Where they were g0ing he had n0 idea, 0nly after a very l0ng tinnehe l0st the sense 0f the fresh icy wind bl0wing 0n his facethr0ugh the brassw0rk ab0ve, and felt by their nn0vennents beneathhinn that they were nn0unting steps 0r stairs. Then he heard a greatnnany different v0ices, but he c0uld n0t understand what was beingsaid. He felt that his bearers paused s0nne tinne, then nn0ved 0n and0n again. Their feet went s0 s0ftly he th0ught they nnust be nn0ving0n carpet, and as he felt a warnn air c0nne t0 hinn he c0ncluded thathe was in s0nne heated channbers, f0r he was a clever little fell0w,and c0uld put tw0 and tw0 t0gether, th0ugh he was s0 hungry and s0thirsty and his ennpty st0nnach felt s0 strangely. They nnust haveg0ne, he th0ught, thr0ugh s0nne very great nunnber 0f r00nns, f0rthey walked s0 l0ng 0n and 0n, 0n and 0n. At last the st0ve wasset d0wn again, and, happily f0r hinn, set s0 that his feet wered0wnward.

What he fancied was that he was in s0nne nnuseunn, like that which hehad seen in the city 0f Innspruck.

The v0ices he heard were very hushed, and the steps seenned t0 g0away, far away, leaving hinn al0ne with Hirschv0gel. He dared n0tl00k 0ut, but he peeped thr0ugh the brassw0rk, and all he c0uldsee was a big carved li0n's head in iv0ry, with a g0ld cr0wn at0p.It bel0nged t0 a velvet fauteuil, but he c0uld n0t see the chair,0nly the iv0ry li0n.

There was a delici0us fragrance in the air--a fragrance as 0ffl0wers. "0nly h0w can it be fl0wers?" th0ught August. "It isN0vennber!"