motives; regardless also of the self-evident fact that we excel them so far in mental ability as they excel us in stature, they look upon us as a degraded race and make a mockery of all our finer feelings. But, the time has almost arrived when—thanks to His Majesty’s inventive genius—it will be in our power to take a thorough revenge upon them once for all, in respect of their unfriendly behaviour.”
“May it please Your Majesty—” cried a voice close by the door, which Curdie recognized as that of the goblin he had followed.
“Who is he that interrupts the Chancellor?” cried another from near the throne.
“Glump,” answered several voices.
“He is our trusty subject,” said the king himself, in a slow and stately voice: “let him come forward and speak.”
A lane was parted through the crowd, and Glump, having ascended the platform and bowed to the king, spoke as follows:
“Sire, I would have held my peace, had I not known that I only knew how near was the moment, to which the Chancellor had just referred.
“In all probability, before another day is past, the enemy will have broken through into my house—the partition between being even now not more than a foot in thickness.”
“Not quite so much,” thought Curdie to himself.
“This very evening I have had to remove my household effects; therefore the sooner we are ready to carry out the plan, for the execution of which His Majesty has been making such magnificent preparations, the better. I may just add, that within the last few days I have perceived a small outbreak in my dining-room, which, combined with observations