“Here you are, Father! Knock the terrible Mouche to death!”
The Count took the fly-flapper; and then they all set to work to drive away Tutor Ink. Fanchon and Frederic and their mother took table napkins, and made sweeps with them in the air, driving the Tutor backward and forward, here and there, while the Count kept striking at him with the fly-flapper.
Wilder and wilder grew the chase. “Hum! Hum!” and “Sum! Sum!” went the Tutor, storming hither and thither. “Flip! Flap!” and “Clip! Clap!” went the table napkins and fly-flapper.
At last the Count managed to hit the Tutor’s coat tails. Then just as the Count was going to strike a second time, up bounced the Tutor into the air, and, with renewed strength, stormed, humming and buzzing, out of the door, and away among the trees.
“Well done!” exclaimed the Count. “We are rid of that abominable Tutor Ink! Never shall he cross my threshold again!”
HOW THE NAUGHTY PLAYTHINGS BECAME ALIVE
Fanchon and Frederic now breathed freely once more. A great weight was taken off their hearts. They rejoiced that now, since the wicked Mouche was gone, the Stranger Child might come back. They hurried to the wood. Everything was silent and deserted. Not a merry note of a single bird was there. Instead of the joyous singing of the brook, and the gladsome rustling of the leaves, they seemed to hear sighs and moans that passed through the air. Just then, close behind them, snarling voices cried out:—
“Stupid creatures! Senseless creatures! You despised us! You did not know how to treat us! We are come back to punish you!”
Fanchon and Frederic looked around, and saw the little hunter and the harper rise out of the thicket. The harper twanged his tiny harp, while the hunter took aim at Frederic; and both cried out:—
“Wait, you boy and girl! We are obedient servants of Tutor Ink! He will be here in a moment, and then we’ll pay you well for despising us!”