What do you think, Polychrome?"
"You might let him try," answered the Rainbow's
Daughter, with her sweet ringing laugh, that
sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "And if
Tik-Tok fails, you have still the big fire-
breathing dragon to fall back on."
"Ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame
gushing from his mouth and nostrils; "it's a wise
little girl, this Polychrome. Anyone would know
she is a fairy."
Chapter Fourteen
The Long-Eared Hearer Learns by Listening
During this time Ruggedo, the Metal Monarch and
King of the Nomes, was trying to amuse himself in
his splendid jeweled cavern. It was hard work for
Ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the
nomes were behaving well and there was no one to
scold or to punish. The King had thrown his
sceptre at Kaliko six times, without hitting him
once. Not that Kaliko had done anything wrong. On
the contrary, he had obeyed the King in every way
but one: he would not stand still, when commanded
to do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him.
We can hardly blame Kaliko for this, and even
the cruel Ruggedo forgave him; for he knew very
well that if he mashed his Royal Chamberlain he
could never find another so intelligent and
obedient. Kaliko could make the nomes work when
their King could not, for the nomes hated Ruggedo
and there were so many thousands of the quaint
little underground people that they could easily
have rebelled and defied the King had they dared
to do so.
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