“I believe now maybe he’ll give her up,” said Malkin from the other side of the fire. “Give her up!” said Little Hark, struggling on Malkin’s shoulder. “Fee skimble fen bitkin, fee skimble fen moklin!” shouted Big Hark, which meant, “If you’ll give up the boy, I’ll give up the maiden!” “Good!” cried Malkin. “Good!” said Little Hark. Nibby the gnome ran to Merrimeg and unfastened the vines that bound her arms, and lifted her up and carried her across the stream of fire, knocking the Fire Bubbles away with his hand, so that she wasn’t harmed in the least; and at the same time brother Malkin crossed the stream of fire and put down Little Hark beside his father. “Hurry! hurry!” cried Merrimeg, and pulled the two gnomes away into the darkness beyond the fire. “Farewell!” cried Malkin. “Good-by!” called back Little Hark, and his father shook him by the shoulder and said, “Oxtragob borgs, gooblik!” which meant, as you know, “Wrong again, stupid!” “Take me home quick,” said Merrimeg as she went on between the two gnomes deeper and deeper into the darkness. “She’s not very polite to-day, brother,” said Malkin. “Not very, brother, not very, indeed,” said Nibby. “She really ought to say ‘Please,’ I think.” “Maybe something’s happened to bother her,” said Malkin. “Maybe so, maybe so,” said Nibby. “I wonder what it could be.” They went down into the earth for a long way, and then they went up under the earth for a long way, and at last they stopped. “Here we are, brother Nibby,” said Malkin, and he appeared to be opening a door. “Home again, brother Malkin,” said Nibby, and the three of them climbed a ladder, and Nibby raised a door overhead, and the next minute they were in the gnomes’ kitchen. Malkin and Nibby sat themselves down at their little table, where a candle was burning, and Malkin said: “I suppose we’d better ask her to stay to supper, brother.” “Just what I was thinking,” said Nibby. “But which one of us will ask her?” “Oh, _you_ must be the one to do that, brother.” “Oh, no, you can do it so much better, brother Malkin. _You_ must----” “Goodness gracious me!” said Merrimeg. “You don’t need to ask me. I can’t stay anyway.” “Not very polite to-day, brother, not very polite,” said Malkin. “I’m afraid not, brother, I’m afraid not,” said Nibby. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Merrimeg. “Please excuse me. I really have to go home. And I’m ever so much obliged to you.” She climbed the ladder to the ceiling and went up through the little door there, and calling down good-by she stepped out onto the roof of the gnomes’ house, and closed down the door after her. She ran as fast as she could through the woods, until she came to the brook where she had left her basket. There it was, full of water cress, just as she had left it. She snatched it up and ran all the way home. When she came in at the kitchen door of her house, her mother was rummaging in the cupboard, as if she were looking for something she had lost.