ple were up by this time, there
was a great hubbub of voices in the lower hall; but though Ting-a-ling
listened up by the banisters until the cold wind on the staircase had
nearly frozen his little bare legs (which were not much longer than your
finger-nail, and about as thick as a big darning-needle), he could make
out nothing at all of the talk. So he went back to the bed, and got in
under the edge of the counterpane, and lay there, with just his head
sticking out, until he dropped asleep. At daybreak Tur-il-i-ra came into
the room, and stooping over the bed, called to him to get up, as there
was to be an early breakfast. As the Giant carried him down-stairs on
his finger, he told the fairy that he was deeply grieved, but that he
would be obliged to leave him for the rest of the day, on account of the
Kyrofatalapynx having broken loose.

"But what is that?" asked Ting-a-ling.

"Why, don't you know? It is a--Look here, you fellows! Didn't I tell you
that breakfast was to be all ready when I came down? What do you mean,
you lazy rascals? Skip, now, and have everything ready this minute."

And the men skipped, and the cooks cooked, and the fires blazed, and the
pots boiled and bubbled, and the Giant sat down in a great hurry, with
the man who came on horseback sitting cross-legged on one side of the
table, and Ting-a-ling on the other. So he forgot to finish his sentence
about the Kyrofatalapynx. During the meal there was nothing but noise
and confusion, and Ting-a-ling could not get in a word. The Giant had a
dish of broiled sheep before him, and he was crunching them up as fast
as he could, and talking, with his mouth full, to the man all the time;
and the slaves and the servants were all eating and drinking, and
running about, until there was no hearing one's own voice, unless it was
a very big one. So, although Ting-a-ling was dying of curiosity to know
what the Kyrofatalapynx was, he could not get an answer from any one.

As soon as the Giant was done eating, he jumped up, and shouted for his
hat and his boots; and if the men did not run fast enough, he shouted at
them all the louder. If Ting-a-ling had not stayed on the table, I don't
know what would have become of him in the confusion. The Giant had now
pushed off his slippers, and was waiting until the men should bring his
boots; and as one lazy fellow was poking around, as if he was half
asleep, Tur-il-i-ra was so irritated at his slowness that he slipped the