nus Mountains. The dwarf went up to the rock, key in hand, and
searched about until he had found a secret door. Then he fitted the key
into the lock and turned it, then tugged and tugged to open the door.
Suddenly it swung open, creaking noisily, and the dwarf lay on his back.
Up he got grumbling and scolding. "They ought to have oiled the hinges,
the lazy louts," he said.

As the door opened, Hugo saw a long corridor before him, lit by stars of
light, and countless mirrors reflected the stars in every direction. The
effect was rather too dazzling after the dark night, and Hugo's eyes
blinked. Down, down, down, the corridor gradually descended and seemed
never-ending. "However shall I get out again?" thought Hugo anxiously.
He did not know you see that there are many ways out of magic land.

At last they came to another door, made of crystal glass, and entered a
large hall with a sparkling roof of rock crystal. In the centre was a
fountain, a more wonderful creation fairyland does not contain. Hugo
held his breath for fear of saying "Oh!" again. Strange gnomes and
fairies seemed to be alive in it, and the element it contained, was not
water, but fire. The most marvellous display of fireworks that you have
ever seen, would be nothing in comparison.

Sometimes it illustrated well-known fairy tales: Snowdrop in her glass
coffin, Cinderella trying on the shoe and so on. Hugo could have watched
it for ages, and left it reluctantly, looking back all the time. Then
they passed through an arched doorway, and a new scene met their view.

Multitudes of little dwarf men dressed in Court attire stood round the
room. Facing them, on a throne of gold, with a tiny crown of gold
starred with bright-eyed diamonds on her head sat a real little human
girl, with a shabby old dolly in her arms. She was a very pretty little
girl, grandly dressed in a frock of blue silk embroidered with white
daisies, little blue socks and shoes with diamond buckles. But her face
was sad and pale, and her eyes red from crying, and her fair hair hung
in tangled locks over her shoulders. She held her dolly clasped tight in
her arms and repeated over and over again: "I want my mamma, I want to
go home to my mamma."

As the dwarf, followed by Hugo, entered the room the dwarfs or Kobolds,
as they are also called, bowed down with their heads to the ground, and
sang in a gruff chorus:

"Hail, thrice hail, to King Reinhold,
We his subjects true and bold
B