Dick, Marjorie and Fidge | Page 6

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 twice as wide as he was high."]
"Me, too!" cried Fidge.
To their great surprise, nothing happened. They waited a moment or
two, staring at each other expectantly, and then Marjorie cried in a
troubled voice--
"Oh, dear! I don't believe it's going to work, and we shall have to stay
like this forever."
"What nonsense!" cried Dick.
"I say! I want to be as small as the gnomes," he shouted.
There was no result, however, and the children remained as they were.
"Oh! I know," he cried; "I ought to have the paper that the Ambassador
gave me in my hand. Where is it?"
There was a great whispering amongst the gnomes, and at last one of
them shouted out--
"We've taken it away."
"What for?" demanded Dick. "It was given to us; you had better give it
up at once. What do you mean by it?"

There was another whispered consultation, and then one of the gnomes
said, "Let them have it for now," and the paper was put down upon the
ground at Dick's feet.
Dick stooped down and picked it up, and immediately the children
began to dwindle down till they became as small as the little people
themselves.
They had no sooner done so than the paper which the Ambassador had
given them was suddenly snatched from Dick's hand and a number of
the gnomes surrounded them, dancing about, turning somersaults,
playing leap-frog, and capering about in the maddest way.
"Well, you've done it now," said one of them, tauntingly.
"What do you mean?" inquired Dick.
"Why, we've got the paper, and you can't grow any bigger until we
allow you to."
"What a mean trick!" cried Dick, in disgust.
"Well, we don't think it at all fair," said the gnomes, "that you should
be able to grow any size that you want to, while we have to keep little,
so we are going to keep you here for a little while, and teach you to
believe in fairies, do you see?"
"But we've got to find the Dodo in a week," expostulated Dick, "and if
you keep us here, however are we to do that?"
"Oh, please give us the paper back," begged Marjorie. "I'm sure the
Pater will be so vexed if we never grow any bigger than this any more."
And she began to cry a little.
You see, such a lot of very unusual things had happened that she was a
little excited and nervous.
"Well, we'll think about it," said the gnomes, running away and hiding
among the rocks.

"Don't cry, Marjorie," said Dick, bravely, though he too felt a little
anxious himself; for, you see, eleven inches is not very tall for any one
to be, and he didn't care to admit what would happen if he went back to
school in his present state.
"Chappel Minor has always been cheeky," he thought, "and so have
Martin and Foster, and if I keep this size they will think they can do
just as they like with me, and probably will turn me out of the cricket
eleven, while that little wretch of a Castleton is sure to sneak all my
pencils--he does now when he gets a chance." However, he kept these
doleful thoughts to himself, and devoted himself to the task of
consoling his sister and Fidge, and had soon talked them into such a
cheerful frame of mind, that they really began to think that it was rather
an advantage than otherwise to have lost the paper.
"For one thing, we shall not have to hunt for that old Dodo," argued
Dick, "because even the Grand Panjandrum himself, whoever he may
be, could not expect us to go far away while we remain