ht to the ogre's house, where he found the ogre's wife
weeping over her murdered daughters.

[Illustration: '_Laden with all the ogre's wealth_']

'Your husband,' said little Tom Thumb, 'is in great danger, for he has
been captured by a gang of thieves, and the latter have sworn to kill
him if he does not hand over all his gold and silver. Just as they had
the dagger at his throat, he caught sight of me and begged me to come to
you and thus rescue him from his terrible plight. You are to give me
everything of value which he possesses, without keeping back a thing,
otherwise he will be slain without mercy. As the matter is urgent he
wished me to wear his seven-league boots, to save time, and also to
prove to you that I am no impostor.'

The ogre's wife, in great alarm, gave him immediately all that she had,
for although this was an ogre who devoured little children, he was by no
means a bad husband.

Little Tom Thumb, laden with all the ogre's wealth, forthwith repaired
to his father's house, where he was received with great joy.

* * * * *

Many people do not agree about this last adventure, and pretend that
little Tom Thumb never committed this theft from the ogre, and only took
the seven-league boots, about which he had no compunction, since they
were only used by the ogre for catching little children. These folks
assert that they are in a position to know, having been guests at the
wood-cutter's cottage. They further say that when little Tom Thumb had
put on the ogre's boots, he went off to the Court, where he knew there
was great anxiety concerning the result of a battle which was being
fought by an army two hundred leagues away.

They say that he went to the king and undertook, if desired, to bring
news of the army before the day was out; and that the king promised him
a large sum of money if he could carry out his project.

Little Tom Thumb brought news that very night, and this first errand
having brought him into notice, he made as much money as he wished. For
not only did the king pay him handsomely to carry orders to the army,
but many ladies at the court gave him anything he asked to get them news
of their lovers, and this was his greatest source of income. He was
occasionally entrusted by wives with letters to their husbands, but they
paid him so badly, and this branch of the business brought him in so
little, that he did not even bother to reckon what he made from it.