puss, she got
out of herself.

Then the old man became a little more friendly, and said: "I beg your
pardon, I thought you were goblins. They never will let me alone. But
you must allow, it was rather an unusual way of paying a morning call."
And the creature bowed conciliatingly.

"It was, indeed," answered Richard. "I wish you had turned the door to
us instead of the hearth-stone." For he did not trust the old man.
"But," he added, "I hope you will forgive us."

"Oh, certainly, certainly, my dear young people! Use your freedom. But
such young people have no business to be out alone. It is against the
rules."

"But what is one to do--I mean two to do--when they can't help it?"

"Yes, yes, of course; but now, you know, I must take charge of you. So
you sit there, young gentleman; and you sit there, young lady."

He put a chair for one at one side of the hearth, and for the other at
the other side, and then drew his chair between them. The cat got upon
his hump, and then set up her own. So here was a wall that would let
through no moonshine. But although both Richard and Alice were very
much amused, they did not like to be parted in this peremptory manner.
Still they thought it better not to anger the old man any more--in his
own house, too.

But he had been once angered, and that was once too often, for he had
made it a rule never to forgive without taking it out in humiliation.

It was so disagreeable to have him sitting there between them, that
they felt as if they were far asunder. In order to get the better of
the fancy, they wanted to hold each other's hand behind the dwarf's
back. But the moment their hands began to approach, the back of the cat
began to grow long, and its hump to grow high; and, in a moment more,
Richard found himself crawling wearily up a steep hill, whose ridge
rose against the stars, while a cold wind blew drearily over it. Not a
habitation was in sight; and Alice had vanished from his eyes. He felt,
however, that she must be somewhere on the other side, and so climbed
and climbed to get over the brow of the hill, and down to where he
thought she must be. But the longer he climbed, the farther off the top
of the hill seemed; till at last he sank quite exhausted, and--must I
confess it?--very nearly began to cry. To think of being separated from
Alice all at once, and in such a disagreeable way! But he fell
a-thinking instead, and soon said to himself: "This must be some trick
of tha