The giant leaned down and picked up his hat, and took it off the little boy. Very glad was Marmaduke to see the light once more.
The giant bowed low to apologize and the great chair creaked.
"Very careless of me," he said. "A thousand pardons, Sir!"
Marmaduke felt very happy. It was fine to be called "Sir" by a great big giant like that.
Then he felt himself being lifted up, and there he sat on the giant's knee. The giant told him a story and gave him a big ring from his finger. It was so large that Marmaduke could put his whole arm through it.
Then another voice spoke. It was a little tiny voice this time—no bigger than a mouse's squeak or a cricket's "Good-night."
Marmaduke looked down from the giant's knee.
"Hello, little fellow," squeaked the funny little voice.
No, it was not Jack Frost. It was a dwarf, all dressed in a crimson velvet gown, with a gold crown on her head. The top of the crown wasn't even as high as the giant's knee. My, but she was little!
Marmaduke was just going to say, "Little, huh! I'm as big as you are!" But he didn't. That wouldn't have been quite right when all these circus people were so very polite to him.