“You mean they are shaped like books,” said the Elegant Elephant. “I never saw books with windows and doors!”
“A lot you know!” said Seven, looking back scornfully, but Kabumpo was too interested to care. Out of the windows of the big book houses leaped hundreds of the little Figure Heads, and they laughed and jeered at Pompa and Kabumpo.
“Ho! Ho!” yelled one, leaning out so far it nearly fell on its Eight. “Wait till the Count sees ’em. He’ll make an example of ’em!”
“What an awful country,” whispered Pompadore, ducking just in time, as a Four snatched at his hair from an open window. But just then they turned a corner and entered a large gloomy court. Sitting on a square and solid wood throne, surrounded by a guard of Figure Heads, sat the Giant Ruler of this strange city.
“What have you got there, Seven?” roared the Ruler.
“I am the Elegant Elephant and this is the Prince of Pumperdink,” announced Kabumpo before Seven could answer. Pompadore, himself, could say nothing for he had never before been addressed by a wooden Ruler in his life. And that is exactly what the King of the Figure Heads was—an ordinary school ruler, twice as large as a man, with arms and legs and a great square head set atop of his thin flat body.
“I don’t care a rap who you are. I want to know what you are?” said the Ruler.
“We are travelers,” spoke up Pompa, swallowing hard—“travelers in search of a Proper Princess.”
“Well, you won’t find any here,” grunted the Ruler shortly. “We don’t believe in ’em!”