THE STRAND MAGAZINE. 
480 
So Nosey with his goose entered the garden 
and walked swiftly to a grove of chestnut 
trees near the lake, and the goose began her 
search. Suddenly she dug her bill deep 
among the grass and weeds, and plucked 
something which she brought in triumph to 
Jacob. It was a plant with blue-green leaves 
and stalks, bearing small scarlet flowers with 
a yellow heart ! Jacob recognized it at once. 
This is the very herb I found in the secret 
cupboard ! ” he cried, joyfully. 
“It is the herb Sneeze well/’ said Mimi ; 
u there are quantities of it here, so let us pick 
as much of it as we can.” 
But she advised Jacob to wait before 
making the experiment whether a good sniff 
at the flowers would change him back to his 
former self again until they should have 
returned to his rooms ; “ for," she said, “ then 
you can gather your belongings together, and 
it will be much easier to escape from the 
palace.” So they gathered a large bunch of 
Sneezewell and returned. 
Once in his rooms the dwarf locked his 
doors ; then he took the bunch of herbs in his 
hands and pressed it close to his face, inhaling 
the strong per- 
fume with deep- 
drawn breaths. 
II a ! what a 
twitching and 
creaking he felt 
all over! He 
had to sneeze 
violently ; once, 
twice, and thrice 
he sneezed, and 
with every sneeze 
the goose saw him 
grow in stature, 
saw his great nose 
shrink, his back 
and chest flatten 
out. and his neck 
show up above 
his shoulders. 
With the last 
sneeze he had 
regained his 
shape and coun- 
tenance, the only 
difference being 
that he had 
grown to the size 
he would have 
attained under 
ordinary condi- 
tions, and that 
his face had 
grown more manly, as the face of a youth 
of eighteen ought to be. 
Jacob — who was now 1 'Dwarf Nosey” no 
longer — stepped in front of a looking-glass 
and — ves, in the features of the youth he 
could easily recognize the boy of former years. 
Now his friends would be sure to know him 
and welcome him. But in gladness at this 
thought he did not forget his gratitude to 
the bird to whom he owed his transforma- 
tion. He told her he considered it his first 
duty to take her back to her father, who lived 
on the island of Gothland, in the Baltic Sea. 
He gathered all his hoarded wealth together, 
and, after throwing a cloak over his shoulders, 
he tucked the goose under one arm and boldly 
walked out of his room. Unchallenged he 
passed through inner and outer courts, and 
right but of the great gateway ! 
He was free to go where he would, and that 
was down to the harbour, where many vessels 
were lying ready to put to sea. On one of 
these he took 
passage for him- 
s e 1 f and his 
goose to Goth- 
land, where they 
arrived in due 
course and 
found the old 
magician, W et- 
terbock, mourn- 
ing the loss of his 
daughter. 
When Jacob 
had told his story 
and the goose, 
flapping her white 
wings, waddled 
up to her father, 
he had only to 
wave his wand 
three times over 
her head to see 
his daughter 
restored to him 
in all her former 
loveliness. Great 
rejoicing now 
reigned in the 
palace of Wetter- 
bock, and Jacob 
was so richly re- 
warded with gold 
and precious 
stones that he 
had enough 
wealth to last him 
all his life. 
“HE HAD ONLY TO WAVE HIS WAND THREE TIMES OVER 
HER HEAD TO SEE HIS DAUGHTER RESTORED TO HIM IN 
All- HER FORMER LOVE LIN ESS.” 
