The Counterpane Fairy [22]
was wrapped in a mist of ruddy light. Through it he heard the voice of the Counterpane Fairy counting on and on, and as she counted he heard, with her voice, another sound,--at first very faintly, then more and more clearly: clink-clank! clink-clank! clink-clank! It reminded him a little of the ticking of the clock on the mantle, only it was more metallic.
"FORTY-NINE!" cried the Counterpane Fairy, clapping her hands.
* * * * * * * *
And now the sound rang loud and clear in Teddy's ears; it was the beating of hammers upon anvils.
When Teddy looked about him he was standing on a road that ran along the side of a mountain. All along this road were openings that looked like the mouths of caverns, and from these openings poured the ceaseless sound of beating, and a ruddy glow that reddened all the air and sky.
It all seemed very familiar to Teddy, and he had a feeling that he had seen it before.
Stepping to the nearest cavern he looked in, and there he saw the whole inside of the mountain was hollowed out into forges that opened into each other be means of rocky arches. In every forge were little dwarfs dressed in leather and hammering at pieces of red-hot iron that lay on the anvils.
As Teddy stood looking in he was so tall that his head almost touched the top of the doorway. He was dressed in a long red cloak, and under that he wore a robe fastened about the waist with a girdle of rubies that shone and sparkled in the light; upon his hand was a ruby ring. The stone of the ring was turned inward toward the palm, but it was so bright that the light shone through his fingers, and he drew his cloak over his hand that the dwarfs might not see it, for it was not yet time for them to know that he was King Fireheart.
After a while the iron that the little men were beating had to be put in the fire again to heat, and then they turned and looked at Teddy.
"Good-day," said he.
"Good-day," answered the dwarfs, staring hard at him.
"What are you making there?" asked Teddy.
"A link," answered the dwarfs.
"A link!" said Teddy. "What for?"
"For a chain," answered the dwarfs, and then the iron was hot and they took it out again and laid it on the anvil. Clink-clank! clink-clank! clink-clank! went their hammers.
Teddy watched them at their work for a while, and then he went on to the next forge, and there it was the same thing--more little dwarfs hammering away at their anvils as if their lives depended on it.
"Good-day," said Teddy, as soon as they paused to heat the iron.
"Good-day," said the dwarfs.
"What are you making there?" asked Teddy.
"A link," answered the dwarfs.
"What for?" said Teddy.
"For a chain," answered the dwarfs, and then they set to work again.
Teddy went on and on through the forges, and in every one of them were little dwarfs hammering away on links.
When he came to the last forge of all, they were just finishing a link, and as they threw it into a tank of water a cloud of steam rose, almost hiding them from view. They were so busy that they paid no attention to Teddy when he spoke. "Make haste! Make haste!" they cried to each other. "It is growing late and she will soon be here."
In a great hurry the dwarfs caught up the link from the water and laid it on the anvil again, and then they all stood back from it. Every noise has ceased through all the forges, and the dwarfs were waiting in breathless stillness as though for something to happen.
Suddenly, in the silence, Teddy heard a faint tinkling as though of icicles struck lightly together, and at the same moment he saw that a woman all in white had entered the forge down at the other end. Her dress shone with all different colors, just as icicles do when they hang in the sunlight, and as the light of the fire caught it here and there, it almost looked as though it were on fire. Her hair was very black, and she wore a crown.
She stepped up to the anvil that was in the forge and laid her hand upon it. She was too far away for Teddy to see what she did, but there
"FORTY-NINE!" cried the Counterpane Fairy, clapping her hands.
* * * * * * * *
And now the sound rang loud and clear in Teddy's ears; it was the beating of hammers upon anvils.
When Teddy looked about him he was standing on a road that ran along the side of a mountain. All along this road were openings that looked like the mouths of caverns, and from these openings poured the ceaseless sound of beating, and a ruddy glow that reddened all the air and sky.
It all seemed very familiar to Teddy, and he had a feeling that he had seen it before.
Stepping to the nearest cavern he looked in, and there he saw the whole inside of the mountain was hollowed out into forges that opened into each other be means of rocky arches. In every forge were little dwarfs dressed in leather and hammering at pieces of red-hot iron that lay on the anvils.
As Teddy stood looking in he was so tall that his head almost touched the top of the doorway. He was dressed in a long red cloak, and under that he wore a robe fastened about the waist with a girdle of rubies that shone and sparkled in the light; upon his hand was a ruby ring. The stone of the ring was turned inward toward the palm, but it was so bright that the light shone through his fingers, and he drew his cloak over his hand that the dwarfs might not see it, for it was not yet time for them to know that he was King Fireheart.
After a while the iron that the little men were beating had to be put in the fire again to heat, and then they turned and looked at Teddy.
"Good-day," said he.
"Good-day," answered the dwarfs, staring hard at him.
"What are you making there?" asked Teddy.
"A link," answered the dwarfs.
"A link!" said Teddy. "What for?"
"For a chain," answered the dwarfs, and then the iron was hot and they took it out again and laid it on the anvil. Clink-clank! clink-clank! clink-clank! went their hammers.
Teddy watched them at their work for a while, and then he went on to the next forge, and there it was the same thing--more little dwarfs hammering away at their anvils as if their lives depended on it.
"Good-day," said Teddy, as soon as they paused to heat the iron.
"Good-day," said the dwarfs.
"What are you making there?" asked Teddy.
"A link," answered the dwarfs.
"What for?" said Teddy.
"For a chain," answered the dwarfs, and then they set to work again.
Teddy went on and on through the forges, and in every one of them were little dwarfs hammering away on links.
When he came to the last forge of all, they were just finishing a link, and as they threw it into a tank of water a cloud of steam rose, almost hiding them from view. They were so busy that they paid no attention to Teddy when he spoke. "Make haste! Make haste!" they cried to each other. "It is growing late and she will soon be here."
In a great hurry the dwarfs caught up the link from the water and laid it on the anvil again, and then they all stood back from it. Every noise has ceased through all the forges, and the dwarfs were waiting in breathless stillness as though for something to happen.
Suddenly, in the silence, Teddy heard a faint tinkling as though of icicles struck lightly together, and at the same moment he saw that a woman all in white had entered the forge down at the other end. Her dress shone with all different colors, just as icicles do when they hang in the sunlight, and as the light of the fire caught it here and there, it almost looked as though it were on fire. Her hair was very black, and she wore a crown.
She stepped up to the anvil that was in the forge and laid her hand upon it. She was too far away for Teddy to see what she did, but there