Alice and Serena returned to the castle to find that there was still one Lost Boy remaining in the main room, while Mrs Grimble was taking down decorations.

“Was one of the other guests not hungry enough?” asked Alice.

“He’s my own Lost Boy actually,” said Mrs Grimble.

“But you haven’t eaten him yet, Mother. It’s not like you. Have you taken ill?” asked Serena, concerned.

“Not in body,” said Mrs Grimble, “But perhaps in mind or heart. I’ve begun to wonder this evening, why I even thought of putting on this function, when I could, in time, have eaten all of the Lost Boys myself.”

“And you haven’t even eaten one of them,” said Serena, “What’s on your mind, Mother?”

The Lost Boy, named Bartholomew, looked on in suspense as the ladies continued to talk. In a way, he was still very much the subject of the conversation.

“I’ve eaten so many boys, that it doesn’t always seem such a special treat,” said Mrs Grimble, “But for the first time in my life, I think I’ve fallen in love with one of them.”

The lost boy listened with joy, as he had not failed to notice Mrs Grimble’s great beauty.

“Really Mother! That’s wonderful!” said Serena.

“I didn’t realise it straight away,” said Mrs Grimble, “But now I can’t deny it to myself any longer.”

“I am the luckiest of all the Lost Boys!” thought Bartholomew, hoping she would waste no time in kissing him.

“Spuriouser and spuriouser. What makes him so special?” asked Alice, not quite ready to believe her ears, after all the gobbling she had witnessed earlier that evening.

“I guess I’ve been missing Jack ever since he got away,” said Mrs Grimble, to the immediate dismay of Bartholomew, “At first I thought I was just disappointed that he’d escaped my attempt to eat him. Then I realised that there was a stronger more overriding feeling … one of great romantic love.”

“Where did he come from?” asked Alice.

“From a beanstalk which leads from a world of small people into a cloud just near the edge of my back garden,” said Mrs Grimble, “I’m far too big for it to support my weight, and I can’t even see down through the clouds, but that’s where Jack came from. He fled back down there, declaring his love for me once more with his parting words, and hinting that he might be back. How I wish I hadn’t frightened him away.”

Alice was astounded. There was another way into Brobdingnag. (She was not aware of the third way, which only Gary Gulliver had discovered: through the Swift Mist at sea).

“As you only eat boys, and I can now control what I’m about to do anyway,” said Alice, shrinking down to her normal size, “I see no harm in telling you how I may be able to help you. I have the power to change my size to Jack’s or yours at will. I could climb down that beanstalk and find Jack and convey a message of your new feelings for him.”

Having concluded her shrinking demonstration, Alice grew to giant size again.

“Oh thank you. I would be most grateful,” said Mrs Grimble, and hugged Alice, “Now I think I’ll enjoy my little Lost Boy after all!”

Bartholomew listened to them talking, taking in the fact that Mrs Grimble was planning to give her affection to another would-be meal who had once escaped her, rather than to him, and the boy bursts into tears.

“There now, don’t be quite so frightened,” said Mrs Grimble, turning to look down at the boy on the table, “I’m always very delicate with my delicacies.”