But she took Tom in her arms , and laid him in the softest place of all , and kissed him , and patted him , and talked to him , tenderly and low , such things as he had never heard before in his life ; and Tom looked up into her eyes , and loved her , and loved , till he fell fast asleep from pure love . And when he woke she was telling the children a story . And what story did she tell them ? One story she told them , which begins every Christmas Eve , and yet never ends at all for ever and ever ; and , as she went on , the children took their thumbs out of their mouths and listened quite seriously ; but not sadly at all ; for she never told them anything sad ; and Tom listened too , and never grew tired of listening . And he listened so long that he fell fast asleep again , and , when he woke , the lady was nursing him still . `` Do n't go away , '' said little Tom . `` This is so nice . I never had any one to cuddle me before . '' `` Do n't go away , '' said all the children ; `` you have not sung us one song . '' `` Well , I have time for only one . So what shall it be ? '' `` The doll you lost ! The doll you lost ! '' cried all the babies at once . So the strange fairy sang : - I once had a sweet little doll , dears , The prettiest doll in the world ; Her cheeks were so red and so white , dears , And her hair was so charmingly curled . But I lost my poor little doll , dears , As I played in the heath one day ; And I cried for her more than a week , dears , But I never could find where she lay . I found my poor little doll , dears , As I played in the heath one day : Folks say she is terribly changed , dears , For her paint is all washed away , And her arm trodden off by the cows , dears , And her hair not the least bit curled : Yet , for old sakes ' sake she is still , dears , The prettiest doll in the world . What a silly song for a fairy to sing ! And what silly water-babies to be quite delighted at it ! Well , but you see they have not the advantage of Aunt Agitate 's Arguments in the sea-land down below .
`` Now , '' said the fairy to Tom , `` will you be a good boy for my XXXXX , and torment no more sea-beasts till I come back ? ''
Folks arms babies fairy lady love mouths paint sake story