grew as black and as mad in their gambols as ever! Their favourite games seemed to be “Hide and Seek;” “Touch and Go;” “Grin and Vanish;” and many other such; and all in the king’s bedchamber, too; so that it was quite alarming. It was almost as bad as if the house had been haunted by certain creatures which shall be nameless in a fairy story, because with them Fairyland will not willingly have much to do.
“But it is a mercy that they have their slippers on!” said the king to himself; for his head ached.
As he lay back, with his eyes half shut and half open, too tired to pay longer attention to their games, but, on the whole, considerably more amused than offended with the liberties they took, for they seemed good-natured creatures, and more frolicsome than positively ill-mannered, he became suddenly aware that two of them had stepped forward from the walls, upon which, after the manner of great spiders, most of them preferred sprawling, and now stood in the middle of the floor at the foot of his majesty’s bed, becking and bowing and ducking in the most grotesquely obsequious manner; while every now and then they turned solemnly round upon one heel, evidently considering that motion the highest token of homage they could show.
“What do you want?” said the king.
“That it may please your majesty to be better acquainted with us,” answered they. “We are your majesty’s subjects.”
“I know you are. I shall be most happy,” answered the king.
“We are not what your majesty takes us for, though. We are not so foolish as your majesty thinks us.”
“It is impossible to take you for anything that I know of,” rejoined the king, who wished to make them talk, and said whatever came