S. DOASYOUWOULDBEDONEBY came too. Whereat
all the little children began dancing and clapping their hands, and Tom
danced too with all his might.

And as for the pretty lady, I cannot tell you what the colour of her
hair was, or of her eyes: no more could Tom; for, when any one looks at
her, all they can think of is, that she has the sweetest, kindest,
tenderest, funniest, merriest face they ever saw, or want to see. But
Tom saw that she was a very tall woman, as tall as her sister: but
instead of being gnarly and horny, and scaly, and prickly, like her, she
was the most nice, soft, fat, smooth, pussy, cuddly, delicious creature
who ever nursed a baby; and she understood babies thoroughly, for she
had plenty of her own, whole rows and regiments of them, and has to this
day. And all her delight was, whenever she had a spare moment, to play
with babies, in which she showed herself a woman of sense; for babies
are the best company, and the pleasantest playfellows, in the world; at
least, so all the wise people in the world think. And therefore when the
children saw her, they naturally all caught hold of her, and pulled her
till she sat down on a stone, and climbed into her lap, and clung round
her neck, and caught hold of her hands; and then they all put their
thumbs into their mouths, and began cuddling and purring like so many
kittens, as they ought to have done. While those who could get nowhere
else sat down on the sand, and cuddled her feet--for no one, you know,
wear shoes in the water, except horrid old bathing-women, who are afraid
of the water-babies pinching their horny toes. And Tom stood staring at
them; for he could not understand what it was all about.

"And who are you, you little darling?" she said.

"Oh, that is the new baby!" they all cried, pulling their thumbs out of
their mouths; "and he never had any mother," and they all put their
thumbs back again, for they did not wish to lose any time.

"Then I will be his mother, and he shall have the very best place; so
get out, all of you, this moment."

And she took up two great armfuls of babies--nine hundred under one arm,
and thirteen hundred under the other--and threw them away, right and
left, into the water. But they minded it no more than the naughty boys
in Struwwelpeter minded when St. Nicholas dipped them in his inkstand;
and did nor even take their thumbs out of their mouths, but came
paddling and wriggling back to her like so many tadpoles, till