FullReads

“Thieves! Robbers!” he called in such a terrible voice that the chimney-swift shook in her nest, and the big fish in the Silver Sea jumped out of the water.

If the Giant had spied Pease-Blossom and the nightingale it would have gone hard with them; but luckily for them his wife, who was a kind-hearted woman, saw them before he did, and upset the golden cage right in his way.

“The whole place is bewitched,” thundered he, stumbling over the cage; and in the stir which followed the nightingale slipped away unseen.

Over the Silver Sea where the fish swam, over the hedge of thorns which guarded the palace of the lovely princess, over the fields and the fells where the dew sparkled, straight to the Enchanted Wood they went.

“Who comes here?” called the fairy warder of the dell.

“Pease-Blossom and the nightingale,” answered the fay; and great was the joy in fairyland at their return.

“How long you have been!” said Quick-As-Lightning.

“How fast you have come!” said little Twinkle-Toes.

But as for Spice-of-Life he could not speak at all for laughing at sooty Pease-Blossom.

Then Pease-Blossom made haste to bathe himself in the brook, and put on his finest court suit of pink satin rose-petals trimmed with lace from a spider’s web; for the fairy queen had ordered a grand court ball in his honor, and there was no time to lose.

A cricket band played merrily, the nightingale sang from a thicket close at hand, and tripping and twirling the little folks went till the cock crowed and the sun came up; and it was fairy bedtime.

In light of sun and light of moon
How different all things seem, oh!
Wake up, wake up, dear Sleepy Head,
‘Twas nothing but a dream, oh.

But who can tell? Some other night
When mellow shines the moon, oh,
Perhaps we’ll dream the dream again
And may that night come soon, oh!