He took such a pleasure in telling the answers to his riddles, that no truly kind-hearted person would deprive him of it, by trying to solve them.

“You see,” as Old Riddler used to say, when talked to on the subject, “if I take all the trouble to make up these riddles, it’s no more than fair that I should be allowed to give the answers.”

So, the old gnome, who was not much higher than a two-year-old child, though he had quite a venerable head and face, was very much encouraged by the way the people treated him, and when a person happened to be very kind and appreciative, and gave a good deal of attention to one of his conundrums, that person would be pretty sure, before long, to feel glad that he had met Old Riddler.

[Illustration:  “‘DON’T YOU SEE?’ ASKED THE OLD FELLOW.”]

There were thousands of ways in which the gnomes could benefit the country-folks, especially those who had little farms or gardens.  Sometimes Old Riddler, who was a person of great influence in his tribe, would take a company of gnomes, under the garden of some one to whom he wished to do a favor, and they would put their little hands up through the earth and pull down all the weeds, root-foremost, so that when the owner went out in the morning, he would find his garden as clear of weeds as the bottom of a dinner-plate.

Of course, any one who has habits of this kind must eventually become a general favorite, and this was the case with Old Riddler.

One day, he made up a splendid riddle, and, after he had told it to all the gnomes, he hurried up to propound it to some human person.

He was in such haste that he actually forgot his hat, although it was late in the fall, and he wore his cloak.  He had not gone far through the fields before he met a young goose-girl, named Lois.  She was a poor girl, and was barefooted; and as Old Riddler saw her in her scanty dress, standing on the cold ground, watching her geese, he thought to himself:  “Now I do hope that girl has wit enough to understand my riddle, for I feel that I would like to get interested in her.”

So, approaching Lois, he made a bow and politely asked her:  “Can you tell me, my good little girl, why a ship full of sailors, at the bottom of the sea, is like the price of beef?”

The goose-girl began to scratch her head, through the old handkerchief she wore instead of a bonnet, and tried to think of the answer.

“Because it’s ‘low,’” said she, after a minute or two.

“Oh no!” said the gnome.  “That’s not it.  You can give it up, you know, if you can’t think of the answer.”

“I know!” said Lois.  “Because it’s sunk.”

“Not at all,” said Old Riddler, a little impatiently.  “Now come, my good girl, you’d much better give it up.  You will just hack at the answer until you make it good for nothing.”

“Well, what is it?” said Lois.

“I will tell you,” said the gnome.  “Now, pay attention to the answer:  Because it has gone down.  Don’t you see?” asked the old fellow, with a gracious smile.