Dick, Marjorie and Fidge | Page 4

admit that he believed in them?"
"Well, I suppose so," said Dick, grudgingly; "but I----"
"But you imagine yourself to be cleverer than Shakespeare."
"Ha--ha--ha!" laughed a chorus of little people, derisively.
"Look here! I'll tell you what it is," said the first speaker, "you have evidently been taught by some of those wise old know-nothings, who have succeeded in making you as clever as themselves, and it is our intention to show you how ignorant you all are. I think you will believe in fairies before we have done with you. Now, we are gnomes, and have just completed a subterranean passage between here and the land of the little Panjandrum."
[Illustration: "Four extraordinary figures came in sight."]
The word little was spoken so softly as to be quite indistinct. "The what!" cried Dick.
"Sh! the little Panjandrum," said the gnome, speaking the word almost inaudibly.
"What do you say it like that for?" asked the children.
"Well, you see, his Magnificence and Serene Importance is somewhat sensitive on the subject; there is the GRAND Panjandrum, you know."
"Oh, I see," said Dick, "and the other chap doesn't like to take a back seat, that's it, is it? Well, who is the Little Panjandrum, anyhow?"
"Sh! sh!" cried the gnomes, looking about them nervously. "You really mustn't say little as loudly as that. Supposing any one heard you?"
"Well, what if they did?" asked Dick.
"O! His Serene Importance would be terribly angry, and perhaps would----"
What the conclusion of the sentence was to have been the children never knew, for at that moment there was a loud clattering noise in the passage leading from the cave, and a moment afterwards four extraordinary figures came in sight.
They were mounted upon ostriches, and one of them, more richly caparisoned than the others, had a kind of canopy attached to his trappings, beneath which sat a stern-faced little man with an elaborate turban and head-dress. He wore also a very curious collar, from which depended a large gold ornament of curious design. He carried in one hand a long pipe, and with the other guided his strange steed.
[Illustration: "What do you know about the Dodo?"]
The others of the party, who were evidently his attendants, each carried a banner emblazoned with mysterious signs and characters.
The silver bells attached to the head of the ostrich, and on the top of the canopy over the grandee, tinkled merrily as he came forward.
"In the name of the little Panjandrum," he shouted, in a loud voice, and immediately all the gnomes bowed respectfully almost down to the ground.
"His Serene Importance and Most Magnificent Greatness is grievously distressed."
The gnomes all brought forth little pocket-handkerchiefs, and began to cry.
"The Dodo presented to His Worshipful Gorgeousness by the Grand Panjandrum himself has escaped!"
The gnomes all threw up their hands in dismay.
"Why, we saw it," cried Marjorie, excitedly. "Didn't we, Dick?"
The little man on the ostrich turned around sharply, and after staring at the children for a moment, shouted--
"Who are you?"
"I am Dick Verrinder, sir, and this is my sister Marjorie, and our little brother Fidge," said Dick politely. "We are spending our summer holiday at Mrs. Lawrence's cottage on the other side of the cliff. The tide rose very high this morning, and we----"
"Don't tell me all that nonsense. What do you know about the Dodo?" said the little man, impatiently.
"Why, we met it floating about on a chair, and it told us that it was going to the Equator to meet a--a--er--a----"
"Well?"
"It was something with a very long name," stammered Dick; "I can't quite remember what."
"Look here," said the little man, bending forward excitedly, "that story won't do for me. I am the Ambassador Extraordinary of his Magnificence the little Panjandrum, and you tell me that you have seen the Dodo; that is enough. Now then! Where is it? It's no use telling me that it has gone off to keep an appointment with something with a long name. I say, where is the bird? If you don't instantly produce that Dodo I shall take you before the Court of Inquisitives, and let them deal with you."
"But I tell you," began Dick, while Marjorie clung to his arm in affright, and Fidge scowled angrily at hearing his idolized big brother spoken to in this peremptory manner, "I tell you that we only saw it for a----"
"That's quite enough. Don't argue the point. I shall give you one week from now, and if at the end of that time you do not appear at the Palace of the little Panjandrum with the Dodo, I shall apply to the Grand Panjandrum himself to have you subtransexdistricated, so there!"
"But----"
"Not another word. Ink! Paper! Pens!" he commanded, getting off his ostrich and squatting down before a flat stone, while the little gnomes ran hither and thither, getting in each other's way, and tripping and stumbling about