10
waistcoat-pocket, where he slept till the rain
was over.
King Arhur one day interrogated Tom
about his parents, wishing to know if they
were as small as him, and what circum-
stances they were in. Tom told the king
that his father and mother were as tall as
any of the persons about court, but in
rather poor circumstances. On hearing
this, the king carried Tom to his treasur-
y, the place where he kept all his money,
and told him to take as much money as
he could carry home to his parents, which
made the poor little fellow caper with joy.
Tom went immediately to procure a
purse, which was made of a water bubble,
and then returned to the treasury, where
he received a silver threepenny-piece to
put into it.
Our little hero had some difficulty in
lifting the burden upon his back; but he
at last succeeded in getting it placed to
his mind, and set forward on his journey.
However, without meeting with any ac-
cident, and after resting himself more
than a hundred times by the way, in two
days and two nights he reached his fa-
ther's house in safety.
