Jack was so frightened at the violent way in which the gipsies and the other tribes were knocking each other about that he ran off, thinking he had seen enough of such a dangerous country.
As he passed the place where that evil-minded gipsy had been changed he found the ground strewed with little bits of her clothes. Many parrots were picking them up and poking them into the cage where the handkerchief was; and presently another parrot came with a lighted brand, which she had pulled from one of the gipsies' fires.
"That's right," said the fairy on Jack's shoulder, when he saw his friend push the brand between the wires of what had been his cage, and set the gipsy's handkerchief on fire, and all the bits of her clothes with it. "She won't find much of herself here," he observed, as Jack went on. "It will not be very easy to put herself together again."
So Jack moved away. He was tired of the noise and confusion; and the sun was just setting as he reached the little creek where his boat lay.
Then the parrot fairy and his wife sprang down, and kissed their hands to him as he stepped on board and pushed the boat off. He saw, when he looked back, that a great fight was still going on; so he was glad to get away, and he wished his two friends goodbye, and set off, the old parrot fairy calling after him: "My relations have put some of our favorite food on board for you." Then they again thanked him for his good help, and sprang into a tree, and the boat began to go down the wonderful river.
"This has been a most extraordinary day," thought Jack; "the strangest day I have had yet." And after he had eaten a good supper of what the parrots had brought he felt so tired and sleepy that he lay down in the boat, and presently fell fast asleep. His fairies were sound asleep too in his pockets, and nothing happened of the least consequence; so he slept comfortably till morning.
CHAPTER SIX
The Town with Nobody in it
Soon after sunrise they came to a great city, and it was perfectly still. There were grand towers and terraces, wharves, too, and a large market, but there was nobody anywhere to be seen. Jack thought that might be because it was so early in the morning; and when the boat ran itself up against a wooden wharf and stopped, he jumped ashore, for he thought this must be the end of his journey. A delightful town it was, if only there had been any people in it! The market-place was full of stalls, on which were spread toys, baskets, fruit, butter, vegetables and all the other things that are usually sold in a market.
Jack walked about in it. Then he looked in at the open doors of the houses, and at last, finding that they were all empty, he walked into one, looked at the rooms, examined the picture-books, rang the bells and set the musical-boxes going. Then, after he had shouted a good deal, and tried in vain to make someone hear, he went back to the edge of the river where his boat was lying, and the water was so delightfully clear and calm that he thought he would bathe. So he took off his clothes, and folding them very carefully, so as not to hurt the fairies, laid them down beside a haycock[10] and went in, and ran about and paddled for a long time much longer than there was any occasion for; but then he had nothing to do.
When at last he had finished he ran to the haycock and began to dress himself; but he could not find his stockings, and after looking about for some time he was obliged to put on his clothes without them, and he was going to put his boots on his bare feet when, walking to the other side of the haycock, he saw a little old woman about as large as himself. She had a pair of spectacles on, and she was knitting.
She looked so sweet tempered that Jack asked her if she knew anything about his stockings.
"It will be time enough to ask for them when you have had your breakfast," said she. "Sit down. Welcome to our town. How do you like it?"
"I should like it very much indeed," said Jack, "if there was anybody in it."
"I'm glad of that," said the woman. "You've seen a good deal of it; but it pleases me to find that you are a very honest boy. You did not take anything at all. I am honest too."
"Yes," said Jack, "of course you are."
"And as I am pleased with you for being honest," continued the little woman, "I shall give you some breakfast out of my basket." So she took out a saucer full of honey, a roll of bread and a cup of milk.
"Thank you," said Jack, "but I am not a beggar-boy; I have got a half-crown, a shilling, a sixpence and two pence; so I can buy this breakfast of you, if you like. You look very poor."
"Do I?" said the little woman softly; and she went on knitting, and Jack began to eat the breakfast.
"I wonder what has become of my stockings," said Jack.
"You will never see them any more," said the old woman. "I threw them into the river, and they floated away."
"Why did you?" asked Jack.
The little woman took no notice; but presently she had finished a beautiful pair of stockings, and she handed them to Jack and said:
"Is that like the pair you lost?"
"Oh no," said Jack, "these are much more beautiful stockings than mine."
"Do you like them as well?" asked the fairy woman.
"I like them much better," said Jack, putting them on. "How clever you are!"
"Would you like to wear these," said the woman, "instead of yours?"
She gave Jack such a strange look when she said this that he was afraid to take them, and answered:
"I shouldn't like to wear them if you think I had better not."
"Well," she answered, "I am very honest, as I told you; and therefore I am obliged to say that if I were you I would not wear those stockings on any account."
"Why not?" said Jack; for she looked so sweet tempered that he could not help trusting her.
"Why not?" repeated the fairy. "Why, because when you have those stockings on your feet belong to me."
"Oh!" said Jack. "Well, if you think that matters, I'll take them off again. Do you think it matters?"
"Yes," said the fairy woman; "it matters, because I am a slave, and my master can make me do whatever he pleases, for I am completely in his power. So if he found out that I had knitted those stockings for you he would make me order you to walk into his mill the mill which grinds the corn for the town; and there you would have to grind and grind till I got free again."
When Jack heard this he pulled off the beautiful stockings and laid them on the old woman's lap. Upon this she burst out crying as if her heart would break.
"If my fairies that I have in my pocket would only wake," said Jack, "I would fight your master; for if he is no bigger than you are perhaps I could beat him, and get you away."