I paid him the money and hurried out of the shop, for I must confess that I had taken a great dislike to the little man with his smooth, oily manner.
However, I had got the crystal, and that was the main thing.
I hastened back to the prison, and after a long argument with the authorities, I managed to gain permission to see the prisoner once more.
I found Shin Shira all eagerness to know if I had secured the crystal, and when he saw it in my hand, his joy knew no bounds.
"Now it is all easy," said he, "and I shall soon be free. This is a Magic Crystal, and by wishing very hard to see any particular object and gazing at it steadily for a moment or two, you will see just what you wish to see reflected in it. Now I'm just going to wish to—er—to—er—er—o—o-h! I'm going to vanish! To think that I've been here all this time hoping every day that I should be able to disappear, and now, just as I was about to get myself free—I—good-bye—!"
And to my horror, the little Yellow Dwarf suddenly faded away, and I was left alone in the dungeon.
I say to my horror, for what was I to say when the jailer appeared? How was I to account for the prisoner's escape? I was just puzzling about these things when the door opened and the jailer hurriedly came to tell me the time allowed for my visit was up.
He saw at once that Shin Shira was not there, and in a great state of excitement plied me with questions.
I felt, however, that the best thing to do was to preserve silence: it would at least gain time; so I shook my head and pretended not to understand a word of what he was saying in his broken English.
The man doubly locked the door and hurried off to inform his superior officers, and I was left alone once more.