So they all went and did as they were told, and soon the whole army of Merrymineral melted away, with the exception of a very few, and these were mostly the servants of Merrymineral himself, and of the giant and the dwarf, who still remained faithful to him. However they seemed quite unhappy about it.
So the Princess turned to them and said:
‘And you, sirs, will you not also join me?’
But the giant shook his head, and the dwarf said snappishly:
‘Don’t you know we can’t?’
But the Princess answered:
‘No; I do not know why you can’t.’
So the dwarf snarled:
‘We’re bound to serve him for a certain time, whether we like it or not. I’m the King of the Underground Gnomes—we live in tunnels under the earth, and never come up unless we’re obliged to.’