The Under Folk
could get leave to show you the Hall of the Archives, would you promise not to try to escape?"
They had now been shut up for two days and would have promised anything in reason.
"You see, the prisons are quite full now," he said, "and I don't see why you shouldn't be the first to get your leaves-tickets. I'll ask my father."
"I say!" said Mavis.
"What do you say?" said Ulfin.
"Do you know anything about my sister?"
"The Queen's new lap-child? Oh—she's a great pet—her gold collar with her name on it came home today. My cousin's brother-in-law made it."
"The name—Kathleen?" said Mavis.
"The name on the collar is Fido," said Ulfin.
The next day Ulfin brought their tickets-of-leaves, made of the leaves of the tree of Liberty which grows at the bottom of the well where Truth lies.
"Don't lose them," he said, "and come with me." They found it quite possible to move along slowly on hands and tails, though they looked rather like seals as they did so. He led them through the strange streets of massive passages, pointing out the buildings, giving them their names as you might do if you were showing the marvels of your own city to a stranger.
"That's the Astrologers' Tower," he said, pointing to a huge building high above the others. "The wise men sit there and observe the stars."
"But you can't see the stars down here."
"Oh, yes, we can. The tower is fitted up with tubes and mirrors and water transparence apparatus. The wisest men in the country are there—all but the Professor of Conchology. He's the
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