Then Prince Frank remembered what the cat had told him; he turned and rushed back also into the circle; and as the last bit of flame flickered at the end of the stick, he laid himself down upon it like a bit of fire-wood. And immediately Rumpty-Dudget gave a loud cry and disappeared; and the fire blazed up famously, yellow, blue and red, with poor little Prince Frank in the midst of it!
IX
THE RESCUE OF PRINCE HENRY
JUST then, and not one moment too soon, there was a noise of hurrying and scurrying, and along came Tom the cat through the forest, with Princess Hilda holding on to his tail. As soon as they were within the circle, Tom dug a little hole in the ground with his two fore-paws, throwing up the dirt behind, and then said: “Give me the Golden Ivy-seed, Princess Hilda; but make haste; for Frank is burning for Henry’s sake!”
So she made haste to give him the Seed; and he planted it quickly in the little hole, and covered the earth over it, and then said: “Give me the Diamond Water-drop; but make haste; for Frank is burning for Henry’s sake!”
So she made haste to give him the Drop; and he poured half of it on the fire, and the other half on the place where the Seed was planted. And immediately the fire was put out, and there lay Prince Frank all alive and well; but the mark of Rumpty-Dudget’s mud on his nose was burned away, and his hair and eyes, which before had been brown and hazel, were now quite black. So up he jumped, and he and Princess Hilda and Tom all kissed each other heartily; and then Prince Frank said:
“Why, Hilda! the black spot that you had on your forehead has gone away, too.”
“Yes,” said the cat, “that happened when the King of the Gnomes kissed her. But now make yourselves ready, children for we are going to take a ride to Rumpty-Dudget’s tower!”