Chapter V: Part 5

"Simultaneously the children wished themselves out of the water. The desire was gratified certainly, for they were suspended between heaven and earth, held by some invisible chain, the links of which bound them firmly; yet they felt a terrible fear of being dashed headlong on the sharp-pointed rocks below. There they swayed about, the sun laughing at them, the winds tossing them on every breath, and the birds swooping in giddy circles over their heads.

"'Let us wish for land,' said Elfie.

"They closed their eyes, blew through the trumpets, and then their feet rested on a firm surface once more.

"'Oh, I am so glad!' laughed Elfie.

"Yes, they had land; but such a land! Not a tree; not a spring of fresh, cool water; not a blade of green grass; only a barren wilderness, a dreary waste. The children toiled along wearily, yet they seemed to make no progress towards a fairer landscape; for as far as the eye could see stretched the blank of earth.

"'What shall we do next?' asked Perke, in perplexity.

"'Let us go home. Mother will advise us,' said Small; and, with the aid of Madam Pug's gifts, they again stood at the door of their humble cottage, which had never looked so pleasant to them before. Their mother was not in the house; but they saw her coming along the road, bending under the weight of the meal-bag, from the mill.

"They had not been absent a day, and so much had happened! The two little sons ran to her assistance, bearing between them the bag of meal; and, as they did so, Small inserted his trumpet into a fold of it, whispering,--

"'I wish this meal might be changed into a feast for my poor mother.'

"When they entered the door, Perke wished, 'Let us have a fine large table, if you please.'

"The mother looked at him in surprise; and then she saw that something unusual had occurred during her absence, for a spacious table of polished rosewood occupied the centre of the room.

"'I should like an arm-chair,' said Elfie; and when it appeared, they seated the astonished mother in it, suffering her tired frame to enjoy luxury and ease.

"Next, they emptied the meal-bag of its contents, and Small's bright eyes danced with delight at the fulfilment of his wish. Such savory viands! such puffs and tarts of delicate pastry! such delicious fruits and sweet-perfumed flower garlands! such tempting nuts, and many-colored candies in all manner of fantastic shapes,--pink horses, lemon castles, green birds, and blue ships,--had never before been seen in the widow's cottage. She did not forget those who were poor; so, reserving some of the choice articles of the feast, the mother sent her children to many neighbors, who would have otherwise gone to bed supperless.

"When all this was done, the children gave a long history of their adventures beneath the waters. The mother uttered a prayer of gratitude for their safe return; then she said,--

"'Your godmother wished to test your character. One desire brings another always. Vanity caused all your troubles; you wished to be as handsome as the king's children, and the boat vanished, as you have described. Give me the trumpets, and learn to be happy without them.'

"They did as she desired, only, first, Elfie begged to have one more wish gratified. What do you suppose it was? Why, that night the mother slept in a soft bed of eider down, with satin curtains, and an embroidered coverlet fit for a duchess, while the children sought their pallets of straw, light-hearted and happy, thinking how comfortable she was.

"All this pleased Madam Pug, who had heard of it from her trusty allies the gnats; and she now came flying along in the moonlight, mounted on a moth. She crept through the keyhole leaving her moth outside; and the water spirit changed herself into an ugly gray bat for the purpose of devouring Madam Pug's horse: so that she had to sit on the chimney all night, after paying the visit, until one of the gnats had flown away for another moth. This made the water spirit, down under the waves, laugh.

"Having entered the cottage, Madam Pug squeezed a drop of some precious balsam out of a diminutive flask upon the eyelids of her slumbering godchildren, which served to make their dreams pleasant, and would prepare them for any disappointment the next day. She next looked about to see what was to be done afterward, and espied the trumpets on the shelf, where the careful mother had placed them. These the fairy changed to three little boxes, one of a rusty steel, another of lead, and the third of iron; then, placing them on the children's pillows, crept out by the keyhole to perch on the chimney, as I have said, to await the arrival of another moth-charger.

"Next morning Elfie and her brothers peeped into the boxes, and found each to contain a small cake. On the cakes were baked these words:--

FOR THE KING'S FESTIVAL.

"The godmother gave them no donation of handsome clothes this time; so the mother, after dressing them fresh and clean, sent them away on the journey. Elfie plucked a few wild roses on the way, which Perke twined among her curls for a head-dress.

"They were ferried across the river in a royal barge, with other guests, and then found themselves before the gates of the king's palace. A vast crowd of people thronged the way, bringing rare gifts; and all were finely robed, except the poor widow's children. The soldiers presented the glittering points of their lances, asking rudely,--

"'What do you bring?'

"'Curiosities to show the king,' replied Small, bravely.

"'What if there should be nothing in the cakes, after all,' remarked Perke.

"'Let us open them and see,' proposed Elfie.

"'No,' said Perke. 'Wait until we are in the presence of the court.'

