130 Fairy Tales

her son thought he might be chosen to
command the guard, and she offered to go
forth with a basket of their very best honey-
cakes, fresh and crisp, and to see what she
could do in the way of finding the right
children. She had not met with any success
and was growing down-hearted, when she
came along the road, and saw Barthel and
Joan sitting on the wall, and the moment
she saw them she would have jumped for
joy, if it had not been for the stilts.
Directly she got under the wall she made
a beautiful curtsey.

“Good day, my little master and mistress!”

“Good day!” said Joan. “ Weare so glad
to see you, for we were getting dull, weren't
we, Ju-Ju? Have you come a long way?
And what have you in your basket?”

For Joan never lost information for want
of asking questions.

“Honey-cakes. Taste them, my dears,
taste them,” said the dwarf woman, handing
up one apiece, and one for the puppy.

And when the children had eaten them