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have moved of himself, if the wind-fairy had not blown a tremendous gust, which made the pink light in the lantern flicker, and the old man start up and open his eyes and see Jack.

“And who are you?” he asked, in a deep rolling voice. “Come to ask a question, I am sure. No one ever comes to see me unless they want to ask something. Come nearer and let me see you.”

Jack drew near to the old man’s seat, trembling much. He tried to remember what the Princess had told him to say, but somehow or other it had gone out of his head, and he did not know how to begin.

“Now what is it?” asked the old man, with a low chuckle. “ Do you want me to tell you how

to grow tall and straight, or where to find a big bag of money to take home to your mother? What do you want? Speak out, and don’t be afraid.”

Again the naughty thoughts came back into Jack’s mind. He looked across to where the wind-fairy had fallen asleep on the ice. He gazed up at the pink light shining into the black sky. He thought of his mother, then of the poor fire