ttack upon his friend.

"I don't use gasoline."

"Well, suppose you ran out of fire."

"What's the use of supposing that?" asked Quox. "My
great-great-great-grandfather has lived since the world began, and he
has never once run out of fire to keep him going. But I will confide to
you that as he gets older he shows more smoke and less fire. As for
Tik-Tok, he's well enough in his way, but he's merely copper. And the
Metal Monarch knows copper through and through. I wouldn't be surprised
if Ruggedo melted Tik-Tok in one of his furnaces and made copper
pennies of him."

"In that case, I would still keep going," remarked Tik-Tok, calmly.

"Pennies do," said Betsy regretfully.

"This is all nonsense," said the Queen, with irritation. "Tik-Tok is my
great Army--all but the officers--and I believe he will be able to
conquer Ruggedo with ease. What do you think, Polychrome?"

"You might let him try," answered the Rainbow's Daughter, with her
sweet ringing laugh, that sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "And
if Tik-Tok fails, you have still the big fire-breathing dragon to fall
back on."

"Ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame gushing from his mouth
and nostrils; "it's a wise little girl, this Polychrome. Anyone would
know she is a fairy."

Chapter Fourteen

The Long-Eared Hearer Learns by Listening

During this time Ruggedo, the Metal Monarch and King of the Nomes, was
trying to amuse himself in his splendid jeweled cavern. It was hard
work for Ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the nomes were
behaving well and there was no one to scold or to punish. The King had
thrown his sceptre at Kaliko six times, without hitting him once. Not
that Kaliko had done anything wrong. On the contrary, he had obeyed the
King in every way but one: he would not stand still, when commanded to
do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him.

We can hardly blame Kaliko for this, and even the cruel Ruggedo forgave
him; for he knew very well that if he mashed his Royal Chamberlain he
could never find another so intelligent and obedient. Kaliko could make
the nomes work when their King could not, for the nomes hated Ruggedo
and there were so many thousands of the quaint little underground
people that they could easily have rebelled and defied the King had
they dared to do so. Sometimes, when Ruggedo abused them worse than
usual, they grew sullen and threw down their hammers and picks. Then,
however hard the King