But just as Tom should have alighted in the courtyard of the palace,
the cook happened to pass along with the king's great bowl of
furmenty (King Arthur loved furmenty), and poor Tom Thumb fell plump
into the middle of it, and splashed the hot furmenty into the cook's
eyes. Down went the bowl.
"Oh dear! oh dear!" cried Tom.
"Murder! murder!" bellowed the cook; and away poured the king's nice
furmenty into the kennel.
The cook was a red-faced, cross fellow, and swore to the king that Tom
had done it out of mere mischief; so he was taken up, tried, and
sentenced to be beheaded. Tom hearing this dreadful sentence, and
seeing a miller stand by with his mouth wide open, he took a good
spring, and jumped down the miller's throat, unperceived by all, even
by the miller himself.
Tom being lost, the court broke up, and away went the miller to his
mill. But Tom did not leave him long at rest: he began to roll and
tumble about, so that the miller thought himself bewitched, and sent
for a doctor. When the doctor came, Tom began to dance and sing; the
doctor was as much frightened as the miller, and sent in great haste
for five more doctors and twenty learned men. While all these were
debating upon the affair, the miller (for they were very tedious)
happened to yawn, and Tom, taking the opportunity, made another jump,
and alighted on his feet in the middle of the table.
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