“For a chain,” answered the dwarfs, and then the iron was hot and they took it out again and laid it on the anvil. Clink-clank! clink-clank! clink-clank! went their hammers.
Teddy watched them at their work for a while, and then he went on to the next forge, and there it was the same thing — more little dwarfs hammering away at their anvils as if their lives depended on it.
“Good-day,” said Teddy, as soon as they paused to heat the iron.
“Good-day,” said the dwarfs.
“What are you making there?” asked Teddy.
“A link,” answered the dwarfs.
“What for?” said Teddy.
“For a chain,” answered the dwarfs, and then they set to work again.
Teddy went on and on through the forges, and in every one of them were little dwarfs hammering away on links.
When he came to the last forge of all, they were just finishing a link, and as they threw it into a tank of water a cloud of steam rose, almost hiding them from view. They were so busy that they paid no attention to Teddy when he spoke. “Make haste! Make haste!” they cried to each other. “It is growing late and she will soon be here.”