrose bank. And she sate down
to rest herself and looked at them, they were so quaint and pretty; and
as she rested she cheerfully ate and drank the meagre portion of the
brown bread, hard cheese, and small-beer which the old man had left to
her; for, though she was a king's daughter, she was too proud to
complain.
Then the first head spoke. "Brothers, what shall we weird for this
damsel who has been so gracious unto us? I weird her to be so beautiful
that she shall charm every one she meets."
"And I," said the second head, "weird her a voice that shall exceed the
nightingale's in sweetness."
"And I," said the third head, "weird her to be so fortunate that she
shall marry the greatest King that reigns."
"Thank you with all my heart," says she; "but don't you think I had
better put you back in the well before I go on? Remember you are golden,
and the passers-by might steal you."
To this they agreed; so she put them back. And when they had thanked
her for her kind thought and said good-bye, she went on her journey.
Now she had not travelled far before she came to a forest where the King
of the country was hunting with his nobles, and as the gay cavalcade
passed down the glade she stood back to avoid them; but the King caught
sight of her, and drew up his horse, fairly amazed at her beauty.
"Fair maid," he said, "who art thou, and whither goest thou through the
forest thus alone?"
"I am the King of Colchester's daughter, and I go to seek my fortune,"
says she, and her voice was sweeter than the nightingale's.
Then the King jumped from his horse, being so struck by her that he felt
it would be impossible to live without her, and falling on his knee
begged and prayed her to marry him without delay.
And he begged and prayed so well that at last she consented. So, with
all courtesy, he mounted her on his horse behind him, and commanding the
hunt to follow, he returned to his palace, where the wedding festivities
took place with all possible pomp and merriment. Then, ordering out the
royal chariot, the happy pair started to pay the King of Colchester a
bridal visit: and you may imagine the surprise and delight with which,
after so short an absence, the people of Colchester saw their beloved,
beautiful, kind, and gracious princess return in a chariot all gemmed
with gold, as the bride of the most powerful King in the world. The
bells rang out, flags flew, drums beat, the people huzzaed, and all was
gladness, save for the ugly Queen and her ugly daughter, who were ready
to burst with envy and malice; for, see you, the despised maiden was now
above them both, and went before them at every Court ceremonial.
So, after the visit was ended, and the young King and his bride had gone
back to their own country, there to live happily ever after, the ugly
ill-natured princess said to her mother, the ugly Queen:
"I also will go into the world and seek my fortune. If that drab of a
girl with her mincing ways got so much, what may I not get?"
So her mother agreed, and furnished her forth with silken dresses and
furs, and gave her as provisions sugar, almonds, and sweetmeats of every
variety, besides a large flagon of Malaga sack. Altogether a right royal
dowry.
Armed with these she set forth, following the same road as her
step-sister. Thus she soon came upon the old man with a white beard, who
was seated on a stone by the mouth of a cave.
"Good morrow," says he. "Whither away so fast?"
"What's that to you, old man?" she replied rudely.
"And what hast thou for dowry in bag and bottle?" he asked quietly.
"Good things with which you shall not be troubled," she answered pertly.
"Wilt thou not spare an old man something?" he said.
[Illustration: The thorns closed in around her so that she was all
scratched and torn]
Then she laughed. "Not a bite, not a sup, lest they should choke you:
though that would be small matter to me," she replied, with a toss of
her head.
"Then ill luck go with thee," remarked the old man as he rose and went
into the cave.
So she went on her way, and after a time came to the thick thorny hedge,
and seeing what she thought was a gap in it, she tried to pass through;
but no sooner had she got well into the middle of the hedge than the
thorns closed in around her so that she was all scratched and torn
before she won her way. Thus, streaming with blood, she went on to the
well, and seeing water, sate on the brink intending to cleanse herself.
But just as she dipped her hands, up came a golden head singing as it
came:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on the bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
"A likely story," says she. "I'm going to wash myself." And with that
she gave the head such a bang with her bottle that it bobbed below the
water. But it came up again, and so did a second head, singing as it
came:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on the bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
"Not I," scoffs she. "I'm going to wash my hands and face and have my
dinner." So she fetches the second head a cruel bang with the bottle,
and both heads ducked down in the water.
But when they came up again all draggled and dripping, the third head
came also, singing as it came:
"Wash me, and comb me, lay me on the bank to dry
Softly and prettily to watch the passers-by."
By this time the ugly princess had cleansed herself, and, seated on the
primrose bank, had her mouth full of sugar and almonds.
