"Hullo! I've been expecting you," he said, as he recognized her. "Why didn't you come before?"
"Because you didn't send me an invitation," said Lady Daffany, merrily; and she made him a court bow. Now it is true that the Wymps spend their lives in laughing at other people, but they are not accustomed to being laughed at themselves; so when Lady Daffany continued to be amused at her own joke the Wymp drew himself up very stiffly and looked offended.
"I don't see anything whatever to laugh at," he said, severely, "and you had better come along and explain to the King why you've come."
Then he led her through the dimly lighted land of yellow fog, and they passed crowds of other little Wymps who were all so like himself that it was difficult to tell one from another; for they were all dull yellow and misty in appearance, and they all had small eyes and large mouths, and their faces were all covered with laughter wrinkles. They seemed to be spending their time in turning somersaults and tumbling over one another, and laughing loudly at nothing at all. But the Wymp who was with Lady Daffany did not laugh once; he just trotted along in front of her and did not speak a word, so that she really was afraid she had hurt his feelings, and she began to feel sorry.
"Please, Mr. Wymp, I didn't mean to laugh at you at all," she said, very humbly.
"That's all very well," said the Wymp, sulkily, "but no Wymp ever allows any one else to make a joke. Come along to the King."
"But it wasn't a joke!" cried Lady Daffany.
"Oh, well, if it wasn't a joke, that's another matter. Not that I should have called it a joke myself, but I thought you meant it for one," said the Wymp, more cheerfully. "Now why have you come up here at all?"
She hastened to tell him about the Prince, and how much he had been changed by the Wymps' gift, and how she wanted to intercede for him; and her voice grew so sad as she thought about it all that the Wymp had to turn round and shout at her.
"Don't get gloomy," he cried, turning several somersaults in his agitation. "Nobody is ever gloomy in the land of the Wymps. Make another bad joke if you like, but stop being dreary—do."