“And you would better get back into that chair of yours,” said Jasper, “if you don’t want the house to come down on our heads after that noise.”
Little Dick, thus adjured, plunged back as suddenly as he had come, and climbed into his chair.
“But step as long and as high as they could, the seven-league boot-men couldn’t come up to the queer little man with the green umbrella; for just as soon as he flew out of one city over the church-spires, and the big houses, they would just be coming in, and so all they could see of him would be the green umbrella, flying along, and a little twinkling thing, with tiny sticks of legs and arms, under it. And at last, besides being very angry, they were very much puzzled. ‘We’ve never had anything beat us before,’ they called to each other as they stepped along.
“And all the while, don’t you think, the queer little old man was calling and screaming back at them, ‘Oh! you dear big boot-men,’ for he didn’t know anything about seven-league boots, ‘do stop me, for I’m running away, and I can’t stop myself.’
“And at last the seven-league boot-men stopped in surprise, unable to take another step, they were so much astonished.
“‘Let’s talk it over,’ they said, ‘and then when we’ve come to a conclusion what the matter is, why we’ll start again after him.’
“So they all stopped on the tip of the nearest mountain, and sat down and put their chins in their hands.
“‘It’s something about that umbrella,’ at last said one boot-man, suddenly lifting his head.
“‘Sure enough,’ cried another, slapping him on the back; ‘that’s the brightest thing that has been said yet. Think some more.’