Once upon a time there were two little children who had lost their parents.
They lived in a big house with their uncle.
Now the uncle knew that when these two babes grew up they would be very rich.
“If only I could get rid of them, that money would be mine,” thought the wicked man.
One day he sent for two robbers and told them to take the children away and kill them.
To do this he paid the men a lot of money.
The robbers found the two children playing in the garden.
They lifted one onto each of their horses.
“Are we going for a ride? How lovely!” cried the little boy, whose name was Thomas. “Hold tight, Jane,” he laughed to his sister.
Jane and Thomas thought the robbers looked very gay, with their colourful and feathered hats.
Now one of the robbers was a kind man, though he was a thief. He persuaded the other robber not to kill the babes, but to leave them in the wood.
“We’ll just steal their uncle’s money and leave it at that,” said the robber. “I’m not a man to harm innocent babes.”
The other agreed, and lifting the children down, they galloped off and left them in the wood.
At first Thomas and Jane were rather disappointed that their ride was over.
However, they had been quite far, and soon settled down to eat blackberries, which they shared with the birds. They played hide and seek and Thomas climbed the trees.
When they were tired, they decided they had better go home. “I hope I can remember the way back,” said Thomas.
They wandered about for some time, first down one little path, then another.
After a bit Jane became frightened.
“We are lost, Thomas,” she said.
“Don’t cry, Jane,” said Thomas bravely. “I don’t mind if I sleep in the woods. Hold my hand tight, I won’t leave you.” Jane felt better. Holding tightly to her brother’s hand, she followed him through the trees, where the birds watched the children as they wandered through the woods.
The tiny wood and bramble fairies, who lived in those parts, watched them too. “I haven’t seen those children here before,” said one. “I think they are lost,” said another. “We will have to look after them,” agreed the fairies. “Shall we tickle their noses and make them laugh?” asked a merry fairy fellow, who was swinging on a bramble. “No, you fairy fool!” said the others. “They are tired. We must find them a bed.” So the fairies flew ahead, until they came to a big tree, whose great roots were covered in soft moss. “This will make a fine bed,” they said. They moved any stone and brushed up the moss, and just as they had finished, they heard the children coming. Quickly, the bramble fairies, who were very shy, flew away. “Look, Jane!” said Thomas. “Let us lie down under the tree. I am too tired to walk any more.” “Yes,” murmured Jane. She sat down and curled up against the mossy roots. “Good night, Thomas.” Her head nodded drowsily. Thomas lay down beside Jane and they snuggled into each other’s arms. It was not too cold and their bed in the woods was quite cosy and comfortable.
As soon as the children’s eyes were closed, some little birds flew down from the trees. “It will be colder soon,” said a robin, “we must cover these children up.”
The other birds, who had flown down, chirped in agreement.
Off flew the birds and soon each returned with a big autumn leaf, which they laid on the children. More and more birds joined them, and it was not long before Jane and Thomas were warmly tucked up in a beautiful coverlet of red, gold and green leaves.
How pretty it looked, like the most lovely patchwork quilt in the world.
Two fairies, who lived in the roots of the tree, came out to see what the birds were doing.
“Poor little children,” they said, “who will look after them when they wake up?” And one fairy flew away to tell the Fairy Queen.
When the Fairy Queen heard about the poor babes, all alone in the wood, she came straight to where they slept.
With a wave of her hand, she gave them the most beautiful dreams, and they smiled happily in their sleep.
When they woke up, at first peep of dawn, the Fairy Queen was at their side. Taking Thomas by the hand, and carrying little Jane, she took them to visit her fairy banquet and watched a fairy ball.
After two days at the fairy palace the Queen took them back from Fairyland.
She took them to a lovely house where lived a kind young Knight, called Sir James, and his pretty wife. These good people were very sad because they had no children of their own.
The Fairy Queen sent the lady a lovely dream, that she would find two little children in her garden. These children would be here for ever.
When she awoke the lady ran out; and there in her garden she found Jane and Thomas, wandering among the roses, happily smelling the flowers.
The lady kissed the children, then took them in and gave them breakfast.
She and her husband tried to find where the children came from. However, the children’s uncle had completely disappeared.
The Fairy Queen, angry at his wickedness, had turned him into a big stone as hard as his heart.
As for the robbers, the kind one came back to look for the babes.
When he could not find them, he felt very guilty. He was afraid something dreadful must have happened to them.
“I’ll never steal again,” he said. And he meant it.
So he took a job as a gamekeeper. He and his wife lived in a little cottage near the woods.
The Knight he worked for was the very same Sir James who had adopted Thomas and Jane.
When the kind robber saw the children riding out on their little ponies, with Sir James, his joy and relief knew no bounds.
After that he worked harder than ever, and even taught Thomas a lot about wild animals and birds.
As for the other robbers, he got knocked on the head by a constable when he was stealing. And that served him right.
Sir James looked after the children’s fortune for them and kept it until they were grown up.
So Jane and Thomas lived very happily in their new home with Sir James and his lady.
Their garden was always full of birds, who sang and built their nests there.
But though the children tried very hard, they never saw anything more of the fairies.
