me it fell to the
ground it struck nearer and nearer to the tall hedge which divided
Rumpty-Dudget's land from the Queen's. At last Harold got the ball to
himself, and kept tossing it up and down without letting the others
have their turn. Hereupon Hilda and Hector began to run after him to
take the ball away from him; but just as they caught up with him he
gave the ball a great throw, and it flew clear over the high hedge,
and came down with a bounce in Rumpty-Dudget's garden. It wanted three
minutes to sunset.

The three children were a good deal frightened at this, and looked at
one another in dismay. But they did not yet know how much reason for
fright there was.

'It is your fault!' said Hector to Harold.

'It is your fault!' said Harold to Hilda.

'It is your fault!' said Hilda to Hector.

'Let us look through the hole in the hedge,' said Hector, putting his
finger on his chin, where the black spot was. Hilda put her finger
upon the spot on her forehead and followed him; and Harold followed
them both, with his finger on his nose. They came to the hole in the
hedge, and looked through it.

'I can see it!' exclaimed Hilda.

'It is not far off,' said Harold. 'If the north wind did not blow so
hard through this hole we might jump through and get it.'

'I don't mind jumping against the north wind,' said Hector boldly; and
with that he jumped through the hole: and the sun set.

'It is too late!' said Tom the Cat, who appeared between Harold and
Hilda at that moment. 'I cannot save him now. Look!'

Hector, after jumping through the hedge, had run up to the black ball
and stooped to pick it up. But the ball moved and unfolded itself, and
a little cackling laugh came out of it, and it stood up on its legs.
It was no other than Rumpty-Dudget himself.

'Now, my young prince, you will come with me and stand in my
hundred-and-first corner!' said he, with a malignant grin.

'No, I won't!' said Hector.

At that Rumpty-Dudget took a piece of black string from his pocket and
held one end of it to the black spot on Hector's chin; and it stuck to
it so fast that all the pulling in the world could not pull it off.
Then Rumpty-Dudget put the string over his shoulder, and so dragged
Hector into his tower, and put him in the hundred-and-first corner.

As soon as this was done the north wind increased to a hurricane; the
beautiful palace was blown away, the Garden of Delight was destroyed,
and nothing was left but a des