“Have they grown taller?” asked the Chief of Detectives.
“Certainly!” the Dancing Master answered. “They were only children and were no taller than myself when they left me three hours ago!”
Without saying a word, the Chief of Detectives motioned to the children and the others to follow him, and going to the counter he took a small case from under the counter, and from it a tiny bellows.
He then blew a puff of powder over the children and in a short time they had resumed their normal size.
Then, putting the case in his pocket, the Chief of Detectives said it would be best for them to try and reach the City of Nite as soon as possible.
“We shall have the old Witch to contend with when we reach there,” he reminded the others, “and perhaps even now the Princess is under the power of the wicked creature!”
“Let us hasten!” cried Gran’pa.
The road now led down the mountain side. A short distance from the Chief of Detectives’ hut it wound through a deep forest, which made the traveling cool and comfortable.
At last they came to a section of the forest where all the trees were of pine. Here there was a thick carpet of pine needles that had dropped from the boughs for years.
They were smooth, soft and slippery.