said Dick. "Let's see; we said as tall as the
Pater, didn't we?--not as _big_. I wonder if that makes any difference."

"I want to be as fat as old Mrs. Mofflet," said Fidge, mischievously.

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than he dwindled down to his
usual height, and spread out in girth till he exactly resembled, in
appearance, what one looks like in a concave mirror--that is, he was
about twice as wide as he was high.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! That's worse than ever!" laughed the children,
while little Fidge waddled about in an absurd way.

The gnomes were highly amused, and cut the most extraordinary antics in
their glee.

"I think perhaps the best thing to do for the present would be to wish
ourselves as we were," said Dick. "I have no doubt it wi be very
useful by and by to be any size we like, but just now it's rather
awkward."

"Oh, let's be little, like the gnomes," cried Marjorie. "It will be such
fun."

"All right," acquiesced Dick; "here goes--I wish I were as little as the
gnomes."

"So do I," cried Marjorie.

[Illustration: "He was about twice as wide as he was high."]

"Me, too!" cried Fidge.

To their great surprise, nothing happened. They waited a moment or two,
staring at each other expectantly, and then Marjorie cried in a
troubled voice--

"Oh, dear! I don't believe it's going to work, and we shall have to stay
like this forever."

"What nonsense!" cried Dick.

"I say! I want to be as small as the gnomes," he shouted.

There was no result, however, and the children remained as they were.

"Oh! I know," he cried; "I ought to have the paper that the Ambassador
gave me in my hand. Where is it?"

There was a great whispering amongst the gnomes, and at last one of them
shouted out--

"We've taken it away."

"What for?" demanded Dick. "It was given to us; you had better give it
up at once. What do you mean by it?"

There was another whispered consultation, and then one of the gnomes
said, "Let them have it for now," and the paper was put down upon the
ground at Dick's feet.

Dick stooped down and picked it up, and immediately the children began
to dwindle down till they became as small as the little people
themselves.

They had no sooner done so than the paper which the Ambassador had given
them was suddenly snatched from Dick's hand and a number of the gnomes
surrounded them, dancing about, turning somersaults, playing leap-frog,
and capering about in the maddest way.