thing frightening in it," she said. "It
would be rather a funny idea, I think. Of course it can't be, you know,
Rex. There are no dwarfs, and gnomes, and fairies now."

"But that little man was a dwarf," said Rex.

"Yes, but a dwarf needn't be a fairy sort of person," explained Olive.
"He's just a common little man, only he's never grown as big as other
people. Perhaps he had a bad fall when he was a baby--that might stop
his growing."

"Would it?" said Rex. "I didn't know that. I hope I hadn't a bad fall
when I was a baby. Everybody says I'm very small for my age." And Rex
looked with concern at his short but sturdy legs.

Olive laughed outright.

"Oh, Rex, what a funny boy you are! No, certainly, you are not a dwarf.
You're as straight and strong as you can be."

"Well, but," said Rex, returning to the first subject, "I do think it's
very queer about that little dwarf man coming up the street just as you
were telling me about the blue dwarfs. And he _did_ look at us in a
funny way, Olive, whatever you say, just as if he had heard what we were
talking about."

"All the people look at us in a funny way here," said Olive. "We must
look very queer to them. Your sailor suit, Rex, and my 'Bolero' hat must
look to them quite as queer as the women's purple skirts, with bright
green aprons, look to us."

"Or the bullock-carts," said Rex. "Do you remember how queer we thought
them at first? _Now_ we've got quite used to seeing queer things,
haven't we, Olive? Oh! now do look there--at the top of the
street--there, Olive, did you _ever_ see such a load as that woman is
carrying in the basket on her back? Why, it's as big as a house!"

He seemed to have forgotten about the dwarfs, and Olive was rather glad
of it. These two children were travelling with their uncle and aunt in a
rather out-of-the-way part of Germany. Out-of-the-way, that is to say,
to most of the regular summer tourists from other countries, who prefer
going where they are more sure of finding the comforts and luxuries they
are accustomed to at home. But it was by no means out-of-the-way in the
sense of being dull or deserted. It is a very busy part of the world
indeed. You would be amazed if I were to tell you some of the beautiful
things that are made in these bare homely little German cottages. For
all about in the neighbourhood there are great manufactories and
warehouses for china and glass, and many other things; and some parts of
the work are don