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CHAPTER XVIIL

THE END.

IT would have been a beautiful procession, had the ladies been dressed in silks and satins, and the gentlemen in embroidered coats with gold and silver lace. But then they would not have been in character. And, to appear in character, it was necessary that they should come with dirty faces, and dirty hands, and dirty shirts, some indeed with no shirts at all, and their clothes patched and torn, and many of them with a villanous expression of countenance, thick lips, low foreheads, brawny necks, and squab noses, and some with pikes and some with clubs, and some with bludgeons, and some with pistols. On, however, the Witch, alias Madame Msrpprts, dragged Willy to the beautiful tune of the Marseillaise, while the procession joined in rather a triumphant but noisy and discordant chorus. And Willy had still the red nightcap, or

as I should rather call it, in classical language, the Phrygian Cap of Liberty, on his head, and slow but stately, that is, as stately as the Witch's movements could be with only one leg, and that a wooden one, was their progress through the ballroom, and the great drawing-room, and the little drawing-room, and the library, and the morningroom, and the lady's boudoir, and the picture gallery, all brilliantly lighted up with wax candles, and decorated, as the papers described, with the choicest exotics. But as they passed in front of the great mirrors, with which the walls were covered, Willy shuddered to see what a frightful figure had seized hold of him, with her flabby cheeks, and flat nose, and iron grey hair, and eight arms ending in claws instead of fingers, not to speak of her shabby faded dilapidated bonnet, and darned worsted stockings, and clouted shoes down at the heel, or of the pair of pattens in one hand, and the red gingham umbrella in another. And yet even more frightful were some of the faces that followed, and on some of their clothes were spots of red, which it seemed they had been trying to wash and rub out, but could not succeed. And still more alarm

ing was it to see that every now and then Madame with the unpronounceable name, looked back to make significant gestures to the Baron and Baroness behind her; and in the glass Willy could see all the other distinguished guests making significant gestures also, pointing at him, and then dancing and kicking their heels, and tossing about their arms and their bludgeons in a very ungrateful and obstreperous manner, almost approaching to a riot. And now they had reached the top of the great staircase, and the band played louder and louder, and Willy thought they had danced enough for that time. But to his great surprise, Madame, alias the Witch, grasped him firmer than ever, so that her sharp nails, or rather claws, made his hands bleed. And then she proceeded to dance another Polonaise with him down the great staircase, and into the Great Hall of Entrance. And still more surprised and alarmed was Willy, when, after reaching the hall, instead of returning up the grand stairs, Madame Msrpprts continued to lead the way, while all the procession followed through a door which opened on the right, and conducted only to the offices.

'Please, ma'am,' said Willy, 'that is the way to the kitchen.'

'I know it, my dear,' said Madame. 'I know it.' 'But please, ma'am, they are dressing the supper.'

'I know it, my dear. I know it,' she replied. 'Please, ma'am,' repeated Willy, 'we had better go back.'

No, my dear,' said the lady, 'we cannot go back now. We cannot go back after coming so far. It is too late now.'

'But please, ma'am,' said Willy, now in great consternation, 'I must go home to my papa and mamma, who want to see me.'

'No, my dear,' she said, 'little boys cannot steal away from home, and go where their mamma has told them not to go, searching for a gold mine, and then go back to papa and mamma whenever they choose. I am your mamma now,' she said, ' and I love you very much, and I shall love you still more when.

But just then arose a greater hubbub than ever, as the Witch danced on with Willy through a file of servants, who stood whispering and grinning at each other, for servants always grin at the misfor

tunes of unkind masters, while the crowd pressed on with such rudeness, such impatience, such squeezing, such vulgar forward attempts to force themselves into conspicuous places, and push others back, that you might almost have mistaken them for a number of fashionable ladies and gentlemen crowding to the refreshment tables at a party in England. And so on they danced down the stone passage, passing by the steward's room, and the housekeeper's room, and the butler's pantry, and the servants' hall, till they reached the door of the great kitchen, which was thrown wide open, as if on purpose to receive them. And there in the Giant's grand new patent grate was a clear charcoal fire burning, which had been most carefully made up, and great rows of copper and silver saucepans, and a large dresser with a clean white cloth on it, and plates and dishes, and especially one very large dish like a venison dish, with a silver cover, and heated with hot water. And in front of it stood the Giant, with a white apron round his waist, and a square white paper cap upon his head, and the newly-invented spit with the cradle in his hand, which once more he brought up to Willy, and begged Willy's leave to see if it would fit him.