went--following a circle of green and gold that was marked on
the trees and seemed to show him the way. He sang and shouted merrily to
keep up his spirits; it was supper-time, and the night air had made him
hungry; so he unpacked his bread and sausage and made a good meal. The
moon had risen, and threw a glimmer of light through the trees; the
lingering shades of twilight vanished. On one side of the little path
was the dark fir-wood, impenetrable in its gloom, on the other, beeches
and oaks. Little harebells, and pink centaury bordered the pathway.
There was a lovely woody smell in the late summer night, a smell of damp
earth, and fungi and flowers, or rather a combined perfume still more
subtle and indescribable.

The stillness and loneliness began to oppress our hero a little for the
first time. If he had been a town child he would have been horribly
frightened long before this; but he was as used to the silence of the
woods, as you may be to the noise and bustle of the street.

Suddenly a muffled sound broke the silence: knock, knock, knock, like
the blow of hammers when the workmen are busy at some distance. Hugo's
brave little heart began to beat; for he knew that the noise must be
made by the Kobolds at work on their anvils deep underground.

Then he was aware of footsteps behind him: tramp, tramp, tramp. Was it
his father come to fetch him home? He rather hoped that it might be so;
but when he plucked up courage to turn round, there was no one there! An
owl screeched; a bush rustled near him; he turned round sharply, and
there he saw a little old man with a huge key in his hand sitting on a
felled tree-trunk. His bright blue eyes gleamed strangely in the
moonshine, and his shaggy grey hair stood up on either side of his
red-peaked cap. He wore a jacket of green, lined with scarlet, and had
on heavy wooden shoes such as the peasants wear in some parts of
Germany. He plucked a dandelion clock that grew by the way and held it
up to the moon.

"One, two, three," up to nine the little man counted.

"Nine o'clock! Come along hurry up," said he, and he took Hugo by the
hand.

Instantly the child was able to see many things in the forest which he
had not observed before; strange fairy forms came floating by and gazed
at him with sad, sweet eyes; then a stream of laughing elves passed him
in wild frolic. Yes, once he thought that through the trees he saw the
gigantic form of the Old King himself, throned on his mo