“Poor little hoppy!” he cried, “you’re having a hard time of it. I’ll set you free from that old rag, at any rate.”
Having untied the cloth in which the toad was imprisoned, he ran on to the end of the passage, mounted the steps, and gently opened the trap-door on a crack. Just as he did so, he heard the King of the Gnomes say, “Extinguish the fire! The knaves must be suffocated by this time.”
Harry peeped through, and saw the Gnomes putting out the semicircle of flame. Gradually the black smoke cleared away, and the Gnomes discovered to their amazement that the top of the wardrobe was empty.
“Glumdozo!” roared the King, “the varlets have escaped!”
Search was made inside of the wardrobe and all around it, but of course it was in vain.
At this point Cattisack, the former King of the Pin Elves, leaned over and whispered to the King of the Gnomes, “Your Majesty, I think they must have escaped through a secret door near where they were.”
Harry heard the whisper, for he could almost touch the two Kings from his place of concealment.
The King of the Gnomes forthwith commanded his soldiers to institute a strict search for the fugitives, but before the searchers left the Hall, the boy had softly closed the trap-door, and was on his way back to Smithkin and Kitey.
“Quick!” said he to the soldier, as he ran up to them, “lead the way at once to the prison.”
Smithkin did so, and they reached the room before any of the Gnomes appeared.