This made her very angry indeed. Without saying anything more she clambered on up the hill and stopped all out of breath on a little ledge before the mouth of a cave. There a little further on along the path was standing Little Hark himself, with his hands up to his mouth, all ready to shout back an echo. His father had gone inside the cave.
Little Hark was very small indeed, and Merrimeg looked quite like a giant beside him. She ran to him and stood over him and shook her finger at him and said:
“What do you mean by mocking me all the time?”
“All the time?” said Little Hark, looking very much frightened.
“Yes, all the time!” said Merrimeg. “What do you mean by it?”
“Mean by it?” said the little Echo Dwarf.
“Don’t you dare repeat everything I say to you!” cried Merrimeg. “You naughty thing, you’re mocking me!”
“You’re mocking me!” said Little Hark, beginning to cry.
“HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING? HOW DARE YOU?”