distance in front of the
lady-minus-a-head, and formed itself into a semicircle, with the Queen
in the centre. Then the crowd at the brook were seen approaching, and on
the shoulders of the multitude was borne a head. They hurried as fast as
their heavy load would permit, until they came to the tree under which
sat the headless Nerralina, who, bed and all, had fallen here, when the
Giant tore down the tower. Then quickly attaching a long rope (that they
had put over a branch directly above the lady) to the hair of the head,
they all took hold of the other end, and, pulling with a will, soon
hoisted the head up until it hung at some distance above the neck to
which it had previously belonged. Now they began to lower it slowly, and
the Queen stood up with her wand raised ready to utter the magic word
which should unite the parts when they touched. A deep silence spread
over the plain, and even the lady seemed conscious that something was
about to happen, for she stood up and remained perfectly still.

There was but one person there who did not feel pleasure at the
approaching event, and that was a dwarf about a foot high, very ugly and
wicked, who, by some means or other, had got into this goodly company,
and who was now seated in a crotch of the tree, very close to the rope
by which the crowd was lowering the lady's head. No one perceived him,
for he was very much the color of the tree, and there he sat alone,
quivering with spite and malice.

[Illustration]

At the moment the head touched the ivory neck, the Queen, uttering the
magic word, dropped the end of the wand, and immediately the head
adhered as firmly as of old.

But a wild shout of horror rang through all the plain! For, at the
critical moment, the dwarf had reached out his hand, and twisted the
rope, so that when the head was joined, it was wrong side foremost--face
back!

Just then the little villain stuck his head out from behind the branch,
and, giving a loud and mocking laugh of triumph, dropped from the tree.
With a yell of anger the whole crowd, Queen, courtiers, common people,
and all, set off in a mad chase after the dwarf, who fled like a stag
before the hounds.

All were gone but little Ting-a-ling, and when he saw the dreadful
distress of poor Nerralina, who jumped up, and twisted around, and ran
backward both ways, screaming for help, he stopped not a minute, but ran
to where he had left the Giant, and told him, as fast as his breathing
w