CHAPTER III
Leo had heard of kobolds and gnomes and elves, but in all his wanderingsover the Lazybones estate in the brightness of noon, the dewy dawn, ordusky eve, or later when the moon bathed every shrub in silver, he hadnever so much as caught a glimpse of fairy folk.
Here, however, was a real elf--a most peculiar person. He was extremelysmall, thin, and wiry, about two and a half inches high, and his costumea cross between that of a student or professor and that of a miner, foron his bushy head was a miner's cap with a lantern, and on his back wasa student's gown, while his thin legs were incased in black silkstockings, and his feet in rough hobnailed boots. Slung over oneshoulder was a leather bag, and in his hand was a curious sort of atool.
"The Master Professor Knops has the honor of saluting Prince LeoLazybones," was the way in which this extraordinary person introducedhimself, making at the same time a deep bow and a military salute, butwith no raising of the cap from which the little lantern gleamed with abright blue flame. Leo returned the salutation with a lazy grace,smiling curiously upon the queer little object before him, who proceededto say:
"And now let us go; I lead--you follow."
"Forward, then," responded Leo, rising from his lounging attitude.
The elf went nimbly down the corridor, as if accustomed to it, andpaused before a door which led to a flight of stone steps.
"Are you going down cellar?" asked Leo, who knew where the stairs led.
"I am," replied Knops; "but these huge doors and heavy hinges bother me.Be so good as to open and close them for me. By-the-way, you may gethungry; shall we find food down here?"
"Perhaps so," said Leo, following, and doing as requested.
They went down step after step, and it was wonderful how much light camefrom that little blue flame.
On skipped the elf, his gown puffing out, his nailed boots patteringover the stones, and Leo found himself quite breathless when theyreached the cellar, so unused was he to any rapidity of movement.
"Suppose we meet some one," said Leo.
"And what have we to fear if we do? No one can see me, and if you areafraid of a scullion or house-maid you are not the Prince I take youfor. Tut! tut! don't be afraid--come on."
The cellar was damp, and great curtains of cobwebs, like gray lace, fellover the empty bins and wine-vaults. From a heap of winter vegetablesLeo filled his pockets with apples and turnips.
They came at last to a door which Leo remembered having opened once, butfinding that it led to a passage which was dark, dismal, and unused, hehad not cared to explore it. He now followed the elf through it, but notwithout misgivings, for as he groped along he stepped on a round objectwhich, to his horror when the little blue flame of the elf's lanternrevealed its empty sockets and grinning jaws, proved to be a skull.
Knops turned with a smile when he saw Leo's agitation, and said,blandly,
"You are not interested in this form of natural history, I see." Thentaking up the skull, he placed it in a crevice of the wall, saying,"Here is another proof that there are no ghosts about. Do you think anyone would be so careless of his knowledge-box as to leave it to bekicked around in that way? Oh, those old monks were miserablehouse-keepers; the idea of stowing away their skeletons so near theirkitchen closets!"
Leo smiled faintly, and went on after Knops, who every once in a whilegave a tap on the walls with his tool, starting the echoes.
"There!" said he, "do you hear that? This is the way we make old houseshaunted. I don't do it for fun, as do the elves of folly. I have asensible purpose; but they like nothing better than to frighten people,and so they make these noises at all hours, and get up reports that ahouse is bewitched; but even a common insect like the cricket can dothat, human beings are such ridiculous cowards."
Leo made an effort to assume the courage which he did not feel, andasked his guide how much farther he intended to lead him.
"Now," said Knops, stopping, and putting on an air of intense gravity,as if he were about to deliver a lecture, "I must beg you, my dearPrince, to place perfect confidence in me. I promised not to harm you.As a member of the S.P.C.C., I am pledged to protect you; besides, youhave no idea how much I am interested in you; this expedition has beenplanned entirely for your benefit. Trust me, then, and give yourselfentirely up to my control. Ask as many questions as you wish, providedthey are useful ones. Just say, without ceremony, 'Knops, why is this?or, Knops, what is that?' and I, in return, if you will be so good as toallow me, will say, frankly, 'Leo, this is this,' or 'that is that.' Buthere is the entrance to our habitations. You will have to stoop alittle." Striking again with his tool, a panel slid open in the wall,through which they crept.
