“When you take your meal at noon, You should use the magic spoon!” [Illustration: “_They filled their glasses with water from a spring_”] Then the little dwarf took the magic spoon and dipped it into every glass of water, and the water turned at once into lemonade. They looked around to thank the little dwarf, but he was gone! Then the Ink-Bottle Babies cried, “We must find the house where the little dwarfs live!” After a while the Ink-Bottle Mamma and Papa got tired and went home. They left the Babies in the woods for a while. The Babies were so sleepy they took quite a nap, and when they woke up they said, “Let us look for the home of the little dwarfs.” They spoke in whispers; they were almost afraid to speak out loud. They picked up their dinner pails and walked a long way. Suddenly they saw a light twinkling in the distance. The light came from a little wee house in the woods. One of the Babies rapped at the door and a little dwarf came out and said, “We have bedrooms five and twenty, And of food we have a plenty; Kindly step in, please, to-night, By this ray of candlelight!” The Ink-Bottle Babies stepped inside, and they saw five and twenty little dwarfs sitting at a table, eating soup with their five and twenty little spoons. The little dwarfs got up politely and offered their seats to the Babies and they sang, “Ink-Bottle Babies, ’tis very fine, With the magic pitcher at last to dine.” Then the Ink-Bottle Babies started to eat some soup, but one little dwarf ran around and poured something into each soup dish out of the magic pitcher. One plate of soup was changed to jelly and one plate was changed to ice cream and so it went all round the table! The Babies shouted, “Hurrah! for the magic pitcher,” and they laughed until they cried! Then they all sat down in a circle and they told stories and one little dwarf cried, “I am so hungry to-night, ho! ho! Where did the magic spoon chance to go?” The little dwarfs all shook their heads sadly. Then what do you suppose happened? The Ink-Bottle Babies all rose and began to dance and cry, “We know who has the magic spoon, A little dwarf we met this noon!” [Illustration: “_Whirling a great spoon_”] Then all the dwarfs put on their fuzzy coats and their fuzzy caps, and they said, “Follow the leader, every one, Follow along till rise of sun!” Then the dwarfs went out of the door, two and two, and the Ink-Bottle Babies did not know what else to do, so they followed them. They ran along up hill and down dale until they came to a valley. Then their leader called, “Hark! Listen! Hark!” They looked down in a valley and they saw a little dwarf, dancing and singing. The little dwarf was whirling a great spoon in the air. He sang, “Be it morning, night or noon, No one knows I’ve the magic spoon!”