"'Let us wish for land,' said Elfie.
"They closed their eyes, blew through the trumpets, and then their feet rested on a firm surface once more.
"'Oh, I am so glad!' laughed Elfie.
"Yes, they had land; but such a land! Not a tree; not a spring of fresh, cool water; not a blade of green grass; only a barren wilderness, a dreary waste. The children toiled along wearily, yet they seemed to make no progress towards a fairer landscape; for as far as the eye could see stretched the blank of earth.
"'What shall we do next?' asked Perke, in perplexity.
"'Let us go home. Mother will advise us,' said Small; and, with the aid of Madam Pug's gifts, they again stood at the door of their humble cottage, which had never looked so pleasant to them before. Their mother was not in the house; but they saw her coming along the road, bending under the weight of the meal-bag, from the mill.
"They had not been absent a day, and so much had happened! The two little sons ran to her assistance, bearing between them the bag of meal; and, as they did so, Small inserted his trumpet into a fold of it, whispering,—
"'I wish this meal might be changed into a feast for my poor mother.'
"When they entered the door, Perke wished, 'Let us have a fine large table, if you please.'
"The mother looked at him in surprise; and then she saw that something unusual had occurred during her absence, for a spacious table of polished rosewood occupied the centre of the room.