here
won't be time. Rigmarola is a long way off.'

'How long will it take to march the troops here?' the Town Clerk asked.

'Fully six months,' said the Liglid, 'and then they must be drilled.
They don't fight Flamps every day, and they may find it difficult to fix
upon a mode of attack. What a pity it is,' he added, 'that Ule has no
army.'

'It will be expensive,' said the Town Clerk.

'Money,' the Liglid remarked, 'is no object where the circumvention of
the Flamp is concerned. The city has suffered long enough.'

'True,' said the Town Clerk.

Tilsa now ventured to interrupt. 'Grandpapa,' she said, 'I've come to
say good-night.'

'Eh!' said the old man, now seeing her for the first time. 'Good-night?
Oh yes! good-night, my dear'; and after his wont he kissed the air an
inch from her cheek.

Tilsa did not at once run out of the room as she generally did, rather
glad to have done with the ceremony; instead, she spoke again.
'Grandpapa, I think I know what the Flamp wants when he comes to the
town.'

'Eh!' cried the Liglid, who was intent on his Bill again. 'Eh! I thought
you'd gone to bed. You know what the Flamp comes for?' he continued.

'Yes,' said Tilsa, 'it's not to eat people at all, or to do any harm;
it's for sympathy.'

'Rubbish!' said the Liglid. 'Nonsense--don't meddle with things you
don't understand. Run off to bed at once.'

VI

For a long time Tilsa lay awake, putting two and two together and making
four every time. Then she jumped out of bed and pattered with her bare
feet into Tobene's room.

'Toby,' she said, gently shaking him. 'Toby!'

Tobene thrust out his arms and looked at her with eyes that saw nothing.

'Toby,' Tilsa said again. 'It's me--Tilsa.'

'Yes,' he said in the tone of one who is not much interested. 'What is
it?'

'I've found out,' said Tilsa, 'what the Flamp comes for every year.'

'What?' said Tobene.

'Sympathy,' said Tilsa.

'What's sympathy?' said Tobene.

'Oh, it's putting your arms round people and being sorry for them.'

'Pooh,' said Tobene, 'if that's sympathy, you must be wrong. He's too
big.'

But Tilsa was not in the least discouraged.

'No, Toby,' she said, 'I'm right. And, Toby, Toby, darling, I want to go
and find the Flamp and say I'm sorry for him, and I want you to come
with me.'

'Me?' cried Tobene, now wide awake.

'Of course,' said Tilsa. 'We've never done anything alone yet, and I
don't want to begin now.'

'Well, I s