“No, we must hasten on,” replied the elf; “the King holds a reception this afternoon, and no one is permitted to be absent.”
They hurried along the passage and presently came to a door, before which stood two tall elves, each one armed with a long spear. Harry’s elf whispered a word to these guards, and they instantly opened the door.
On they trotted; that is, the elf trotted, but Harry simply walked at a good pace, through several more passageways, until finally they reached another door, guarded like the first, through which they were admitted to the Grand Royal Reception Hall.
It was a room of immense size, brilliantly lighted by what seemed to be strings of precious stones festooned from the lofty ceiling. At the further end, on a raised dais, was the King, seated upon a throne of gold, with his royal body-guard of five hundred picked soldiers stationed near him. On a lower platform at the right of the King were seated a few persons, who, Harry’s elf informed him, were members of the royal family.
The hall was otherwise quite vacant, as the reception was just beginning, so they stood at one side and watched the elves coming in.
“There is my old master, the Lord of the Safety-Pin,” said the elf to Harry, as a surly-looking elf entered, whose clothes were fastened with numerous safety-pins. “See him scowl at us; he knows you are my master now. Those elves behind him are his knights. Each knight has two esquires and twelve retainers; any retainer who finds a good safety-pin becomes an esquire, and if he finds another he is made a knight; but he can’t become a lord until he has found enough to pin all his clothes together. There is only one lord of that order, because you mortals don’t lose many good safety-pins, and a broken one doesn’t count.
“Those two fellows coming now are Knights of the Breast-Pin. Each of them found one breast-pin, and the King made them knights. They are the only members of their order.
“Here come the Black-Pins. There are six lords, seventy-two knights, a hundred and forty-four esquires, and I don’t know how many retainers. They are rather a common lot,” he added contemptuously.
After the Black-Pins had passed, there entered a pompous elf with a large hat-pin hanging like a sword from his belt. At sight of him Harry’s elf bowed very low.
“Who is that?” asked Harry.