“Because if she is, we oughtn’t to be out alone in the dark with her,” said Malkin. “No,” said Nibby, “it wouldn’t be safe.” “Then suppose you ask her if she’s rude,” said Malkin. “_You’re_ the one to ask her, brother,” said Nibby. “Oh, dear me!” said Merrimeg. “You don’t need to ask me. I’m _not_ rude. Only sometimes maybe I am, but I don’t mean it, and I wish you’d please hurry.” “I guess it’s all right, brother Nibby,” said Malkin. They came to a stream of water, flowing along underground in the dark, and a little boat was tied to a stake in the stream. Merrimeg sat down at the back end of the boat, and the two gnomes sat down before her, each one with a paddle in his hand. The paddles began to dip in the water, and the little boat began to go swiftly up the stream. “A little faster, brother,” said Malkin. “Very good, brother, very good,” said Nibby. With that, they began to paddle so fast that Merrimeg positively could not see their paddles, and the candles went out, and then she could not see anything at all. She felt that she was rushing along like lightning, and she had to hold on to the sides of the boat. “It’s getting colder now,” said Malkin. “So it is, brother, so it is,” said Nibby. Merrimeg was so cold by this time that her teeth chattered. “We ought to have asked her if she’d mind being cold,” said Malkin. “We forgot to ask her that.” “Yes, we forgot to ask her that,” said Nibby. “But it’s too late now.” Merrimeg’s legs and arms were nearly frozen. They were so stiff that she could not move them. She thought that she was freezing to death. “We’re going up now,” said Malkin. “We are, sure enough, brother,” said Nibby. “Now for a good push up over the waterfall, and we’ll be there,” said Malkin. [Illustration: IN FRONT OF THEM ROSE A GREAT MOUNTAIN OF SNOW....] “Yes, now for a good push,” said Nibby. They were going up and up, and Merrimeg was getting stiffer and stiffer. She couldn’t move at all by this time. A great roar of falling water came to her from just ahead, and “Now!” cried Malkin, and “All right!” cried Nibby, and the boat turned straight up and climbed the side of the waterfall like an arrow, with the gnomes paddling for dear life. “Here we are!” cried Malkin, and “Here we are, brother!” cried Nibby, and they came out of the side of the earth and paddled on quietly up the stream through a wide field of ice under a dark cloudy sky. In front of them rose the top of a great mountain of snow. “I don’t believe she can move,” said Malkin. “I’m pretty sure she can’t,” said Nibby. The boat stopped, and the gnomes got out on the ice and lifted out Merrimeg between them. She could hear and see, but she was frozen so stiff that she could not move. “Do you think we can throw that far?” said Malkin. “You’re so strong, brother, you’re so strong,” said Nibby. “Then let’s try it,” said Malkin.