8

XXII. Six Enchanted Souls 187

XXIII. From the Fire Back to the Frying-Pan 196

XXIV. Disenchantment Complete 200

XXV. The Old Man of the Mountain 209

XXVI. The King's Tower 216

XXVII. The Sorcerer's Den 222

XXVIII. The Old Tobacco Shop 231

THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP

CHAPTER I

MR. PUNCH AND THE CLOCK-TOWER

When the Little Boy first went to the Old Tobacco Shop, he stood a long
while before going in, to look at the wooden figure which stood beside
the door.

His father was sitting at home in his carpet-slippers, waiting for
tobacco for his pipe, but when the Little Boy saw the wooden figure he
forgot all about hurrying,--"Now don't be long," his mother had said,
and his father had said "Hurry back,"--but he forgot all about hurrying,
and stood and looked at the wooden figure a long time: a little
hunchbacked man, not so very much taller than himself, on a low wooden
box, holding out in one hand a packet of black wooden cigars. His back
was terribly humped up between his shoulders, his face was square and
bony, if wood can be said to be bony, he was bareheaded and bald-headed,
he had a wide mouth, and his high nose curved down over it and his
pointed chin curved up under it; and his breast stuck out in front
almost as much as his shoulders stuck out behind.

The Little Boy's name was Freddie; his mother called him that, and his
father usually called him Fred; but sometimes his father called him
Frederick, in fact whenever he didn't come back after he had been told
to hurry, and then his father looked at him--you know that look--and
said "Frederick!" just like that. But his mother never called him
anything but Freddie, even when he was late.

He grasped his money tight in his hand, as he had been told to do, and
stood and looked at the little hunchbacked wooden man holding out his
packet of black wooden cigars. "I wonder," thought Freddie, "what makes
him so crooked?" He walked around him and looked at his back. He walked
around in front of him again and wondered if the black cigars in his
hand would smoke; he decided he would ask about it. The little man wore
blue knee breeches and black stockings and buckled shoes, and his coat