moaning because we’ve nothing to get us up the castle wall,’ said Hop, ‘and we’ve got the very best thing in the world to
get us up there – the saucepans!’
‘Whatever
do
you mean?’ asked Skip.
‘
This
is what I mean,’ said Hop, and he picked up a saucepan. He held it upside down and drove the handle into the toffee wall. It went in quite easily, and stayed there,
for the toffee held it tight.
‘One step up,’ said Hop, and picked up another saucepan. He pushed the handle of that one in, a little way above the first one.
‘Two steps up!’ he cried. ‘
Now
do you see the idea?’
‘Oh
yes
!’ cried the other two. ‘What a good plan, Hop! We can climb up on the saucepans, if only the handles will hold all right!’
‘The toffee will hold them,’ laughed Hop, who was beginning to feel very excited.
One by one the saucepans’ handles were driven into the wall, so that every saucepan made a step higher than the last. They were quite firm and steady and, as the brownies were little and
light, there was no fear of the steps breaking.
Higher and higher they went, until they had almost reached the window at the top. Jump carried the saucepans that were left and passed them one by one to Skip, who passed them to Hop, who drove
the handles into the wall.
‘What a mercy we had so many saucepans!’ whispered Skip.
‘Yes, wasn’t it!’ said Hop. ‘I say! We’re nearly at the top. Suppose the Golden Dwarf leans out of the window and sees us!’
‘We’ll say the magic word!’ said Skip. ‘I know my bit all right.’
‘And I know mine!’ said Jump.
‘Well, we’ll have to join the bits on very quickly when we say it,’ said Hop, ‘or else it won’t sound like a word. Perhaps we’d better practise it before we
go any further.’
‘Hurry up, then,’ said Skip, ‘I’m not very anxious to hang on to these saucepans all night.’
Hop said his part of the magic word, Skip said the middle and Jump joined in quickly with the end. After seven or eight times they managed to do it perfectly, and Hop thought they might go
on.
They had just enough saucepans to reach to the window-ledge. At last Hop could peep over it and look into the room.
He saw a large room hung with golden curtains and spread with a golden carpet. In the middle of it, sitting on a stool, was the Saucepan Man, looking the picture of misery. He was all alone.
‘Good!’ said Hop, and whispered what he saw to the others. Then he peeped over the ledge again.
The Saucepan Man looked up and when he saw Hop, he fell off his stool in astonishment.
‘I must be dreaming,’ he said, and pinched himself very hard.
‘Ow!’ he said. ‘No, I’m not.’
He ran to the window.
‘Help me over,’ said Hop. ‘We’ve come to rescue you.’
The Saucepan Man hauled him into the room, and then they helped Skip and Jump.
Quickly, Hop wrote in his notebook to tell the Saucepan Man how they had come to him.
‘You’d better escape at once, with us,’ wrote Hop, ‘for there’s no knowing when that awful Dragon-bird will appear again, or the Golden Dwarf.’
‘Ugh! Don’t talk of them,’ begged the Saucepan Man. ‘I shall never forget being carried off in those talons. When I got here the Golden Dwarf came and looked at me, and
said I wouldn’t be plump enough to eat for a week.’
The brownies shivered.
‘Come on,’ said Hop, running to the window. ‘Let’s escape while we can.’
He had just got one leg over the window-sill, when heavy footsteps outside the door made his hair stand on end.
‘Oh!’ whispered the Saucepan Man. ‘Hide, quick! It’s the Golden Dwarf.’
The brownies dived behind one of the curtains just as the door opened. In came a peculiar creature, not much bigger than the brownies, who looked as if he were made of solid gold. Hop thought he
looked more like a statue than a live person.
‘I smell brownies!’ said the Golden Dwarf suddenly, and sniffed the air.
The three
get us up there – the saucepans!’
‘Whatever
do
you mean?’ asked Skip.
‘
This
is what I mean,’ said Hop, and he picked up a saucepan. He held it upside down and drove the handle into the toffee wall. It went in quite easily, and stayed there,
for the toffee held it tight.
‘One step up,’ said Hop, and picked up another saucepan. He pushed the handle of that one in, a little way above the first one.
‘Two steps up!’ he cried. ‘
Now
do you see the idea?’
‘Oh
yes
!’ cried the other two. ‘What a good plan, Hop! We can climb up on the saucepans, if only the handles will hold all right!’
‘The toffee will hold them,’ laughed Hop, who was beginning to feel very excited.
One by one the saucepans’ handles were driven into the wall, so that every saucepan made a step higher than the last. They were quite firm and steady and, as the brownies were little and
light, there was no fear of the steps breaking.
Higher and higher they went, until they had almost reached the window at the top. Jump carried the saucepans that were left and passed them one by one to Skip, who passed them to Hop, who drove
the handles into the wall.
‘What a mercy we had so many saucepans!’ whispered Skip.
‘Yes, wasn’t it!’ said Hop. ‘I say! We’re nearly at the top. Suppose the Golden Dwarf leans out of the window and sees us!’
‘We’ll say the magic word!’ said Skip. ‘I know my bit all right.’
‘And I know mine!’ said Jump.
‘Well, we’ll have to join the bits on very quickly when we say it,’ said Hop, ‘or else it won’t sound like a word. Perhaps we’d better practise it before we
go any further.’
‘Hurry up, then,’ said Skip, ‘I’m not very anxious to hang on to these saucepans all night.’
Hop said his part of the magic word, Skip said the middle and Jump joined in quickly with the end. After seven or eight times they managed to do it perfectly, and Hop thought they might go
on.
They had just enough saucepans to reach to the window-ledge. At last Hop could peep over it and look into the room.
He saw a large room hung with golden curtains and spread with a golden carpet. In the middle of it, sitting on a stool, was the Saucepan Man, looking the picture of misery. He was all alone.
‘Good!’ said Hop, and whispered what he saw to the others. Then he peeped over the ledge again.
The Saucepan Man looked up and when he saw Hop, he fell off his stool in astonishment.
‘I must be dreaming,’ he said, and pinched himself very hard.
‘Ow!’ he said. ‘No, I’m not.’
He ran to the window.
‘Help me over,’ said Hop. ‘We’ve come to rescue you.’
The Saucepan Man hauled him into the room, and then they helped Skip and Jump.
Quickly, Hop wrote in his notebook to tell the Saucepan Man how they had come to him.
‘You’d better escape at once, with us,’ wrote Hop, ‘for there’s no knowing when that awful Dragon-bird will appear again, or the Golden Dwarf.’
‘Ugh! Don’t talk of them,’ begged the Saucepan Man. ‘I shall never forget being carried off in those talons. When I got here the Golden Dwarf came and looked at me, and
said I wouldn’t be plump enough to eat for a week.’
The brownies shivered.
‘Come on,’ said Hop, running to the window. ‘Let’s escape while we can.’
He had just got one leg over the window-sill, when heavy footsteps outside the door made his hair stand on end.
‘Oh!’ whispered the Saucepan Man. ‘Hide, quick! It’s the Golden Dwarf.’
The brownies dived behind one of the curtains just as the door opened. In came a peculiar creature, not much bigger than the brownies, who looked as if he were made of solid gold. Hop thought he
looked more like a statue than a live person.
‘I smell brownies!’ said the Golden Dwarf suddenly, and sniffed the air.
The three
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