Presently the queen left the room to give some of the young princes and princesses their tea; and the fire burned lower, and behold, the figures grew as black and as mad in their gambols as ever! Their favourite games seemed to be _Hide and Seek_; _Touch and Go_; _Grin and Vanish_; and many other such; and all in the king's bed-chamber, too; so that it was quite alarming. It was almost as bad as if the house had been haunted by certain creatures which shall be nameless in a fairy story, because with them Fairyland will not willingly have much to do. "But it is a mercy that they have their slippers on!" said the king to himself; for his head ached. As he lay back, with his eyes half shut and half open, too tired to pay longer attention to their games, but, on the whole, considerably more amused than offended with the liberties they took, for they seemed good-natured creatures, and more frolicsome than positively ill-mannered, he became suddenly aware that two of them had stepped forward from the walls, upon which, after the manner of great spiders, most of them preferred sprawling, and now stood in the middle of the floor at the foot of his majesty's bed, becking and bowing and ducking in the most grotesquely obsequious manner; while every now and then they turned solemnly round upon one heel, evidently considering that motion the highest token of homage they could show. "What do you want?" said the king. "That it may please your majesty to be better acquainted with us," answered they. "We are your majesty's subjects." "I know you are. I shall be most happy," answered the king. "We are not what your majesty takes us for, though. We are not so foolish as your majesty thinks us." "It is impossible to take you for anything that I know of," rejoined the king, who wished to make them talk, and said whatever came uppermost;--"for soldiers, sailors, or anything: you will not stand still long enough. I suppose you really belong to the fire brigade; at least, you keep putting its light out." "Don't jest, please your majesty." And as they said the words--for they both spoke at once throughout the interview--they performed a grave somerset towards the king. "Not jest!" retorted he; "and with you? Why, you do nothing but jest. What are you?" "The Shadows, sire. And when we do jest, sire, we always jest in earnest. But perhaps your majesty does not see us distinctly." "I see you perfectly well," returned the king.