Once on a time there was a woman who had an only son, and he was no
taller than your thumb; and so they called him Thumbikin.
Now, when he had come to be old enough to know right and wrong, his
mother told him to go out and woo him a bride, for now she said it was
high time he thought about getting a wife. When Thumbikin heard that,
he was very glad; so they got their driving gear in order and set off,
and his mother put him into her bosom. Now they were going to a palace
where there was an awfully big Princess, but when they had gone a bit
of the way, Thumbikin was lost and gone. His mother hunted for him
everywhere, and bawled to him, and wept because he was lost, and she
couldn’t find him again.
“_Pip, Pip_”, said Thumbikin, “here I am”; and he had hidden himself in
the horse’s mane.
So he came out, and had to give his word to his mother that he wouldn’t
do so any more. But when they had driven a bit further on, Thumbikin
was lost again. His mother hunted for him, and called him, and wept;
but gone he was, and gone he stayed.
“_Pip, Pip_”, said Thumbikin at last; and then she heard how he laughed
and tittered, but she couldn’t find him at all for the life of her.
“_Pip, Pip_, why, here I am now!” said Thumbikin, and came out of the
horse’s ear.
So he had to give his word that he wouldn’t hide himself again; but
they had scarce driven a bit further before he was gone again. He
couldn’t help it. As for his mother, she hunted, and wept, and called
him by name; but gone he was, and gone he stayed; and the more she
hunted, the less she could find him in any way.
“_Pip, Pip_, here I am then”, said Thumbikin.
But she couldn’t make out at all where he was, his voice sounded so
dull, and muffled.
So she hunted, and he kept on saying, “Pip, here I am”, and laughed and
chuckled, but she couldn’t find him; but all at once the horse snorted,
and it snorted Thumbikin out, for he had crept up one of his nostrils.
Then his mother took him and put him into a bag; she knew no other way,
for she saw well enough he couldn’t help hiding himself.
So, when they came to the palace, the match was soon made, for the
Princess thought him a pretty little chap, and it wasn’t long before
the wedding came on too.
Now, when they were going to sit down to the wedding-feast, Thumbikin
sat at the table by the Princess’s side; but he had worse than no seat,
for when he was to eat he couldn’t reach up to the table; and so if the
Princess hadn’t helped him up on to it, he wouldn’t have got a bit to
eat.
Now it went good and well so long as he had to eat off a plate, but
then there came a great bowl of porridge—that he couldn’t reach up to;
but Thumbikin soon found out a way to help himself; he climbed up and
sat on the lip of the bowl. But then there was a pat of melting butter
right in the middle of the bowl, and that he couldn’t reach to dip his
porridge into it, and so he went on and took his seat at the edge of
the melting butter; but just then who should come but the Princess,
with a great spoonful of porridge to dip it into the butter; and, alas!
she went too near to Thumbikin, and tipped him over; and so he fell
over head and ears, and was drowned in the melted butter.