In a few words Harry related his escape from the Gnomes.
“So I left that trap-door open in my hurry!” said Kitey, at the conclusion of the narrative. “It is lucky you found it, instead of those rascally Gnomes.”
“But what are the Gnomes doing here?” asked Harry; “and why are you hiding? and what has become of Wamby?”
“Sit down, Prince, and I will tell you all about it,” said Kitey. “After you left us everything went along nicely for awhile. Cattisack, the ex-King, was sent down to the Gnomes, and old Grumpy, the Lord of the Safety-Pin, was imprisoned. But Grumpy, the old sneak, behaved so nicely that Wamby felt sorry for him, and set him free, and restored him to his former position. That was the real beginning of the mischief.
“Old Grumpy immediately began secretly forming a party against Wamby, and was almost ready to begin a rebellion, when Wamby discovered the plot, and sent Grumpy to the Gnomes. That was the second blunder.
“Soon after that, Wamby took it into his head that the soldiers needed another commander, and as Smithkin was experienced, and had been behaving beautifully, he reinstated him in his old position. That was the third blunder.
“Of course, Prince Harry, you know I am not blaming King Wamby,—at the time we all thought he was doing just right; but it seems he wasn’t, for Cattisack and Grumpy at once began plotting with the King of the Gnomes, and out of revenge offered to deliver to him the Pin Elf dominions. They both knew all the secret passageways, and how many soldiers we had, and where the guards were stationed, and so it was very easy for them to lead the whole army of the Gnomes right to the Grand Royal Reception Hall.
“It all happened yesterday. Wamby was sitting on his throne holding a reception, and I was seated on his right. All of a sudden the door to the left of the throne opened a little, and then closed again. It was done quickly and quietly, but I was looking in that direction and saw through the doorway a Gnome’s ugly face. Instantly surmising that something was wrong, I darted forward and slipped all the bolts in the door. That made the door impregnable against any assault of the Gnomes, and we should have been safe, had it not been for that Smithkin. He must have been in collusion with Cattisack, for no sooner had I secured the door than Smithkin ran thither, dashed me aside, undid the bolts, and admitted the Gnoman army.
“Even then we could easily have held our own and driven them back, for, you know, one Pin Elf is equal to three Gnomes, because we are so quick and active, and they are so slow and heavy; but some of the Safety-Pin men rallied around old Grumpy, and at least half of the body-guard went over to Smithkin, and as the rest of us were entirely unprepared they soon got the better of us.
“Seeing that all was lost, Wamby whispered to me, ‘Quick, Kitey! while there is a chance, run up to the rock in Central Park and stick a little green twig in the pin-hole, as a signal to our good Prince Harry; and put my hat in the chamber, where he can find it.’