"He will be poor," said a second one.
"Intelligent," said a third.
Then a fourth voice made itself heard—"Your child will never be anything but a simpleton."
The unhappy mother recognized that voice. She had heard it one day when she refused to take pity on an old beggar-woman, and now she knew that the woman was no other than the Queen of the Fairies in disguise.
The child grew and thrived, and when he was sixteen, his mother said:
"My son, I have many trials. We are poor and I want you to learn a trade. What do you want to do?"
"Nothing."
"You do not want to work?"
"Oh, no," answered Loony John; "work is tiresome."
"Ah!" thought the poor mother, "the Queen of the Fairies is taking her revenge."