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He looked way up at the circle of light at the top of the hole and shouted: "Say, Toyman, can I go to China just for a little while?" The Toyman's face appeared in the circle of light at the top. "Sure, sonny, have a good time," he shouted back, and his voice coming way down that hole sounded hollow, as if he were hollering down a well. Marmaduke waved to him.
Anyway, before long, the Toyman's pile was growing less and less, while Marmaduke had nine gray marbles we should say "migs" one "chiney," two brown "croakers," one blue "croaker," and one "glassey," and his shooter, the "pure," of course. And Jehosophat had ten "migs," two "chimneys," one "glassey," two brown "croakers," and one blue one, and his shooter.
It was a strange little voice that ordered the reindeer. The red and blue sleigh stopped short. Marmaduke rubbed his eyes. The strange little voice spoke again. "Jump in," it said. And there in the front seat of the toy sleigh sat a funny little chap, about as big as the Toyman's thumb no bigger. He wore a pointed cap that shone like tinsel on a Christmas tree.
And he wrote "White Swan" on one chip, "Peacock" on another, and "Arrow" on the last. Then he held them towards the children. "The smallest must choose first," he said, and Hepzebiah took one of the little white pieces of wood from the Toyman's hand. He turned it over and read: "White Swan." "We'd go a good ways before we'd get a better name," he decided.
He had always liked to be held close in the Toyman's arms, especially at night before the fire when he told them stories, but never had those arms felt as safe as now. Then, all-of-a-sudden he thought ! "Stop!" he tried to shout, but his mouth was almost too full of water to say anything, "get blllllloooo Hep-ze-bbbllllooo" and then he had to stop.
"Nothing makes me scared when I'm here," he said. He wasn't afraid of giants, or ogres, or wild animals, or anything, when he was safe in the Toyman's arms. For a while he looked up into his face. The Toyman's hair stood up, all funny and rough. He was always running his fingers through it. His face had wrinkles like hard seams, and it was as brown as saddle leather from working outdoors.
And what they saw there we will tell you tomorrow night. Marmaduke was lost. There was such a crowd around those tents! He wriggled between lots of pairs of legs, but nowhere could he find the Toyman's. Near the door of the tent stood a man with a big black moustache, and a silk hat on his head. He was selling tickets. The Toyman went up to him. "Howdy," said the Toyman.
It was a very mischievous chuckle. Then he said: "Take a good look at yourself." Marmaduke did. My, how he had shrunk! He was no bigger than a brownie, no bigger himself than the Toyman's thumb. "How did that happen?" he said, "Oh, the dream fairy did that," said Jack. "She likes to play tricks on people. It's lots of fun. But shake a leg, shake a leg!"
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