The sun was going down when Scrub and Fairfeather awoke from dreaming
that they had been made a lord and a lady, and sat clothed in silk and
velvet, feasting with the King in his palace hall. They were greatly
disappointed to find their golden leaves and all their best things gone.
Scrub tore his hair, and vowed to take the old woman's life, while
Fairfeather uttered loud cries of sorrow. But Scrub, feeling cold for
want of his coat, put on the leathern doublet without asking or caring
whence it came.
Hardly was it buttoned on when a change came over him. He began to talk
so merrily, that, instead of crying, Fairfeather made the wood ring with
laughter. Both busied themselves in getting up a hut of branches, in
which Scrub kindled a fire with a flint and steel, which, together with
his pipe, he had brought unknown to Fairfeather, who had told him the
like was never heard of at the Court. Then they found a pheasant's nest
at the root of an old oak, made a meal of roasted eggs, and went to
sleep on a heap of long green grass which they had gathered, with
nightingales singing all night long in the old trees about them.
So it happened that Scrub and Fairfeather stayed day after day in the
forest, making their hut larger and more cosy against the winter,
living on wild birds' eggs, and berries, and never thinking of their
lost golden leaves, or their journey to the Court.
In the meantime Spare had got up and missed his doublet. Tinseltoes, of
course, said he knew nothing about it. The whole palace was searched,
and every servant questioned, till all the Court wondered why such a
fuss was made about an old leathern doublet. That very day, things came
back to their old fashion. Quarrels began among the lords, and envies
among the ladies. The King said his people did not pay him half enough
taxes, the Queen wanted more jewels, the servants took to their old
quarrels and got up some new ones.
Spare found himself getting strangely dull, and very much out of place.
Nobles began to ask what business a cobbler had at the King's table, and
His Majesty ordered the palace records to be searched to find out if
such a thing had ever taken place before. The cobbler was too wise to
tell all he had lost with that doublet; but as by this time he knew the
Court customs, he offered a reward of fifty gold pieces to anyone who
would bring him news about it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account