mention
that fact to any one you meet, will you? I suppose Christmas is coming,
of course."

"Of course it is," replied Davy.

"It's _always_ coming!" said Gobobbles, angrily; "I never knew a time
yet when it _wasn't_ coming!"

"_I_ don't mind having it come," said Davy, stoutly.

"Oh, don't you, indeed!" said Gobobbles. "Well, then, _I_ don't mind
having _you_ go!" and here he began hopping his chair forward in such a
threatening manner that Davy turned and walked away with as much dignity
as he could assume.

As he went around the corner of the house again he found himself in a
pleasant lane, bordered on either side by a tall hedge, and, as he was
now out of sight of Gobobbles, he started off on a gentle run by way of
getting out of the neighborhood as soon as possible. Before he had gone
a dozen steps, however, he heard a thumping sound behind him, and,
looking back, he saw, to his dismay, that Gobobbles had in some way got
loose from his high chair, and was coming after him, thumping himself in
a perfect frenzy. In fact, his appearance was so formidable that Davy
did not pause for a second look, but started off at the top of his
speed.

Gobobbles, however, proved himself to be a capital runner, and, in spite
of all Davy's efforts, he could hear the dreadful thumping sound coming
nearer and nearer, until it seemed to be just at his heels. At this
instant something sprang upon his back; but, before he could cry out in
his terror, a head was suddenly thrust over his shoulder, and he found
the Goblin, who was now of a bright purple color, staring him in the
face and laughing with all his might.

CHAPTER VI.

THE GIANT BADORFUL.

"Goblin," said Davy, very seriously, as the little man jumped down from
off his back, "if you are going to play such tricks as _that_ upon me I
should like to go home at once."

"Where's the harm?" said the Goblin, sitting down on the grass with his
back against a wall and smiling contentedly.

"The harm is that I thought it was Gobobbles," said Davy, indignantly.

"Oh, you needn't be afraid of Gobobbles!" said the Goblin. "He's got all
that he can attend to, taking care of himself. You see, he's wanted for
Christmas, but why anybody should want _him_ to eat is more than I can
understand. Why, he's seventy years old if he's a day, and as
indigestible as an old cork."

Just at this moment a loud, rumbling noise, like distant thunder, came
from behind the wall against whi