ishment out jumped Tom, quite delighted to be
free again. He was taken before the king, who
made Tom his dwarf, and he soon became a great
favourite at court, where he delighted every one
by his gambols.

Long time he lived in jollity,
Beloved of the court,

And none like Tom was so esteemed
Among the better sort.

The queen Gueniver was especially delighted with
the little man, and made him dance a galliard
on her left hand. His performance was so satis-
factory that King Arthur gave him a ring which
he wore about his waist as a girdle.

When he was out with the king, if rain came on
he would creep up the sleeve of Arthur, and lie
there till the shower was over.

One day Tom, who could not forget his poor father
and mother, asked King Arthur to grant him leave to
go and visit them. The king readily agreed, and
taking him into his treasury, told him to carry away
with him as much money as he could for his poor
parents. This made him caper for joy. He found
that the only coin he could carry was a threepenny
piece.

And so away goes lusty Tom,
* | With threepence at his back,
A heavy burden which did make
His very bones to crack.

Tom remained three days with the old couple, and
feasted on a hazel-nut so extravagantly that he
grew ill.

King Arthur became impatient to have his dwarf
back again, so his mother took a sort of tube,
through which people blew darts at birds to kill
them, and she put Tom in and blew through it,
and blew him back to court.

203

TOM
THUMB