hted them, and smoked in
silence.

'By the way,' said Yellow-cap at length, 'about the signboard outside
the inn-door. I recognise six of the portraits, but where is the
seventh? He was the one whose face was the most ugly and disagreeable
of all; but I don't see him here.'

'He is here,' said Ruba.

Yellow-cap was going to ask, 'Where?' but Gyp laid his hand upon his
arm and whispered in his ear that he must not interrupt until the
whole verse had run itself out.

'We have seen him,' continued Dubb.

'The likeness is good,' pronounced Dubsix.

'Flattering,' affirmed Menin.

'I can think of nothing to say,' confessed Atub.

'Come and look in our mirror,' said Gyp, taking Yellow-cap by the arm
and leading him to the end of the room.

Now, against the wall at this end hung a very odd specimen of a
looking-glass. Its surface was convex, and in shape it was neither
square, nor round, nor exactly oval, for it was pointed at both ends.
Its length was divided into three parts, of which the central one was
black, and those at the sides of a dull white like china. Altogether
it looked like a gigantic eye plucked from the forehead of some
Polyphemus; and hung up in the old inn-parlour, where, if it could no
longer see anything itself, it might at least give those who gazed
into it a distorted image of themselves.

When Yellow-cap, however, first fixed his eyes upon this curious
mirror he could see nothing but a profound depth of blackness; but in
the midst of this obscure movements were presently visible. By and by
the many wavering shapes grew clearer and drew near to one another
and, as it were, melted together, until at last a definite image stood
forth against the dark background.

A strange figure it was--of a short-legged, shapeless man, with no
less than seven heads upon his shoulders. Six of these Yellow-cap knew
at once; but the seventh--the central and most important one of
all--was unknown to him. And what an unpleasant set of features it
had, to be sure!

The whole company had gathered behind Yellow-cap, who was standing
directly in front of the mirror.

'You don't know him?' spoke the voice of Ruba.

'He knows you,' said Dubb.

'He is an old friend of yours,' remarked Dubsix.

'And a very dear one,' added Menin.

'And a very false one,' observed Atub.

'What does it all mean?' inquired Yellow-cap.

'If you will give yourself the trouble to lay your left finger beside
your nose it might info