"You might leave me your card," said the Dodo to the Executioner, pressing a small coin into his hand. "I shall probably go in for a complete course of execution when I get back again; and, besides, the address of a good, reliable Executioner is a handy thing to have in the house." The Executioner giggled, and handed the bird his card, and then both he and the Court Glover got into the car, and the balloon was soon vanishing in the distance. After watching them nearly out of sight the Dodo capered wildly about till the children began to fear that he had suddenly gone off his head. "Whatever is the matter?" inquired Dick. "Why are you carrying on in that absurd way?" The Dodo fumbled beneath one wing, and drew forth a little paper package. "Ha! ha! ha! _They went away without the gloves after all_!" he shrieked, and began to roll about on the ground in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. CHAPTER XVI. THE PREHISTORIC DOCTOR. "I can't imagine," said Dick, "why you think such a lot of those wretched old gloves. They seem to have got you into quite enough trouble already." "They look so respectable," explained the Dodo, "and give one such an air. You have _never_ before seen a bird wearing gloves, now, have you?" he added, appealing to the company generally, who were obliged to flatter his vanity by confessing that they never had. Dick, however, in a spirit of pure mischief, decided to play him a trick. So, when the Dodo, having put on one glove, strutted away to show off before the Archaeopteryx, leaving the other one behind him, Dick quickly picked it up and put it on himself, then calling to aid the power which the Panjandrum's Ambassador had given him of being able to make himself whatever size he wished, he cried, "I wish to be as big as the biggest giant that ever lived," and immediately became so tall that the Palaeotherium and the Eteraedarium, who were standing near, fled in dismay, while Marjorie and Fidge looked up with the greatest of admiration to their now big--big brother. Dick then telling them, in a voice that sounded like thunder, to stand aside, took off the glove, which had, of course, grown with him, and threw it on to the ground, where it lay a huge mass of coarse leather as many _feet_ long as it had formerly been _inches_, and with buttons almost as big as dinner plates. It was, of course, the easiest matter imaginable for Dick to reduce himself to his proper size again, while the glove remained as it was, and this he very quickly did, to the evident relief of the poor Palaeotherium and the Eteraedarium, who had been trembling and quaking behind a clump of trees, and looking with the greatest disquietude at these extraordinary proceedings. "This is fine growing weather, Sir," remarked the Palaeotherium, respectfully, as he came forward and stood by Dick beside the enormous glove. [Illustration: "'Is that it?' asked Dick."]