Jack and His Golden Snuff-box · page 21 2101The three little men went off; and when they came near the castle they were afraid to go to it till the gentleman and lady and all the servants were gone out to some dance.102And there was no one left behind there only the cook and another maid with her; and the little red men asked them which would they rather--go, or stop behind? and they both said: “I will go with you;” and the little men told them to run upstairs quick.103They were no sooner up and in one of the drawing-rooms than here comes just in sight the gentleman and lady and all the servants; but it was too late.104Off the castle went at full speed, with the women laughing at them through the window, while they made motions for them to stop, but all to no purpose.105They were nine days on their journey, in which they did try to keep the Sunday holy, when one of the little men turned to be the priest, the other the clerk, and third presided at the organ, and the women were the singers, for they had a grand chapel in the castle already.106Very remarkable, there was a discord made in the music, and one of the little men ran up one of the organ-pipes to see where the bad sound came from, when he found out it only happened to be that the two women were laughing at the little red man stretching his little legs full length on the bass pipes, also his two arms the same time, with his little red night-cap, which he never forgot to wear, and what they never witnessed before, could not help calling forth some good merriment while on the face of the deep.107And poor thing! through them not going on with what they begun with, they very near came to danger, as the castle was once very near sinking in the middle of the sea.108At length, after a merry journey, they come again to Jack and the King.109The King was quite struck with the sight of the castle; and going up the golden stairs, went to see the inside.110The King was very much pleased with the castle, but poor Jack's time of a twelvemonths and a day was drawing to a close; and he, wishing to go home to his young wife, gives orders to the three little men to get ready by the next morning at eight o'clock to be off to the next brother, and to stop there for one night; also to proceed from there to the last or the youngest brother, the master of all the mice in the world, in such place where the castle shall be left under his care until it's sent for.111Jack takes a farewell of the King, and thanks him very much for his hospitality.112Away went Jack and his castle again, and stopped one night in that place; and away they went again to the third place, and there left the castle under his care.113As Jack had to leave the castle behind, he had to take to his own horse, which he left there when he first started.114Now poor Jack leaves his castle behind and faces towards home; and after having so much merriment with the three brothers every night, Jack became sleepy on horseback, and would have lost the road if it was not for the little men a-guiding him.115At last he arrived weary and tired, and they did not seem to receive him with any kindness whatever, because he had not found the stolen castle; and to make it worse, he was disappointed in not seeing his young and beautiful wife to come and meet him, through being hindered by her parents.116But that did not stop long.117Jack put full power on and despatched the little men off to bring the castle from there, and they soon got there.118Jack shook hands with the King, and returned many thanks for his kingly kindness in minding the castle for him; and then Jack instructed the little men to spur up and put speed on.119And off they went, and were not long before they reached their journey's end, when out comes the young wife to meet him with a fine lump of a young SON, and they all lived happy ever afterwards.1 2← previousTitty Mouse and Tatty Mousenext →The Story of the Three Bears↑ back to English Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7439/20/page/2/