The magic spoon was so pleased then that it began to stir the river that flowed by the little dwarfs’ home, and the river became solid gold!
The little dwarfs sang,
“Ha! ha! ha! when we are old,
We shall never want for gold!”
Then they ran and got five and twenty little bags, and they began to break up the gold in the river and fill their bags. Still there was more gold than the little dwarfs could carry away.
At last the little dwarfs were done working and the Ink-Bottle Babies were tired and sleepy and they said, “Tell us a story, please.”
Then one little dwarf told this story:
Once upon a time there was a little dwarf who had a rocking-chair.
The rocking-chair was a pretty one; it had golden rockers and golden arms. It was a very comfortable rocking-chair! One day a dwarf got into the chair. He was a very naughty dwarf. He would not say, “Thank you,” and “If you please.”