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Page 59
"Well, you can't say more than that," said the dwarf, in a mollified
tone, for he was a kindly little creature; "bring that china bowl here,
and I'll show you how to set to work."
Poor Amelia did not get on very fast, but she tried her best. As to the
dwarf, it was truly wonderful to see how he worked. Things seemed to
mend themselves at his touch, and he was so proud of his skill, and so
particular, that he generally did over again the things which Amelia
had done after her fashion. The first time he gave her a few minutes in
which to rest and amuse herself, she held out her little skirt, and
began one of her prettiest dances.
"Rivets and trivets!" shrieked the little man, "how you dance! It is
charming! I say it is charming! On with you! Fa, la fa! La, fa la! It
gives me the fidgets in my shoe-points to see you!" and forthwith down
he jumped, and began capering about.
"I am a good dancer myself," said the little man. "Do you know the
'Hop, Skip, and a Jump' dance?"
"I do not think I do," said Amelia.
"It is much admired," said the dwarf, "when I dance it;" and he
thereupon tucked up the little leathern apron in which he worked, and
performed some curious antics on one leg.
"That is the Hop," he observed, pausing for a moment. "The Skip is
thus. You throw out your left leg as high and as far as you can, and as
you drop on the toe of your left foot you fling out the right leg in
the same manner, and so on. This is the Jump," with which he turned a
somersault and disappeared from view. When Amelia next saw him he was
sitting cross-legged on his boulder.
"Good, wasn't it?" he said.
"Wonderful!" Amelia replied.
"Now it's your turn again," said the dwarf.
But Amelia cunningly replied--"I'm afraid I must go on with my work."
"Pshaw!" said the little tinker. "Give me your work. I can do more in a
minute than you in a month, and better to boot. Now dance again."
"Do you know this?" said Amelia, and she danced a few paces of a polka
mazurka.
"Admirable!" cried the little man. "Stay"--and he drew an old violin
from behind the rock; "now dance again, and mark the time well, so that
I may catch the measure, and then I will accompany you."
Which accordingly he did, improvising a very spirited tune, which had,
however, the peculiar subdued and weird effect of all the other sounds
in this strange region.
"The fiddle came from up yonder," said the little man. "It was smashed
to atoms in the world and thrown away. But, ho, ho, ho! there is
nothing that I cannot mend, and a mended fiddle is an amended fiddle.
It improves the tone. Now teach me that dance, and I will patch up all
the rest of the gimcracks. Is it a bargain?"
"By all means," said Amelia; and she began to explain the dance to the
best of her ability.
"Charming, charming!" cried the dwarf. "We have no such dance
ourselves. We only dance hand in hand, and round and round, when we
dance together. Now I will learn the step, and then I will put my arm
round your waist and dance with you."
Amelia looked at the dwarf. He was very smutty, and old, and wizened.
Truly, a queer partner! But "handsome is that handsome does;" and he
had done her a good turn. So when he had learnt the step, he put his
arm round Amelia's waist, and they danced together. His shoe-points
were very much in the way, but otherwise he danced very well.
Then he set to work on the broken ornaments, and they were all very
soon "as good as new." But they were not kicked up into the world, for,
as the dwarfs said, they would be sure to break on the road. So they
kept them and used them; and I fear that no benefit came from the
little tinker's skill to Amelia's mamma's acquaintance in this matter.
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