THUMBKIN
A FINNISH TALE
Once upon a time there was a peasant who had three sons--Peter, Paul, and John. Peter was big, red-cheeked, and stupid; and Paul was thin, sallow, and envious; whilst John was brimful of fun and as fair as a woman, but such a tiny fellow that he could easily have hidden himself in his father's big boots; so he was nick-named Thumbkin.

It is a curious fact that all our fairy tales have their origin in the East. Any one may be convicted of this fact, which is a well-established one, by reading the learned commentary of Pancha Zantra, a work which does much honor to the erudition and acumen of Herr Benfey.

THE GOOD WOMAN/A NORWEGIAN STORY/
Being unable to sleep the other night, I took up Montaigne, who is my usual companion on wakeful nights, and the only moralist that one reads with pleasure when past forty. Opening the Essays at random, for every page is interesting and full of food for thought, I chanced to light upon a chapter headed "Concerning Three Good Women."