"Not I," says she as well as she could. "I'm not a washerwoman nor a
barber. So take that for your washing and combing."
And with that, having finished the Malaga sack, she flung the empty
bottle at the three heads.
But this time they didn't duck. They looked at each other and said, "How
shall we weird this rude girl for her bad manners?" Then the first head
said:
"I weird that to her ugliness shall be added blotches on her face."
And the second head said:
"I weird that she shall ever be hoarse as a crow and speak as if she had
her mouth full."
Then the third head said:
"And I weird that she shall be glad to marry a cobbler."
Then the three heads sank into the well and were no more seen, and the
ugly princess went on her way. But, lo and behold! when she came to a
town, the children ran from her ugly blotched face screaming with
fright, and when she tried to tell them she was the King of Colchester's
daughter, her voice squeaked like a corn-crake's, was hoarse as a
crow's, and folk could not understand a word she said, because she spoke
as if her mouth was full!
Now in the town there happened to be a cobbler who not long before had
mended the shoes of a poor old hermit; and the latter, having no money,
had paid for the job by the gift of a wonderful ointment which would
cure blotches on the face, and a bottle of medicine that would banish
any hoarseness.
So, seeing the miserable, ugly princess in great distress, he went up to
her and gave her a few drops out of his bottle; and then understanding
from her rich attire and clearer speech that she was indeed a King's
daughter, he craftily said that if she would take him for a husband he
would undertake to cure her.
"Anything! Anything!" sobbed the miserable princess.
So they were married, and the cobbler straightway set off with his bride
to visit the King of Colchester. But the bells did not ring, the drums
did not beat, and the people, instead of huzzaing, burst into loud
guffaws at the cobbler in leather, and his wife in silks and satins.
As for the ugly Queen, she was so enraged and disappointed that she went
mad, and hanged herself in wrath. Whereupon the King, really pleased at
getting rid of her so soon, gave the cobbler a hundred pounds and bade
him go about his business with his ugly bride.
Which he did quite contentedly, for a hundred pounds means much to a
poor cobbler. So they went to a remote part of the kingdom and lived
unhappily for many years, he cobbling shoes, and she spinning the thread
for him.
MR. FOX
Lady Mary was young and Lady Mary was fair, and she had more lovers than
she could count on the fingers of both hands.
She lived with her two brothers, who were very proud and very fond of
their beautiful sister, and very anxious that she should choose well
amongst her many suitors.
Now amongst them there was a certain Mr. Fox, handsome and young and
rich; and though nobody quite knew who he was, he was so gallant and so
gay that every one liked him. And he wooed Lady Mary so well that at
last she promised to marry him. But though he talked much of the
beautiful home to which he would take her, and described the castle and
all the wonderful things that furnished it, he never offered to show it
to her, neither did he invite Lady Mary's brothers to see it.
Now this seemed to her very strange indeed; and, being a lass of spirit,
she made up her mind to see the castle if she could.
So one day, just before the wedding, when she knew Mr. Fox would be
away seeing the lawyers with her brothers, she just kilted up her skirts
and set out unbeknownst--for, see you, the whole household was busy
preparing for the marriage feastings--to see for herself what Mr. Fox's
beautiful castle was like.
After many searchings, and much travelling, she found it at last; and a
fine strong building it was, with high walls and a deep moat to it. A
bit frowning and gloomy, but when she came up to the wide gateway she
saw these words carven over the arch:
_BE BOLD--BE BOLD._
So she plucked up courage, and the gate being open, went through it and
found herself in a wide, empty, open courtyard. At the end of this was a
smaller door, and over this was carven:
_BE BOLD, BE BOLD; BUT NOT TOO BOLD._
So she went through it to a wide, empty hall, and up the wide, empty
staircase. Now at the top of the staircase there was a wide, empty
gallery at one end of which were wide windows with the sunlight
streaming through them from a beautiful garden, and at the other end a
narrow door, over the archway of which was carven:
_BE BOLD, BE BOLD; BUT NOT TOO BOLD,
LEST THAT YOUR HEART'S BLOOD SHOULD RUN COLD._
Now Lady Mary was a lass of spirit, and so, of course, she turned her
back on the sunshine, and opened the narrow, dark door. And there she
was in a narrow, dark passage. But at the end there was a chink of
light. So she went forward and put her eye to the chink--and what do you
think she saw?
Why! a wide saloon lit with many candles, and all round it, some hanging
by their necks, some seated on chairs, some lying on the floor, were the
skeletons and bodies of numbers of beautiful young maidens in their
wedding-dresses that were all stained with blood.