At length, just at dawn, she found herself at the foot of the hill wherein was the cave of the King of the Gnomes.
Worn out with her arduous journey, she fluttered down to the edge of the bubbling fountain and drank of its refreshing waters.
Then, picking up a pebble, she dropped it into the little gravelly basin, hopped painfully over to the great flat stone, and tapped upon it three times with her beak.
No one replied, but the rock opened in the middle, and there stood the King of the Gnomes himself.
On seeing the little bluebird, he stretched out a kindly hand for her to rest upon, and carried her into the inner room.
It was his breakfast hour, for gnomes are early risers. Seating himself at the table, he ordered that the little bird be served with breakfast at once, for well he knew that a hungry bird's first wish must be for food.
The King had scarce given this order before several nimble little men of the forest placed seeds and grains of wheat and a goblet of golden fruit juice before the bluebird.
Soon she was sufficiently revived to address the gnomes, and it took her but a few moments to tell him all.
"Come, let us hasten," he said, as she finished, and, slipping into his pocket his magic pipe and little pieces of soap, he left the cave and walked rapidly toward a small clearing.
Leaning over a little pool in the hollow of the grassy earth, he filled his pipe, rubbed the soap about the rim, and in a moment more blew a large soap bubble.