“Good!” Bob shouted gleefully. “I guess I’ll like Goblinland all right; and I don’t care if I do stay a boy. Am I the first human boy that ever got into your country, Fitz?” “You’re the first human being of any kind that ever set foot in Goblinland.” “Is that so? Well, I’ll try not to make your people sorry you brought me here, Fitz.” “That’s all right, Bob,” his companion made reply, a little dejectedly, the boy thought. “And what would you like to do first—now that you are in a land that is absolutely new to you?” “Fitz, I’d like to take a good long sleep.” “That would please you?” “Yes, indeed.” “More than anything else, for the present?” “Yes.” “All right. Off to bed you go. You’ll find a couch in the next room. Go in there and tumble down.” “I will pretty soon.” “But you must go now.” “Must go now? Why?” “Because it’s the law in Goblinland that a boy shall do what he pleases—and at once.” “Well, I won’t go to bed till I get ready, Fitz.” “You don’t mean to defy the law, do you, Bob?” “Doggone such an old law!” the lad muttered peevishly. Fitz Mee giggled and held his sides and rocked to and fro. “What’s the matter of you, anyhow?” Bob cried crossly. His comrade continued to laugh, his knees drawn up to his chin, his fat face convulsed. “Old Giggle-box!” the boy stormed. “You think you’re smart—making fun of me.” Fitz Mee grew grave at once. “Bob,” he said soberly, “you’ll get into trouble, and you’ll get me into trouble.” “I don’t care.” “Go to bed at once, that’s a good boy.” “I won’t do it.” Just then the outer door opened and a uniformed officer stepped into the room. “His honor, the mayor, begs me to say,” he gravely announced, “that as Master Robert Taylor has said that he would be pleased to sleep, he must go to sleep—and at once. His honor trusts that Master Taylor will respect and obey the law of the land, without further warning.” The officer bowed and turned and left the house. “Well, I declare!” Bob gasped, completely taken aback. “What kind of a country is this, anyhow?” Fitz Mee tumbled to the floor, and rolled and roared. [Illustration] The ludicrousness of the situation appealed to the fun-loving Bob, and he joined in his companion’s merriment. Together they wallowed and kicked upon the floor, prodding each other in the ribs and indulging in other rude antics indicative of their exuberant glee. When they had their laugh out Bob remarked: “Well, I’ll go to bed, Fitz, just to obey the law; but I don’t suppose I can snooze a bit.”