"It mentions you all by name--just try it yourselves, will you?" Dick took the paper from him, and said loudly, "We wish to be our own size again." To their great delight the children at once found themselves their usual height, and the onions, which had looked before like huge trees, now only reached a little above their heads, while the Sage and the other gnomes looked the tiniest little creatures again. "This is better," said Dick, shaking himself as though he had come out of the water. "Yes, isn't it good to be ourselves once more," said Marjorie. While Fidge jumped about delightedly, breaking down several of the onion plants, and almost treading on the Sage's hut. "Don't caper about like a lot of lunatics," shouted the little man, angrily. "Come and sit down and talk business. The Ki-Wi has something to tell you." All excitement to know what it could be, the children sat down again, and the Ki-Wi after fumbling about in his coat tail for some time, produced a large document and began to read. CHAPTER V. THE KING OF THE FISHES. "Um--ah--that is to say--er--notwithstanding, nevertheless, likewise also, and as is herein aforesaid," began the Ki-Wi, in an important voice. "Hold on!" cried Dick. "We can't understand all that, you know. Why don't you say what you have to say in English?" "It is English," declared the Ki-Wi, in an aggrieved voice, "and very good English too." "Of course it is," chimed in the Sage. "Well we don't understand it, anyhow," maintained Dick. "It doesn't seem to mean anything at all." "Perhaps, Dick, dear," said Marjorie, "Mr. Sage will explain it to us. Let's see--it began----" "'Notwithstanding, nevertheless, likewise, and as is herein aforesaid,'" repeated the Ki-Wi. "Well, I'll explain it, if you wish with pleasure," said the Sage, "though I can't see in the least why it should be necessary. It seems to me to perfectly simple. To begin with--'Notwithstanding' describes our position just now--Not-with-standing, or _not standing with_ the Ki-Wi. He is standing, while we are sitting down, you see; then 'nevertheless' means of course the same as _always-the-greater_, which exactly describes me. You see, my great learning and cleverness always makes me greater than the people I am speaking to, and consequently _never-the-less_. The next word is also descriptive of myself. 'Likewise,' or _like a wise man_, which, I am sure, you will all agree that I am; and 'herein' means that my brains are all _in here_," said the Sage, tapping his head. "While 'aforesaid'--the last word--means that I have a strong head, or a _force-head_, do you see?" "Is the rest of the paper all about yourself, too, Sir?" asked Marjorie. "Yes," was the complacent reply. "Go on, Ki-Wi." "I'm afraid we can't stop," interrupted Dick. "You see, we have got to hunt up that wretched Dodo, and perhaps we had better be going now."