little red men were a wee
bit cross; but they said they supposed it could not be helped; so,
though they yawned, they brought the Castle all right, and Jack was
allowed to take his horse and go to the palace of the King of all the
Mice in the World. But here the same thing happened, and the little red
men tumbled out of the golden snuff-box in a real rage, and said fellows
might as well have no sleep at all! However, they did as they were
bidden; they brought the Castle of the golden pillars from the palace of
the King of the Frogs to the palace of the King of the Birds, and Jack
was allowed to take his own horse and ride home.

[Illustration: They brought the Castle of the golden pillars]

But the year and a day which he had been allowed was almost gone, and
even his gay young wife, after almost weeping her eyes out after her
handsome young husband, had given up Jack for lost; so every one was
astounded to see him, and not over-pleased either to see him come
without his Castle. Indeed his father-in-law swore with many oaths that
if it were not in its proper place by eight o'clock next morning Jack's
life should be forfeit.

Now this, of course, was exactly what Jack had wanted and intended from
the beginning; because when death was nigh he could open the golden
snuff-box and order about the little red men. But he had opened it so
often of late and they had become so cross that he was in a stew what to
do; whether to give them time to show their temper, or to hustle them
out of it. At last he decided to do half and half. So just as the hands
of the clock were at five minutes to eight he opened the box, and
stopped his ears!

Well! you never heard such a yawning, and scolding, and threatening, and
blustering. What did he mean by it? Why should he take four bites at one
cherry? If he was always in fear of death why didn't he die and have
done with it?

In the midst of all this the tower clock began to whirr--

"Gentlemen!" says Jack--he was really quaking with fear--"do as you are
told."

"For the last time," they shrieked. "We won't stay and serve a master
who thinks he is going to die every day."

And with that they flew out of the window.

_AND THEY NEVER CAME BACK._

The golden snuff-box remained empty for evermore.

But when Jack looked out of window there was the Castle in the middle of
the lake on its twelve golden pillars, and there was his young wife ever
so pretty and gay in he