"I could never have got the Black Leaf at the end if it hadn't been for Miss Lydia," she cried. "She was awfully brave. Although she had been made blind by the Pumpkin she walked out into the garden where the Leaf was growing and where the Pumpkin and his spies were waiting--she went out deliberately--to distract them--while I got the Leaf."
"Three cheers for Miss Lydia!" cried someone in the crowd, and the cheers were given heartily, much to Miss Lydia's confusion.
When Molly reached the end of her tale there was a perfect storm of cheering; she stepped down, flushed and excited, and stood talking to Old Nancy for a few minutes, until the cheering gradually died away and in its place a low muttering and groaning arose at the back of the crowd, followed by an outburst of booing and hissing. Molly turned quickly and saw that the crowd had parted, and through the space made a procession of people was wending its way. They were the Pumpkin's spies; some very dejected, with hanging heads; others sullen and defiant. First came the old woman with the scarlet turban and the little darting eyes; next came the girl in green; then several others that Molly had never seen before--though judging by the remarks to be heard on all sides they were no strangers to the other searchers; among those in the rear Molly recognized the old watchmaker, and the man on horseback, who had given her the letter that was supposed to be from Old Nancy. There were about thirty of the spies altogether, and they gathered in a group before Old Nancy, who eyed them sadly.
"Was it you who scattered the grey powder on my window sill, and made me sleep through the sunset hour, and so enabled the Pumpkin to return?" she asked of the old woman who had led the band of spies.
The old woman nodded. "When some one in the Impossible World pierced the Pumpkin with a pin, the power for good which held me was suddenly dispersed, and all the evil magic that I knew rushed into my mind, and I made the grey powder and brought it to you ... heh, heh, heh," a chuckle escaped. "And I'm glad I did. We've had a splendid time, ain't we, ducky?" she leered at the girl in green, who nodded sullenly. "And if it hadn't bin for a sort of muddle we made between us in our eagerness to keep that meddlin' gel away"--the old woman gave Molly an ugly glance--"our Grey Pumpkin wouldn't have bin caught and here to-day, that he wouldn't."