"'I should like an arm-chair,' said Elfie; and when it appeared, they seated the astonished mother in it, suffering her tired frame to enjoy luxury and ease.
"Next, they emptied the meal-bag of its contents, and Small's bright eyes danced with delight at the fulfilment of his wish. Such savory viands! such puffs and tarts of delicate pastry! such delicious fruits and sweet-perfumed flower garlands! such tempting nuts, and many-colored candies in all manner of fantastic shapes,—pink horses, lemon castles, green birds, and blue ships,—had never before been seen in the widow's cottage. She did not forget those who were poor; so, reserving some of the choice articles of the feast, the mother sent her children to many neighbors, who would have otherwise gone to bed supperless.
"When all this was done, the children gave a long history of their adventures beneath the waters. The mother uttered a prayer of gratitude for their safe return; then she said,—
"'Your godmother wished to test your character. One desire brings another always. Vanity caused all your troubles; you wished to be as handsome as the king's children, and the boat vanished, as you have described. Give me the trumpets, and learn to be happy without them.'
"They did as she desired, only, first, Elfie begged to have one more wish gratified. What do you suppose it was? Why, that night the mother slept in a soft bed of eider down, with satin curtains, and an embroidered coverlet fit for a duchess, while the children sought their pallets of straw, light-hearted and happy, thinking how comfortable she was.
"All this pleased Madam Pug, who had heard of it from her trusty allies the gnats; and she now came flying along in the moonlight, mounted on a moth. She crept through the keyhole leaving her moth outside; and the water spirit changed herself into an ugly gray bat for the purpose of devouring Madam Pug's horse: so that she had to sit on the chimney all night, after paying the visit, until one of the gnats had flown away for another moth. This made the water spirit, down under the waves, laugh.
"Having entered the cottage, Madam Pug squeezed a drop of some precious balsam out of a diminutive flask upon the eyelids of her slumbering godchildren, which served to make their dreams pleasant, and would prepare them for any disappointment the next day. She next looked about to see what was to be done afterward, and espied the trumpets on the shelf, where the careful mother had placed them. These the fairy changed to three little boxes, one of a rusty steel, another of lead, and the third of iron; then, placing them on the children's pillows, crept out by the keyhole to perch on the chimney, as I have said, to await the arrival of another moth-charger.
"Next morning Elfie and her brothers peeped into the boxes, and found each to contain a small cake. On the cakes were baked these words:—
FOR THE KING'S FESTIVAL.
"The godmother gave them no donation of handsome clothes this time; so the mother, after dressing them fresh and clean, sent them away on the journey. Elfie plucked a few wild roses on the way, which Perke twined among her curls for a head-dress.