o. As for Blackstick, she,
according to her custom, had flown out of the coach window in some
inscrutable manner, and was now standing at the palace door.

Giglio came up the steps with his horrible bride on his arm, looking
as pale as if he was going to execution. He only frowned at the Fairy
Blackstick--he was angry with her, and thought she came to insult his
misery.

'Get out of the way, pray,' says Gruffanuff haughtily. 'I wonder why you
are always poking your nose into other people's affairs?'

'Are you determined to make this poor young man unhappy?' says
Blackstick.

'To marry him, yes! What business is it of yours? Pray, madam, don't say
"you" to a Queen,' cries Gruffanuff.

'You won't take the money he offered you?'

'No.'

'You won't let him off his bargain, though you know you cheated him when
you made him sign the paper?'

'Impudence! Policemen, remove this woman!' cries Gruffanuff. And the
policemen were rushing forward, but with a wave of her wand the Fairy
struck them all like so many statues in their places.

'You won't take anything in exchange for your bond, Mrs. Gruffanuff,'
cries the Fairy, with awful severity. 'I speak for the last time.'

'No!' shrieks Gruffanuff, stamping with her foot. 'I'll have my husband,
my husband, my husband!'

'YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR HUSBAND!' the Fairy Blackstick cried; and advancing
a step, laid her hand upon the nose of the KNOCKER.

As she touched it, the brass nose seemed to elongate, the open mouth
opened still wider, and uttered a roar which made everybody start.
The eyes rolled wildly; the arms and legs uncurled themselves, writhed
about, and seemed to lengthen with each twist; the knocker expanded into
a figure in yellow livery, six feet high; the screws by which it was
fixed to the door unloosed themselves, and JENKINS GRUFFANUFF once more
trod the threshold off which he had been lifted more than twenty years
ago!

'Master's not at home,' says Jenkins, just in his old voice; and Mrs.
Jenkins, giving a dreadful YOUP, fell down in a fit, in which nobody
minded her.

For everybody was shouting, 'Huzzay! huzzay!' 'Hip, hip, hurray!' 'Long
live the King and Queen!' 'Were such things ever seen?' 'No, never,
never, never!' 'The Fairy Blackstick for ever!'

The bells were ringing double peals, the guns roaring and banging most
prodigiously. Bulbo was embracing everybody; the Lord Chancellor was
flinging up his wig and shouting like a madman; Hedzoff had