ought,
ready to bung up our whole gracious kingdom in a mouse-hole, had'st thou
thy will? Eh, Master Nicholas?"

'Ah, don't be too hard now! Recollect what your king did to my father,
and all that I have suffered for the last six months. Look at me! Hasn't
Gossip Crookleg stripped me of money, field, and house?'

Again the dwarfs laughed.

'Ha, Klaus!' said the speaker, "Tell us, now, wouldn't you like to see
all that went out at the doors fly in again, ere to-morrow, at the
windows?"

'Only tell me,' said Klaus quickly, 'how to fill my bags again, and I
invite you all, every man Jack of you, to the wedding. There's nothing
like shaking hands and being friends again. Forget and forgive, say I!'

'And Annie dances with us?' interposed the Dwarf with eagerness,
swinging a pair of newly-made shoes at the same time so impetuously that
they slipped out of his hand, and dropped just into the young boor's
lap.

'Hollo! I didn't say that!' cried Klaus. 'I'll turn that over in my
mind, and give you an answer in the morning.'

A marvellous kind of whining interrupted the discourse. The innumerable
band of dwarfs pulled the drollest faces, folded their handikins, and
made the most lamentable gesticulations; but the speaker slid like a
spider, upon one of the threads which canopied over the cart, down into
Klaus's lap; thence he clambered up his jacket, and mounted until he
reached the youngster's hand--'Give me the shoes!' he exclaimed
maliciously, snatching and catching at the lost property.

"'Not so, not so, dear cousin Broadcap. This bit of workmanship will I
hoard up against my marriage, when I promise to put them on you myself,
if you will visit me.'

"'No, no, no--give me the shoes!' said the Dwarf fiercely, stamping with
both feet, and lifting his manikin fists in menace against Klaus. 'I
must and will have the shoes!'

"The remaining dwarfs again set up their sorrowful whine; and then Klaus
became aware that an accident had happened which, with prudence, might
be turned to great account.

"'Now, fine fellows, listen to me!' said he. 'The shoes you don't have
back. But if you will promise to set me to rights again with your king
and people, and to give me only the neediest livelihood, then are you
welcome to my wedding, to eat and dance as much as you like.

"'Well, Klaus!' answered the Dwarf, 'I see thou hast the best of us; and
we have no time to spend in disputation. In thirteen hours from this, we
must