"That's quite enough. Don't argue the point. I shall give you one week from now, and if at the end of that time you do not appear at the Palace of the little Panjandrum with the Dodo, I shall apply to the Grand Panjandrum himself to have you subtransexdistricated, so there!" "But----" "Not another word. Ink! Paper! Pens!" he commanded, getting off his ostrich and squatting down before a flat stone, while the little gnomes ran hither and thither, getting in each other's way, and tripping and stumbling about in all directions in their eagerness to do the Ambassador's bidding. "Sit down!" he ordered, and the children sat down on the ground in front of him. There was a slight difficulty about the ink at this point, for the gnomes, not being quite strong enough to carry the inkstand, turned it over on its side to roll it forward, and of course spilled all the ink. They managed, however, to gather up some of it in their caps, and so kept the Ambassador supplied. "Now then! Know all men by these presents," he began, writing the words down as he spake them. "He's going to give us some presents," whispered Fidge, giving Dick a nudge. Dick shook his head reprovingly, and the little man continued-- "That whereas three children, named respectively--what did you say your name was?" "Richard Greville Verrinder, Sir." "Richard Greville Verrinder, and--what's your sister's name?" [Illustration: "Dick suddenly shot up to the height of over six feet."] "Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder." "Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder, and----" "Harold Ellis Verrinder," prompted Dick. "Who's that?" inquired the Ambassador, sharply. "My little brother," was the reply. "You said his name was Fidge." "Oh, yes, but that's his nickname, you know." "I don't know anything of the sort. Now then, just keep quiet while I finish this document. There," he continued, when he had finished writing some mysterious-looking words on the paper, and had attached two enormous red seals to it--"that's your warrant for arresting the Dodo, when you have found him; and it is also an authority from the little Panjandrum for you at any time to become any size that you wish; to float through the air at will; and to live under water if necessary. So you have everything in your favor, and I shall expect the Dodo back in less than a week. Do you hear? Now I'm off." The little man mounted his ostrich, and without saying a word more to any one, he and his followers rode off in the direction from whence they had come. "Well, I never!" said Dick, picking up the scrawl which had fallen at his feet. "Here's a go! We've got to find that beastly old Dodo in less than a week, or be--what was it?" "I don't know," said Marjorie, dolefully, "it was something very long, and sounded dreadful." "But what's that he said about our being able to be any size that we wished? I'm sure I wish I was as tall as father." "Me, too," said Fidge, emphatically.