Dick, Marjorie and Fidge | Page 5

in all directions in their eagerness to do the Ambassador's bidding.
"Sit down!" he ordered, and the children sat down on the ground in front of him. There was a slight difficulty about the ink at this point, for the gnomes, not being quite strong enough to carry the inkstand, turned it over on its side to roll it forward, and of course spilled all the ink. They managed, however, to gather up some of it in their caps, and so kept the Ambassador supplied.
"Now then! Know all men by these presents," he began, writing the words down as he spake them.
"He's going to give us some presents," whispered Fidge, giving Dick a nudge. Dick shook his head reprovingly, and the little man continued--
"That whereas three children, named respectively--what did you say your name was?"
"Richard Greville Verrinder, Sir."
"Richard Greville Verrinder, and--what's your sister's name?"
[Illustration: "Dick suddenly shot up to the height of over six feet."]
"Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder."
"Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder, and----"
"Harold Ellis Verrinder," prompted Dick.
"Who's that?" inquired the Ambassador, sharply.
"My little brother," was the reply.
"You said his name was Fidge."
"Oh, yes, but that's his nickname, you know."
"I don't know anything of the sort. Now then, just keep quiet while I finish this document. There," he continued, when he had finished writing some mysterious-looking words on the paper, and had attached two enormous red seals to it--"that's your warrant for arresting the Dodo, when you have found him; and it is also an authority from the little Panjandrum for you at any time to become any size that you wish; to float through the air at will; and to live under water if necessary. So you have everything in your favor, and I shall expect the Dodo back in less than a week. Do you hear? Now I'm off."
The little man mounted his ostrich, and without saying a word more to any one, he and his followers rode off in the direction from whence they had come.
"Well, I never!" said Dick, picking up the scrawl which had fallen at his feet. "Here's a go! We've got to find that beastly old Dodo in less than a week, or be--what was it?"
"I don't know," said Marjorie, dolefully, "it was something very long, and sounded dreadful."
"But what's that he said about our being able to be any size that we wished? I'm sure I wish I was as tall as father."
"Me, too," said Fidge, emphatically.
"And I should love to float about in the air, I'm sure!" declared Marjorie.
The words were scarcely out of her mouth when she felt herself wafted gently off her feet, while at the same moment Dick, to Fidge's intense surprise, suddenly shot up to the height of over six feet, and looked so very ridiculous, that all three of them burst out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
CHAPTER III.
THE SAGE IN THE ONION FIELD.
"How absurd," laughed Dick, as he looked down from the--to him--enormous height of six feet. "What a thin, lanky-looking creature, I am, to be sure--and Fidge, too; he looks perfectly ridiculous"--for Fidge, also, was growing amazingly.
"How did it happen, Dick, dear?" asked Marjorie, in an awe-stricken voice. "It seems so funny to be up here in the air, and yet I don't feel in the least frightened, do you?"
"Of course not," said Dick, contemptuously. "Why, we just said we wished to be as tall as the Pater, you know, and it happened."
"Oh, yes; and I said I should like to float in the air. I suppose we can always do what we want to now--how lovely! Like the 'Arabian Nights,' isn't it?"
"I don't want to be thin, like a walking-stick," said Fidge, in a dissatisfied voice.
"No, it's rather horrid," said Dick. "Let's see; we said as tall as the Pater, didn't we?--not as big. I wonder if that makes any difference."
"I want to be as fat as old Mrs. Mofflet," said Fidge, mischievously.
The words were no sooner out of his mouth than he dwindled down to his usual height, and spread out in girth till he exactly resembled, in appearance, what one looks like in a concave mirror--that is, he was about twice as wide as he was high.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! That's worse than ever!" laughed the children, while little Fidge waddled about in an absurd way.
The gnomes were highly amused, and cut the most extraordinary antics in their glee.
"I think perhaps the best thing to do for the present would be to wish ourselves as we were," said Dick. "I have no doubt it wi be very useful by and by to be any size we like, but just now it's rather awkward."
"Oh, let's be little, like the gnomes," cried Marjorie. "It will be such fun."
"All right," acquiesced Dick; "here goes--I wish I were as little as the gnomes."
"So do I," cried Marjorie.
[Illustration: "He was about