"We followed Klein down the stairs. There were hundreds of steps!" said Janet.

"I suppose so," replied the woman, "my own road is much shorter and I could take you that way if you are ready to go home."

"Oh, no, we want to see everything we can down here first," said Janet. "But it is dim outside, and your rooms have light in them. What makes them light?"

The woman paused a second before replying, and then said, "The ceilings are high."

Prue looked up, away up, and it seemed to her that she saw light softly stealing down to meet her gaze. A silence fell upon them, which Janet broke, saying,

"Guld!

Guld will be tired of wait

Little Guld!" exclaimed the woman. "My little Guld?"

"He is waiting for us with Klein,” said Janet. "Do you want him ? I will tell him to come in."

And running out down the steps, she called him. His back was toward her and he seemed not to hear. She went around in front of him and said, firmly,

"Guld, come in!

That nice kobold woman

wants to see you. Come right in this minute!" And she tapped him on the shoulder with the needle.

"You can stay here, Klein," said Guld in a low voice, and then, rising, he himself went up the steps, and as the light from within fell on his face Janet, looking at him sharply, saw tears in his eyes. In the door stood the kobold woman with outstretched arms and Guld ran into them. She carried him inside, held him for a few moments, and then drawing forward a broad low chair from the corner placed him in it. The chair sparkled with bits of colored light as if set with gems.

"My own chair!" said Guld, contentedly. Prue thought of the crock, but was silent.

Sing to me," said little Guld.

And the woman sang, in a sweet, clear, restful voice, sang a song of home and peace, and while she sang little Guld fell asleep, sitting in his chair.

He must be tired," said Janet. "He isn't your boy, is he?"

"I had the care of him," replied the woman. "But by our laws, if he chose he could go from house to house. And he did choose."

"Maybe he will come back now," said Prue.

As they watched him he awoke, stood up, and said, "I'm not sleepy! We must go now."

'Where are you going, Guld?" asked the

woman.

"Along the highway," he replied. "These are my visitors and I have to guide them.”

66

Listen, little Guld," said she.

"You may take

these visitors into the grand hall where I went with

you one day. You know the way.'

Guld's face brightened. best of all!" he exclaimed.

go?"

"Oh, that will be

"And may Klein

"Klein may, but no more. And tell me about it as you come back."

She stood at the door and watched them down

the steps.

"How dim it is out here, after being in a light room!" said Janet. "I can hardly see you, Klein. What are you laughing at?”

66

Why," replied Klein, Mog and Heft have

turned the wrong way! They looked this way and that, but I hid in the rocks and they didn't see me."

And he laughed again.

"Now we shall have to go after them," said Guld. "They may stray into the dens. But they