As Jack flew through the darkness he thought once again of the little boy who looked just like himself, who lived in the far castle; and he did not feel sure whether he himself was upon the back of the bird or within the castle with Queen Mopsa. Then he fell asleep, and did not dream at all, nor know anything more until the great bird woke him.
“Wake up, now, Jack,” she said, “we are at home.”
As they flew toward the earth Jack saw the church, and the wood, and his father’s house, which seemed to be starting up to meet him. In two seconds he stepped down into the deep grass of his father’s meadow.
“Good-by,” said the great bird. “Make haste and run in, for the dews are falling.” And before he could ask her one question, or even thank her, she made a wide sweep over the grass, beat her magnificent wings and soared away.
JACK COMES HOME
Jack opened the little gate that led into the garden, stole through the shrubbery and came up to the drawing-room window and peeped in. His father and mother were sitting there, his mother sat with her back to the open window, but a candle was burning, and she was reading aloud about a Shepherd Lady and a Lord.
At last his father noticed him, and beckoned him to come in. So Jack did, and got upon his father’s knee, and laid his head on his father’s waistcoat, and wondered what he would think if he should tell him about the fairies that had been in somebody else’s waistcoat pocket. He thought, besides, what a great thing a man is. He had never seen anything so large in Fairy-land, nor so important; so, on the whole, he was glad that he had come back and felt very happy.
“I think,” said his father, “it must be time this man of ours was in bed.”
So his mother kissed him good-night, and he went up into his own room and said his prayers. He got into his little white bed and comfortably fell asleep.