“What’ll we do with her?” said the gnome called Malkin. “Whatever you say, brother,” said the gnome called Nibby. “You always know best.” “She’s all black,” said the first gnome. “So she is, brother, so she is,” said the other gnome. “But not quite all black,” said the first gnome. “No, not quite,” said the other one. “How clever you are, brother Malkin.” “I see a white place behind her ear,” said brother Malkin. “There’s a white place behind her ear, sure enough,” said brother Nibby. “I wouldn’t have noticed it myself.” “Then why isn’t she white all over?” said brother Malkin. “Ah! that’s the point!” said brother Nibby. “Why isn’t she?” “Because she’s never been thrown onto the Great Snow Mountain,” said Malkin. “That’s it, that’s it, just what I was going to say,” said Nibby. “Then we’d better throw her onto the Great Snow Mountain,” said Malkin. “That’s a very clever idea, brother,” said Nibby. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.” “But suppose she doesn’t want to be white?” said Malkin. “That’s so,” said the other. “I never thought of that.” “How will we find out?” said brother Malkin. “That’s the trouble,” said Nibby. “How are we ever going to find out?” “How would it do to ask her?” said Malkin. “That’s a very good idea,” said brother Nibby. “How you do think of things!” “Which one of us had better ask her?” said Malkin. “Oh, that should be you, brother,” said Nibby. “I think you should be the one,” said Malkin. “Oh, no indeed, brother Malkin, no, no, no, no, no,----” “I’ll tell you!” cried Merrimeg, jumping to her feet, out of all patience with these gnomes. “I _do_ want to be white! I do! I do!” “I believe she wants to be white,” said brother Malkin. “I’m pretty sure of it,” said Nibby. “Then you’d better tell her to come along with us,” said Malkin. “Oh dear no, brother, I think _you_ should be the one to tell her,” said brother Nibby. “No, you should be the one,” said Malkin. “No, you, brother Malkin.” “No, no; _you_, brother Nibby.” “Goodness gracious me!” cried Merrimeg, more and more out of patience. “For mercy’s sake come along! Don’t let’s stay here talking all day! Let’s hurry, hurry!” “She’s not very polite, brother,” said Malkin. “Not very, indeed,” said Nibby. “I noticed it myself.” Each of the gnomes took a lighted candle from the table; then they opened a door in the floor of the kitchen and went down a ladder, and Merrimeg went down after them. When they were at the bottom, in a dark tunnel, lit only by the candles carried by the gnomes, Malkin stopped and said: “We mustn’t forget to have that roof fixed.” “No, we mustn’t forget that,” said Nibby. “Oh, bother the roof,” said Merrimeg to herself. “I wish we would get on.” “Did you hear what she said?” said Malkin. “It sounded to me like something rude.” “That’s the way it sounded to me, too,” said Nibby. “I think we ought to ask her if she’s rude or not,” said Malkin. “Yes, we ought to know that,” said Nibby.