“But—but—” gasped Dick. “What became of the Old Witch of the Sea?” The lady laughed even more merrily than before. “I am the Old Witch of the Sea,” she said. “Oh, I am ever so many persons! It is my pet game, playing at being all sorts of different people! Good-bye, little mortal boy. I have an idea that we shall be very good friends one of these days, and I’m glad that we met! Good-bye,—and don’t forget that you have been kissed by the Fairy of Fancy.” “Is that your name?” asked Dick, looking at her gravely. “It’s one of my names. Your sister Bab calls me the Idle Princess, and if you asked Meg, she would say that I was the Lady Dreams-Come-True. You’ll know me by a hundred other names by and by!... Good luck, and good-bye!” And she danced away from him laughing, her golden hair tossing in the wind. In a moment she had disappeared. “And now,” thought Dick, “to get into that Red City!” While he was thinking this problem over, he heard a voice cry: “Good-fortune, Dick! I’m off to see how Bab and Meg are getting on. You have done well to get here so soon! Good luck! Good luck!” [Illustration: “SHE WAS SURELY THE QUEEN OF THE FAIRY FOLK”] It was Bizzybuzz! Before Dick could even answer him, he was off, a mere glimmering green speck in the distant light. Dick felt more cheerful after seeing him, but he wished that he might have stopped long enough to advise him as to the best way of entering the city. For lack of fuller directions, he started to follow the wall for a time, to see if there might not be an opening. And as he walked, he suddenly heard a voice just over his head, whispering in saddest accents, “Oh, shall I never be free?” Dick looked up, startled. There, at the top of the wall, was Humpty Dumpty himself, at last! As we have heard before, Humpty Dumpty was an Egg,—a huge white, smooth egg. The only thing about him that was different from other eggs was that he had features; that is, he had features of a sort, and also limbs, though very queer ones. On the pallid white surface of the egg-shell was sketched a large mournful face which looked as though it had been drawn in lead-pencil; and two little thin arms and two little thin legs stood out from the shell like spider-limbs. He was sighing and moaning in a very pathetic way, and Dick felt extremely sorry for him. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” groaned poor Humpty Dumpty, addressing the air and the sky. “Will no one ever come to rescue me?” “Yes, indeed!” cried Dick, eagerly. “I have come to rescue you!” “What!” exclaimed Humpty Dumpty, “a Rescuer at last? Let me look! Oh, let me look!” He gazed down at Dick, and then his expression became even sadder than before. “What could _you_ do?” he asked in deep depression. “You—a little mortal boy!” “I know I’m little,” said Dick, feeling rather hurt. “But your mother thinks that I can help you get away, anyway!” “Did my mother send you?” questioned Humpty Dumpty, in surprise.