After acting as courier for some time, and amassing great wealth
thereby, little Tom Thumb returned to his father's house, and was there
greeted with the greatest joy imaginable. He made all his family
comfortable, buying newly-created positions for his father and brothers.
In this way he set them all up, not forgetting at the same time to look
well after himself.

THE FAIRIES

Once upon a time there lived a widow with two daughters. The elder was
often mistaken for her mother, so like her was she both in nature and in
looks; parent and child being so disagreeable and arrogant that no one
could live with them.

The younger girl, who took after her father in the gentleness and
sweetness of her disposition, was also one of the prettiest girls
imaginable. The mother doted on the elder daughter--naturally enough,
since she resembled her so closely--and disliked the younger one as
intensely. She made the latter live in the kitchen and work hard from
morning till night.

One of the poor child's many duties was to go twice a day and draw water
from a spring a good half-mile away, bringing it back in a large
pitcher. One day when she was at the spring an old woman came up and
begged for a drink.

'Why, certainly, good mother,' the pretty lass replied. Rinsing her
pitcher, she drew some water from the cleanest part of the spring and
handed it to the dame, lifting up the jug so that she might drink the
more easily.

Now this old woman was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor village
dame to see just how far the girl's good nature would go. 'You are so
pretty,' she said, when she had finished drinking, 'and so polite, that
I am determined to bestow a gift upon you. This is the boon I grant
you: with every word that you utter there shall fall from your mouth
either a flower or a precious stone.'

When the girl reached home she was scolded by her mother for being so
long in coming back from the spring.

'I am sorry to have been so long, mother,' said the poor child.

As she spoke these words there fell from her mouth three roses, three
pearls, and three diamonds.

'What's this?' cried her mother; 'did I see pearls and diamonds dropping
out of your mouth? What does this mean, dear daughter?' (This was the
first time she had ever addressed her daughter affectionately.)

The poor child told a simple tale of what had happened, and in speaking
scattered diamonds right and left.

'Really,' said her mother,