The History of Tom Thumb and Other Stories. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 10 pages of information about The History of Tom Thumb and Other Stories..

The History of Tom Thumb and Other Stories. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 10 pages of information about The History of Tom Thumb and Other Stories..

Tom soon got rested at his mother’s house, but could not travel because it had rained; his mother therefore took him in her hand and carried him back to King Arthur’s court.  There Tom entertained the King and Queen and nobility at tilts and tournaments, at which he exerted himself so much that he brought on a fit of sickness.  At this juncture the Queen of the Fairies came in a chariot drawn by flying mice, and placing Tom by her side she drove through the air till they arrived at her palace.  After restoring him to health, the Queen commanded a fair wind, and, placing Tom before it, blew him straight back to the court of King Arthur.  But just as Tom should have alighted in the courtyard, the cook happened to pass with the King’s great bowl of his favorite dish, furmenty, and poor Tom fell plump into the middle of it, and splashed the hot furmenty into the cook’s eyes.  Down went the bowl.  “Oh, dear,” cried Tom.  “Murder! murder!” bellowed the cook; and away ran the King’s nice furmenty into the kennel.  The cook was a cross fellow and swore to the King that Tom had done it out of some evil design; so he was tried for high treason and sentenced to be beheaded.  When the judge delivered this dreadful sentence it happened that a miller was standing by with his mouth wide open, so Tom took a good spring and jumped down his throat, unperceived by all, even by the miller himself.  As Tom could not be found the court broke up, and away went the miller to his mill.  But Tom did not leave him long at rest, he began to roll and tumble about, so that the miller thought himself bewitched, and sent for a doctor.  When the doctor came, Tom began to dance and sing.  The doctor was as much frightened as the miller, and sent in great haste for five more doctors.

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While all these were talking the miller began to yawn, and Tom, taking the opportunity, made another bold jump and alighted on his feet in the middle of the table.  The miller, provoked to be thus tormented by such a little creature, caught hold of Tom and threw him out of the window into the river.  A large salmon swimming by snapped him up in a moment.

The salmon was soon caught and sold in the market to the steward of a great lord.  The grandee, thinking it an uncommonly fine fish, made a present of it to the King, who ordered it to be dressed immediately.  When the cook cut open the salmon he found poor Tom inside, and ran with him directly to the King; but the King being busy, desired that he might be brought another day.

[Illustration]

The cook was resolved to keep him safely this time, so clapped him into a mouse-trap.  There he was shut up for a whole week, when the King sent for him, forgave him for throwing down the furmenty, and ordered him new clothes, gave him a spirited mouse for a hunter, and knighted him.

Thus dressed and mounted, he rode a hunting with the King and nobility.

[Illustration]

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The History of Tom Thumb and Other Stories. from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.