sleep.

However, the Governor had lost the benefit of Dido's speech; for ere she
had finished he was sound asleep, and snoring almost as vigorously as
before. Meanwhile the Brownies had returned to their rose-bush retreat
ignorant of the amusing scene for which their little feet were
responsible.

"To-morrow," said Lawe, "we must succeed. If we can once get the
Governor to see, in the early morning, while the dew lies upon their
tent-tops and reveals them what a vast camp of our enemies holds our old
and rightful quarters, I am sure that he will clear out the usurpers at
once!"

"Aye; but how shall we bring that about?" said Corporal Trust.

"We must have help. Come, lads, mount and away!" answered Lawe.

He led his troopers straight toward the orchard. Over the tree-tops they
flew; on, up, until at last he halted the party on one of the spreading
limbs of Lone Aspen. There the Ensign dismounted and approaching the
Lone Aspen the first object upon which his eyes fell was a round,
horizontal snare of Uloborus, spread within the hollow of the trunk,
where the great gateway opened at the foot. His anger was highly
inflamed at the sight, and he forgot his mission in the eager purpose to
rout this foe lurking at the doorway of his friend, Madam Breeze. He
ran hastily forward and smote the web with his sword until it fell to
the ground. Uloborus, who was stretched beneath it on a ribbon-like
hammock, tumbled down with the ruins of his orb; and thereat Ensign Lawe
fell upon him with his sword. But the Pixie, thinking discretion the
better part of valor, dodged the strokes, and shaking himself loose from
the fragments of his late beautiful net, ran away at top of his speed,
and plunged into the thick grass around the roots of the tree. Lawe did
not think well to follow; and his wrath being somewhat vented, turned
again to the errand on which he had come. He climbed the grass-rope
ladder stretched along the trunk, and having reached the upper window at
the great knot-hole, blew a shrill blast upon his bugle. The echoes
rolled up and down the hollow trunk.

"Oo--oo--oo!"

The round mellow voice of Madam Breeze answered the call, and a moment
thereafter the merry Elf bobbed her rubicund face out of the window.

"Hah! who is there? Brownies again, I warrant--Wheeze! More forts to
smash? Ho, ho, ho! Why, my sides are aching yet with that last bout. Ho,
ho!--Hoogh!" It seemed more likely that the good lady's sides were
ac