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Page 76
"Get up, I tell you!" said the little man, laughing.
Peter did as he was told. Doubtless he had been growing smaller, for
when he was fairly astride he sat the mouse as if it had been made for
him. As to the mouse, it kept perfectly still for Peter to mount.
"Now, sit fast!" cried the Mannikin; and Peter had hardly seized the
ears of the mouse (for want of reins), when his new steed ran away with
him under the bed.
Then all of a sudden it became quite dark.
"Where are we?" cried Peter, for the mouse galloped on, and Peter was
getting frightened.
"We are in the cellar," the voice of the Parsnip-man replied at his
side. "Don't be frightened; it will be light again in a minute or two."
Accordingly, in a few moments, Peter could see all around him. They had
emerged from the cellar, and were now in the street. The wind had
fallen, and there was a dead calm. The street-lamps were burning with a
somewhat dim light, however.
Peter could now plainly see the form of the little Parsnip-man riding
beside him. The mice scampered on and on.
[Illustration]
A watchman was standing in the doorway of a house. His halberd reposed
against the wall beside him. Probably the watchman himself was reposing,
for he never moved when the mice and their riders went by. They rode to
the end of the street, and there, before an old deserted house which
Peter had often shuddered to look at in the daytime, the mice stopped.
"Here we are!" said the Parsnip-man, jumping down from his mouse.
Peter dismounted more leisurely, and the two mice ran off.
It was almost pitch dark by the old house. Only one distant lamp gave a
feeble glimmer. The Parsnip-man whistled as before. By and by Peter
heard a sound like "Bst! bst!"
He looked all round, but could see nothing. At this moment the Mannikin
caught him by the arm and pointed upwards to a hole in the wall of the
old house. Peter then perceived that something was moving higher up, and
very shortly he heard a rustling noise as if a ladder of ropes were
being let down from above.
"Come quickly!" said a shrill, slender voice. "The chimes have sounded
once since the hour. The Queen is waiting."
"Climb on to my shoulders, Peter," said the Parsnip-man, stooping as he
spoke. Peter did so, and held fast by the little man's neck, who climbed
nimbly up the rope-ladder to the opening in the wall above; and there
Peter got down.
Here there stood another Parsnip-man with a little lantern in his hand,
which he turned on Peter's face, and then nodded to him in a friendly
way. After which he unhooked the rope-ladder and drew it up.
The two Parsnip-men now took Peter between them, each holding a hand.
They went through long dark passages, and then they began to go
down-stairs. Peter counted a hundred steps, but still they went down,
down, and he could count no more.
All at once he heard music, which sounded as if it came from a distance.
They were now at the bottom of the steps, and walking on level ground.
The further they went the louder grew the music, and at last the
Parsnip-men came to a standstill.
The one who held the lantern threw its light upon the wall till it
disclosed a knob, on which he pressed. Then he put out his lantern, and
all was dark. But the music sounded louder than before.
Suddenly the wall parted and moved aside, and Peter could hardly
restrain his cries of astonishment, for what he now saw was like nothing
he had ever seen before. He was looking into a great big hall. It was as
light as day. Dazzling lustres of crystal, with thousands and thousands
of wax tapers, whose flames were reflected from the mirrors suspended
round the room, hung from the roof. Strange music shook the walls, and
to the time of this music hundreds and hundreds of little Parsnip-men
twirled and danced. All of them were dressed in yellow coats and green
hats, and many of them wore long white beards. And oh, how they chirped
and smirked, and laughed and jumped about, as if they were mad!
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