It was still dark, but the air had changed greatly; instead of the mustydampness of a vault, there was a soft warmth, which was fragrant andspicy, and a beam as of moonlight began to illuminate the passage, whichbroadened until they stood at its termination, when Leo found himself ona ledge or gallery of rock, which was but one of many in the vast cavernwhich opened before them.
On its floor was burning an immense bonfire, which flashed and flamed,and around which was a bevy of dwarfs, shovelling on fuel from hugeheaps of sandal-wood. Every gallery swarmed with elves and dwarfs in allsorts of odd costumes, but all bore little lanterns in their caps, andtools in their hands. Some were hammering at great bowlders, others withpicks were working in passages similar to the one Leo had left, andothers seemed to be turning lathes, sharpening knives, cutting andpolishing heaps of brilliant stones. Every once in a while a party ofqueer little creatures much smaller than Knops would trundle inwheelbarrows full of rough pebbles, and dumping them down before thoseemployed in cutting and polishing, would be off again in a jiffy foranother load.
Leo was so astonished that he stood perfectly silent, gazing now at theflashing fire which reflected from all sides of the brilliant quartz ofthe cavern, and now at the tier upon tier of galleries full of busylittle people.
"This is one of our workshops," said Knops, "but not the most important.Now that you have rested a moment I will take you to that."
Line upon line of red and green in rubies and emeralds were at the baseof the grotto, and then he found that the emeralds sprang up into longgrasses, and the rubies into flaming roses, and on slender spears werelilies of pearls and daisies of diamonds, and blending with these werevines of honeysuckle and strawberries, gleaming with sapphires and topazand amethysts, wreathing and flashing up to a ceiling of lapis lazuliblue as a June sky. The floor was a mosaic of turquoise forget-me-notson a turf of Egyptian jasper.
When Leo had looked at all this bewildering beauty, Knops pushed openthe mica door again, and they began to traverse the galleries of therock cavern. He was surprised that none of the elves noticed him, noreven looked at him, and he asked Knops the reason.
"I have rendered you invisible to them, my dear Leo, for two reasons:one is that you may be undisturbed in your examination of their work,and the other is that they may not be interrupted; for of course yourpresence would be a source of lively interest to them, and yet anystoppage of work would necessitate punishment."
"Punishment?" repeated Leo, questioningly.
"Oh yes; most of our hardest workers are elves of mischief and it isonly by keeping them thus constantly employed that we prevent disorder.You have no idea what pranks they play."
"And what is your authority among them?" asked Leo.
"I am one of our King's cabinet; my title is Master Professor. Mylearning qualifies me to decide upon the plans of work, where to searchfor precious stones, and how best to prepare them for man's finding.Nothing is more amusing than the wonder and surprise men exhibit at whatthey consider their discoveries of minerals and gems, when for ages wehave been arranging them for their clumsy hands."
"How do you do this?"
"Ah! it's a long story. Here you see the result of our long searches,and were it not for the processes we conduct none of these stones wouldever be found. We can penetrate where man has
never been; we canconstruct what man has in vain tried to do. Come with me to ourdiamond-room: we do not make many, preferring to find them; but as aninteresting scientific experiment we have always liked to test ourability."
So saying, Knops turned down a little lane lighted by what looked likesmall globes of white fire.
"Electric light," said Knops, with a gesture of disdain, as he saw Leoblinking with wonder--"the commonest sort of a blaze; and yet men havenearly addled their brains over it, while we made it boil our kettles.It's the simplest and cheapest fuel one can have; but having utilized itso long, I am on the lookout for something new. Here, this is the way;"and again he opened a mica door.
Adventures of Prince Lazybones, and Other Stories Page 3