And

bratchet and mead, why, it flowed like water. then after supper, before the dance for of course there had to be a dance-when the hospitable boards had been cleared away, and the trestles skied up above the rafters to be out of the way, there was such a grand ceremony.

For the king had heard of Little Jack's exploits, and had sent the great and noble baron the castle belonged to, with orders to make 'Little Jack' one of his chief knights. And so Jack had to kneel down in the sight of all the flocks of people there, and have the big flashing sword laid on his shoulders, and rise up Sir Jack.' He wanted to be styled just plain Sir Jack o' the Gill,' as his mother had always been known as Auld Elsie at Gill: but they said it was not grand enough for such a famous knight as he was, and so his title of ceremony became Sir Jack of Ulfdale and the Crag.' But for all that the Dalesfolks seldom called him anything but the Wolf-queller or the Giant-crusher. After this ceremony was concluded, the hall having been quite made ready for dancing, and the musicians—there were more than old King Cole's 'fiddlers three' there, you may depend—having tuned up, and everything quite ready for Jack—I beg his pardon: Sir Jack— to open the ball, whom do you think he led out? Not the great baron's lady: though, like the gallant knight he was, he had to ask her first of course. Only she had said 'No; not me first, Sir Jack. I'll

dance the second dance with you.' So it wasn't the baron's lady in all her beauty and grandeur.

But it

was quite a little girl—at least, to look at. But, oh, she did look so pretty, and she was so tastefully dressed! Her dark hair was bound with a red ribbon, and she had a sort of graceful scarlet tippet over her bodice, and silken hose, and I don't know what besides except that she was far-away the prettiest girl in all those crowds. And she and Sir Jack danced together, and I don't think you ever saw such a bonny couple, nor any that danced so beautifully. And then again, when Sir Jack had done his duty-dance with the great lady, and got praised up to the skies for his graceful dancing, as well as his bravery and prowess, he soon found himself once more by the side of the 'little lass in red,' as she was called by those who did not know who she really was, and I really must not try to tell you how many dances he danced with her. She, the little sly darling, hung on his arm, and made him tell her all about his fight with the wolves, and how he slew that terrible old Grizzly, the father of the horrid brute that had served her, her own self, such a sorry trick. For, as you will have guessed long before this, she was no other than Little Red-Riding-Hood herself, who had been rescued the way I told you.

Well, after this I have no doubt you are quite prepared to hear that Sir Jack the Wolf-queller and Little Red-Riding-Hood made a match of it, and

were married in due time by no one less than the Bishop himself, 'assisted by' the chief Chaplain to the Baron.

There was no fear lest Jack should not be able to afford to keep a wife now. For, with the help of his greatly-prized Staff, he had had no trouble in discovering Greedy Grim's hoard; and he had become far the richest of all the giant-slaying Jacks yet. And he had had a grand Hall built to live in-only not so grand and strong as the Castle, of course-just where the very first Hall that ever was built in these dales was placed. And I need not say there was a special tower in it, with all necessary appliances, for the famous Staff; and some day perhaps I may be able to tell you about the wonderful eye that made the Staff so mighty and so celebrated. But all I can tell you more now, is that Sir Jack and his Lady lived very happy for many years, and that she never had another fright from a wolf; but lived on as much loved as her husband was honoured, with her family round her, all taking after their father and mother, and equally well thought of by all the country round.

G

ERHAPS, before I proceed to tell any further

PER

stories about Sir Jack the Giant-crusher's history and remarkable exploits, it may be considered that I ought to give some account of that wonderful eye which made the Staff so mighty and him so celebrated. Some of my readers, too, might be ready to question the trustworthiness of my story of Little Red-Riding-Hood's escape from the wolf's maw, and her subsequent marriage to a hero no less renowned than Sir Jack the Giant-crusher and Wolf-queller. Whether that story is authentic or not, it certainly ought to be a true history. For I can't tell you how many little girls (and boys too) I have known cry bitterly over little Miss Red's unhappy fate and cruel death, as they had heard the story; and I never knew one that did not feel quite glad to think that

the nasty old wolf so soon paid the penalty of his treacherous and brute-like gluttony.

And anyway, I think my version of the story, besides being a great deal more likely than the tale as usually told, may easily be seen to be quite reasonable, and fit to be accepted as founded on much better facts than either of the others.

To be sure, I do not expect that everybody will believe me or take my story to be the true one. There is a very nice young lady I see sometimes, who is quite a friend of mine, and who is very good to me in other things, who told me one day, when I was saying something about the fairies and their doings, 'There aren't any fairies. It is all stories together.' Of course she wouldn't believe that Little RedRiding-Hood could ever come back to life after the wolf had gobbled her up. But I wonder if that is

reasonable?

When the story is told us, we see the little girl tripping along with her neat basket of nice things, and her pretty red hood over her head; and we see the crafty old wolf come up with her, and begin to talk to her, and we seem to hear almost every word he says. And then we see him stealthily getting to the old woman's cot, and we know all that goes on there. And after that comes the little girl herself, and we almost tremble when we hear the gruff old brute, when she says 'What great teeth you've got, Grandma,' growl out so savagely, 'The better to eat