rcely be a mouthful.

As the giant kept very fashionable hours, and always waited dinner for
himself till nine o'clock, there was still plenty of time; so, with a
loud grumble about the trouble, he seized a large basket in his hand,
and set off at a rapid pace towards the fairy Teach-all's garden. It was
very seldom that Snap-'em-up ventured to think of foraging in this
direction, as he had never once succeeded in carrying off a single
captive from the enclosure, it was so well fortified and so bravely
defended; but on this occasion, being desperately hungry, he felt as
bold as a lion, and walked, with outstretched hands, straight towards
the fairy Teach-all's dinner-table, taking such prodigious strides, that
he seemed almost as if he would trample on himself.

A cry of consternation arose the instant this tremendous giant appeared;
and as usual on such occasions, when he had made the same attempt
before, a dreadful battle took place. Fifty active little boys bravely
flew upon the enemy, armed with their dinner knives, and looked like a
nest of hornets, stinging him in every direction, till he roared with
pain, and would have run away, but the fairy Teach-all, seeing his
intention, rushed forward with the carving knife, and brandishing it
high over her head, she most courageously stabbed him to the heart!

If a great mountain had fallen in the earth, it would have seemed like
nothing in comparison of the giant Snap-'em-up, who crushed two or three
houses to powder beneath him, and upset several fine monuments that were
to have made people remembered for ever; but all this would have seemed
scarcely worth mentioning, had it not been for a still greater event
which occurred on the occasion, no less than the death of the fairy
Do-nothing, who had been indolently looking on at this great battle,
without taking the trouble to interfere, or even to care who was
victorious, but, being also lazy about running away, when the giant
fell, his sword came with so violent a stroke on her head, that she
instantly expired.

Thus, luckily for the whole world, the fairy Teach-all got possession of
immense property, which she proceeded without delay to make the best use
of in her power.

In the first place, however, she lost no time in liberating Master
No-book from his hook in the larder, and gave him a lecture on activity,
moderation, and good conduct, which he never afterwards forgot; and it
was astonishing to see the change that