Tom is Punished

Chapter 10

By and by, Tom grew so fond of the sea-bullseyes and sea-lollipops that his foolish little head could think of nothing else. He was always longing for more, and wondering when the strange lady would come again and give him some. What she would give him, and how much, and whether she would give him more than the others. And he thought of nothing but lollipops by day, and dreamt of nothing else by night.
He began to watch the lady in order to see where she kept the sweet things. He began hiding, and sneaking, and following her about, and pretending to be looking the other way, or going after something else, till he found out that she kept them in a beautiful mother-of-pearl cabinet away in a deep crack of the rocks.
He longed to go to the cabinet. Yet he was afraid. Then he longed again, and was less afraid. At last, by continual thinking about it, he longed so violently that he was not afraid at all. And one night, when all the other children were asleep, and he could not sleep for thinking of lollipops, he crept away among the rocks, and got to the cabinet. Behold! it was open.
But, when he saw all the nice things inside, instead of being delighted, he was quite frightened, and wished he had never come there. Then he would only touch them, and he did. Then he would only taste one, and he did; and then he would only eat one, and he did; and then he would only eat two, and then three, and so on. Then he was terrified lest she should come and catch him, and began gobbling them down so fast that he did not taste them, or have any pleasure in them. Then he felt sick, and would have only one more. Then only one more again and so on till he had eaten them all up.
And all the while, close behind him, stood Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid.
She took off her spectacles, because she did not like to see too much, and her eyes filled with great big tears, but all she said was:
“Ah, you poor little dear! You are just like all the rest.” But she said it to herself, and Tom neither heard nor saw her.
But what did the strange fairy do when she saw all her lollipops eaten?
She just said nothing at all about the matter, not even when Tom came next day with the rest for sweet things. He was horribly afraid of coming. But he was still more afraid of staying away, lest anyone should suspect him. He was dreadfully afraid, too, lest there should be no sweets—as was to be expected, he having eaten them all-and lest then the fairy should inquire who had taken them. But behold! She pulled out just as many as ever, which astonished Tom, and frightened him still more.
And, when the fairy looked him full in the face, he shook from head to foot. However, she gave him his share like the rest, and he thought within himself that she could not have found him out.
But, when he put the sweets into his mouth, he hated the taste of them. They made him so sick that he had to get away as fast as he could. Terri­bly sick he was, and very cross and unhappy, all the week after.
Then, when next week came, he had his share again. Again the fairy looked him full in the face but more sadly than she had ever looked. And he could not bear the sweets but took them again in spite of himself.
When Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby came, he wanted to be cuddled like the rest; but she said very seriously:
“I should like to cuddle you but you cannot. You are so horny and prickly.”

And Tom looked at himself. He had all over prickles, just like a sea-hedgehog.
It was quite natural, for you must know and believe that people’s souls make their bodies just as a snail makes its shell. Therefore, when Tom’s soul grew all prickly with naughty tempers, his body could not help growing prickly too so that nobody might cuddle him or play with him or even like to look at him.
What could Tom do now but go away and hide in a corner and cry? Nobody would play with him He knew it well.
He was so miserable all that week that when the ugly fairy came and looked at him once more full in the face, more seriously and sadly than ever, he could stand it no longer, and thrust the sweetmeats away, saying, “No, I don’t want any. I can’t bear them now.” Then he burst out crying, poor little man, and told Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid every word as it happened.
He was horribly frightened when he had done so, for he expected her to punish him very severely. But, instead, she only took him up and kissed him.
“I will forgive you, little man,” she said, “I always forgive everyone the moment he tells me the truth of his own accord.”
“Then you will take away all these nasty prickles?” “That is a very different matter. You put them there yourself, and only you can take them away.”
“But how can I do that?” asked Tom, crying afresh. “Well. I think it is time for you to go to school; so I shall fetch you a schoolmistress, who will teach you how to get rid of your prickles.” And so she went away.
Tom was frightened at the notion of a schoolmistress, for he thought she would certainly come with a birch-rod or a cane. But he comforted himself, at last, with thinking that she might be something like the old woman in Vendale—which she was not in the least. When the fairy brought her, she was the most beautiful little girl that ever was seen, with long curls floating behind her like a golden cloud, and long robes floating all round her like a silver one.
“There he is,” said the fairy, “and you must teach him to be good, whether you like or not.”
“I know,” said the little girl. But she did not seem. quite to like, for she put her finger in her mouth, and looked at Tom under her brows. Tom put his finger in his mouth, and looked at her under his brows, for he was horribly ashamed of himself.
The little girl seemed hardly to know how to begin. Perhaps she would never have begun at all if poor Tom had not burst out crying, and begged her to teach him to be good and help him to cure his prickles. At that she grew so tender-hearted that she began teaching him as prettily as every child was taught in the world.
And what did the little girl teach Tom? She taught him, first, what you have been taught ever since you said your first prayers at your mother’s knees.
She taught Tom every day in the week; only on Sundays she always went away home, and the kind fairy took her place. And before she had taught Tom many Sundays, his prickles had vanished quite away, and his skin was smooth and clean again.
“Dear me!” said the little girl, “why, I know you now. You are the very same little chimney-sweep who came into my bedroom.”
“Dear me!” cried Tom “And I know you, too, now You are the very little white lady whom I saw in bed.” And he jumped at her, and longed to hug and kiss her; but did not, remembering that she was a lady born. So he only jumped round and round her till he was quite tired.

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