Chapter Five
I don't believe anyone could figure that out," he murmured gleefully.
"It might be done by subtraction," said the King, looking at the two critically.
"Great hay stacks!" rumbled Kabumpo, glaring over his shoulder to see if he had lost any fringe so far. "What have we gotten into?"
"Bald!" gulped Pompa, rubbing his head. "Do you mean to say you take poor innocent travelers and make them into arithmetic problems?"
"Why not?" said the thin one, who looked exactly like a giant lead pencil. "And please address me as Count, after this—Count It Up is my name. What's the matter with living in a problem, my boy? Life is a problem, after all, and you will get used to it in time. I'll try to assign you to a comfortable book and you'll find book-keeping a lot more simple than house-keeping. This way, please!"
"Please go," yawned the Ruler, waving his hand. "The Count will take you in charge now." And so dazed was the Elegant Elephant by all this strange reasoning that he tamely followed the lead pencil person.
"Good-bye!" shouted the Ruler hoarsely. "Start them on simple additions," he said as they moved off.
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