e
must have got a carriage."

"Yes," said he, "I have. _Not_ an ox-cart, Rex. I'm sorry for your sake,
but for no one else's; for I don't think there would be much left of us
by the end of the journey if we were to be jogged along the forest roads
in an ox-cart. No! I have got quite a respectable vehicle; but we must
stop an hour or two on the way, to rest the horses and give them a feed,
otherwise we could not get through to-night."

"Where shall we stop?" said Auntie, as with the bundles of shawls and
bags they followed the children's uncle to the door.

"There is a little place in the forest, where they can look after the
horses," said he; "and I daresay we can get some coffee there for
ourselves, if we want it. It is a pretty little nook. I remember it long
ago, and I shall be glad to see it again."

Olive had pricked up her ears. "A little place in the forest!" she said
to herself; "that may be near where the dwarfs live: it is most likely
not far from here, because of the one we saw." She would have liked to
ask her uncle about it, but something in the look of her aunt's eyes
kept her from doing so.

"Perhaps she _was_ joking," thought Olive to herself. "But perhaps she
doesn't know; _she_ didn't see the real dwarf. It would be rather nice
if I did find them, _then_ Auntie couldn't laugh at me any more."

They were soon comfortably settled in the carriage, and set off. The
first part of the drive was not particularly interesting; and it was so
hot, though already afternoon, that they were all--Olive especially, you
may be sure--delighted to exchange the open country for the pleasant
shade of a grand pine forest, through which their road now lay.

"Is it a very large forest, Uncle?" said Olive.

"Yes, very large," he replied rather sleepily, to tell the truth; for
both he and Auntie had been nodding a little, and Rex had once or twice
been fairly asleep. But Olive's imagination was far too hard at work to
let her sleep.

"The largest in Europe?" she went on, without giving much thought to
poor Uncle's sleepiness.

"Oh yes, by far," he replied, for he had not heard clearly what she
said, and fancied it was "the largest hereabouts."

"Dear me!" thought Olive, looking round her with awe and satisfaction.
"If there are dwarfs anywhere, then it must be here."

And she was just beginning another. "And please, Uncle, is----?" when
her aunt looked up and said lazily--

"Oh, my dear child, do be quiet! Can't