"The palace now rose before them, and was even more splendid than they had supposed. Entering an archway, the children paused in a spacious apartment, the dome of which was supported on marble pillars, wrought with flowers. The king occupied a throne of mosaic-work, under a canopy of crimson velvet. He wore a stiff mantle of some rich material, had a long, yellow beard, and such fierce eyes, that little Elfie trembled when he looked at her. Perke and Small said they did not mind it much.

"First, there approached an old woman, black as ebony, with a gorgeous yellow turban on her head, a broad purple sash about her waist, and red slippers on her feet. She was a very gay old African lady indeed. In her hand she carried a shrine of beautiful, fragrant wood; and from it she took an idol of pure amber, carved with marvellous skill.

"Next, came an old man, with bent form and silver hair, who drew a case from his girdle, and displayed, to the delight of the whole court, a ruby the size of a hen's egg of so brilliant a color that it filled the palace with a soft, rosy glow.

"Upon this, a young man hastened forward to hold up before the throne a diamond chain of rare purity, that absorbed the lustre of the ruby's splendor, and twinkled like pendent dew-drops.

"Others brought precious stones also, sapphires, amethysts, and emeralds, until it would seem as though the world had been sifted for the costliest gems. Then there were urns of pungent spices, censers of incense, keen-tempered weapons, cloth-of-gold, heavy damask, and specimens of lace.

"What seemed to Small the most wonderful thing, was a scroll of tapestry upon which appeared moving figures, weaving into fantastic forms. Whatever the king desired to see rehearsed, was there depicted.

"Afterward approached a fair lady, wearing a green gauze mantle, from which dripped little rills of water with a musical splash, and wherever they fell upon the pavement there formed pearls. She displayed a snake that twined his enamelled body about in graceful coils, at her bidding, and even licked the king's foot,--an act of homage which made his majesty rather nervous. The children recognized their enemy, the water spirit.

"It now came their turn, and they advanced, the water spirit smiling maliciously all the time. When they opened the boxes, each cake said, in a smothered little voice,--

"'Break me!'

"This they did, when lo! out of Elfie's stepped a goat, wearing a broad gold collar, and holding a tambourine. He walked up to the throne on his hind legs, and made a very profound bow. At this everybody laughed; but what was their astonishment to behold a quaint monkey emerge from Small's box, with a smart cravat on, and carrying a cocked hat under one paw. The monkey, instead of following the goat's ceremonious example, leaped upon Small's shoulder, put on his hat, and winked at the king in so droll a manner as to entirely disarm any wrath at his impertinence.

"As for Perke, a bird was already perched upon his finger, whose plumage resembled spun gold, relieved by an emerald green crest, and patch upon the breast.

"'What can your animals do to amuse me?' inquired the king.

"'If it please your highness,' said the goat, 'the bird will sing while we dance.'

"The king assenting, the bird began to sing a lively air; and the other two executed a quadrille in excellent style, the goat gracefully tapping his tambourine with one hoof to the music. Nor was this the full extent of their accomplishments; for the three then performed a tragedy, in which the bird was a stern father, the goat his daughter, and the monkey, who was naturally the best actor, took several parts, with admirable skill.

"All this would have been very amusing, only that the proud king could not forget that the children belonged only to a poor widow after all. Perhaps they might have received some prize, as a token of royal favor, had not the water spirit's snake darted forward, hissing spitefully, and twined about them.

"The monkey seized the monster by the throat with his little black paws, the bird pecked at its eyes, and the goat rapped the tambourine over its head with a right good-will.

"Thus defended, the children escaped from the palace safely, still accompanied by their favorites.

"'Dear children,' said the bird, as they approached home once more, 'do not be disappointed that the king has treated you with no more kindness. Madam Pug allows us to remain with you so long as you are good, and find happiness in the home God has given you.'

"'We can have a great deal more fun here than with those stupid people in the palace yonder,' added the monkey, cutting a caper. 'The goat and I can dance all day for your amusement.'

"'As to that,' said the goat, stroking his beard gravely, 'we might do something more profitable.'

"These were the godmother's gifts after all, which, in course of time, became famous throughout the country. If any thing was stolen, the monkey could detect the thief at once. If any debate arose among the wise men, the goat could settle the argument to their satisfaction, for he was classically educated. If any person was ill, the bird could prescribe for them, as he was skilled in the knowledge of medicine.

"The king could never obtain these three with all the wealth in the world."

The Wasp went his way again, the Caterpillar and Spider did the same, leaving the others alone as before.

The Saucepan's day was over, and the Teapot was so badly cracked as to be unfit for use.

One day, as the Kettle was swinging lazily on the hook in the chimney, a lovely butterfly, with wings like shaded brown velvet, poised on a rose-spray outside the window. It was the Caterpillar transformed!

The Kettle called to the Cricket, but he did not find his crutch in time to hobble out (for he was growing infirm) before the butterfly had flitted out into the sunshine again.

THE END.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Cricket's Friends, by Virginia W. Johnson

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