the other. "I do wish Colons were more
used; it would at least give me a rest and use up some of you
Full-stops for a change."

Martin was just going to sympathise with the poor little overworked
Comma-fish, when the storm of voices he had left behind suddenly
managed to overtake him; and there they were once more, buzzing round
his head and shrieking in his ears, until he was almost deafened by the
noise; while dozens of invisible hands were lifting him from the ground
and carrying him along at a terrific pace.

"He has spoken, he has spoken!" the voices were shouting triumphantly,
as they bore him along. "He is ours to make conversation of!"

Then they took him into a magnificent glittering palace, made of glass
of a thousand colours; and invisible voices told him it was all his and
he should be king over it, if he would only make conversation for them.
It was the most beautiful palace a king could possibly have wished for;
and even the Prime Minister's son was dazzled by it for the moment.
There was everything in it that a boy could want; if he pulled a golden
cord, down fell a shower of chocolate creams; if he went to the
strawberry ice room, there was a wooden spade for him to dig it out
with, and a wheelbarrow in which to bring it away; if he wanted a
present, he had only to turn on the present-tap and out came whatever
he wished for. So he immediately wished for a six-bladed knife, a real
pony, and a gold watch. For all that, he was not a bit happy. The
incessant talking around him never ceased for a moment; the air seemed
packed with people whom he never saw, but who asked him innumerable
questions which he never attempted to answer. Besides this, all the
furniture talked as well. When he opened the door it made remarks
about the way he did it, which were not at all polite. If he sat on
the arm of a chair, it pointed out to him in a hurt tone that chairs
were not intended to be used in that way. When he cut his name on the
mahogany dining-table, it shouted abuse at him until he had to paint
over the letters to appease it. The windows chatted pleasantly about
the weather when the wind blew, instead of rattling; and the fires
gossiped when they were lighted, instead of crackling and smoking. He
gave up riding his pony after it had told him the history of its
childhood for the fifteenth time; and when he found that his gold watch
was always telling stories instead of telling the time he had to get
rid