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"I don't want to be thin, like a walking-stick," said Fidge, in a dissatisfied voice. "No, it's rather horrid," said Dick. "Let's see; we said as tall as the Pater, didn't we? not as big. I wonder if that makes any difference." "I want to be as fat as old Mrs. Mofflet," said Fidge, mischievously.
"The only thing is, I can't exactly remember what a marquee is like," he said. "Think, my dear boy, what the one was like which you had in your mind." "Why, it had four poles, one at each corner," said Fidge, "and some iron things connecting them at the top, and it was covered all over and round the sides with some stripey stuff.
"And where may all you young people be off to this fine day?" "We're having a picnic," said Lady Betty shyly. "Going to have, you mean," corrected Fidge. "It isn't a picnic till you begin to eat, you know." "Would you mind if I joined you?" asked the Yellow Dwarf, appealing to me.
"Yes," said the bird, who was quite ready to start on the perilous voyage, and, grasping Fidge by the hand, he gave a loud whoop, and began to slide down the steep incline. "Well, good-by," cried Dick, hurriedly, shaking hands with the Walrus. "Thanks for all your kindness." And, jumping on the sled behind Marjorie, he pushed off, and they shot over the edge after the others.
I suppose it is an animal, by-the-bye," he added, turning to the children. "Well," laughed Marjorie, "we are not quite sure. The Dodo says it's a kind of lizard-like bird, or bird-like lizard." "It's got feathers," chimed in Fidge. "Ough! The miserable creature doesn't even know what it is itself, I expect," said the Court Glover, in tones of disgust.
To their great astonishment, they found a clumsy-looking cart, somewhat resembling the pictures which they had seen of the old Roman chariots, to the shafts of which a sleepy-looking sloth-bear was attached. "Ha! ha! what a funny horse," laughed Fidge. "It is a horse, isn't it, Dick?" "No," said Dick; "I don't think so." "Horse! no, indeed," said the Dodo. "It's a kind of camel."
"It's not the slightest use our trying to go anywhere in this thing." "What did he mean by saying four times nine were ninety-nine? They ain't," said Fidge, "'cos I know my 'four times, and four nines are thirty-six." "Perhaps it was something to do with the number of miles we shall have to travel before we reach the place where the ships start from," suggested Marjorie.
Daresay I could," answered the bird, sullenly. The fish disappeared, and returned a few minutes later with the three Dolphins in tow. Fidge was more than delighted to see the "horses," as he called them, again, and lost no time in getting astride of one; the others followed more deliberately, Marjorie taking her seat beside Fidge on the same fish.
"Oh! do tell us one, please," begged the little boy. "The Three Bears, or Little Red Riding Hood, or something of that sort." "Fidge, Fidge," cried Dick, rebukingly, "you mustn't bother the gentleman." "Oh, I don't mind in the least," said the Sage, pleasantly. "I'll tell him some stories, if he likes."
"Yes, so am I," admitted Dick; "we must see what we can do to get some food." "The doors at the ends of the carriage are open," cried Marjorie, from below. "I believe it's a corridor train, like that we went to Scarborough in last year," she added. "Perhaps there's a dining-car at the end of this one." Dick and Fidge scrambled down, and, accompanied by Marjorie, determined to explore.
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