he Farthing Doll knew that she loved the Grocer, but she
didn't know if he loved her.

So everything was at a stand-still, and none of the other dolls knew how
to bring the matter to a happy end. No one quite liked to interfere. And
for these reasons: The Grocer was very proud and would take no advice,
whilst the Farthing Doll was so sensitive that a single wrong word might
cause her a serious illness. Again, the Grocer wouldn't ask the Farthing
Doll to marry him because, being a proud Toy, he feared the humiliation
of her saying "No." She, on her part, would not say much to help him,
lest it should look as if she were forward.

It was thus that matters stood, when, walking along the counter one day,
the Farthing Doll met the Grocer sauntering by with a sad face.

"Well!" she exclaimed, with a start of surprise. "Fancy seeing you
here!"

"My shop is close by," he answered. "Don't you remember?"

"To be sure," she said. "How odd of me to forget."

"I'm very pleased to see you," said the Grocer.

"I am glad of that, for I have every wish to please you," said the
Farthing Doll.

"Is that satisfactory?" he asked.

"It ought to be," she replied.

"I don't know," the Grocer said. "You may wish to please, without
loving. For instance, you may try to please a turkey by giving him the
best of grain. But that is not because you love him. It is merely
because you wish to fatten him well for your Christmas dinner."

"Good-morning!" said the Farthing Doll coldly.

"Stay!" the Grocer cried. "I have an idea. We appear to have some
difficulty in finding out the Truth. Let us go and hunt for it."

"Where is it to be found?" she asked.

"At the bottom of a Well, so I've heard."

"Then I suppose the first thing is to find the Well."

"Exactly so," he said. "Come, let us start." So they walked away hand in
hand. They hunted all up and down the counter, and asked directions of
many dolls. But never a Well could they find.

"See!" exclaimed the Farthing Doll at last; "here's a square thing that
looks something like a Well. Go, open it and look down."

"What may be inside, though?" he said cautiously.

"Truth, Truth, you silly thing!" she said impatiently. "Go!"

So he went and opened the lid.

But it was not a Well at all. It was merely the abode of
Jack-in-the-box, and when the Grocer looked in Jack jumped out. He
jumped up so suddenly that he knocked the Grocer flat on his back.

The poor fellow got up and rubbed