"HE SAILED AWAY UNDER THE BRIDGE.""HE SAILED AWAY UNDER THE BRIDGE."
"I'm sorry he's gone," said Dorothy to herself, gazing with longing eyes after the Harlequin. "He wasn't much to talk to, but he was awful beautiful to look at"; and, having relieved her mind by this remark, she was just starting to take another walk through the shop when she suddenly caught sight of a small door in one corner. It wasn't much larger than a rat-hole, but it was big enough for her to go through, and that, of course, was the important thing; and as she never could bear to go by strange doorways until she knew where they led to, she immediately ran through this one, and, quite to her surprise, found herself outside the toy-shop.
There was a steep bank here sloping down from the wall of the shop, and Dorothy was much interested at discovering that it was completely overgrown with little green rocking-chairs. They were growing about in great confusion, and once or twice, when her frockhappened to brush against them, quite an avalanche of them went clattering down the bank and broke up at the bottom into curious little bits of wood like jackstraws. This made climbing down the bank very exciting, but she got safely to the bottom at last, and was just starting off for another journey of discovery when she came suddenly upon the toy farm-house standing quite by itself in the open country. None of the family was present except the Farmer, who was standing in front of the house, staring at it in a bewildered way as if he had never laid eyes on it before. He was a plain-featured man, with a curious little hat something like the lid of a coffee-pot, and with a great number of large yellow buttons arranged on the front of his coat like a row of cream-tarts; and, after the manner of all toy-farmers, he was buried to the ankles in a round piece of wood to keep him from falling over.
Now Dorothy had always particularly wanted to see the inside of a toy farm-house, and, as this seemed to be an excellent opportunity, she walked up to the Farmer and said, very politely, "Can I see your house?"
"I should think you could if you looked at it," said the Farmer, staring first at her and then at the house,as if he were greatly surprised at the question; "Ican see it easily enough."
"But I mean, can I go over it?" said Dorothy, rather confused by this answer.
The Farmer rubbed his nose and looked thoughtfully at the roof of the house for a moment and then said, rather sulkily, "Yes, I suppose you can, but you must agree not to knock off the chimbleys."
"Dear me," said Dorothy, beginning to laugh, "that isn't what I mean at all. I mean, can I go through it?"
The Farmer, after turning over this proposition in his mind with great deliberation, got down on his hands and knees and took a long look through the little door in the front of the house, and then getting up on his feet again, said, very seriously, "I don't see anything to prevent it; there's another door at the back,"—and walked gravely away. He did this in a very peculiar way, by a sort of sidelong roll on his round wooden block like a barrel being worked along on one end; and, as Dorothy stood watching this performance with great interest, he presently fell over one of the little rocking-chairs, and coming down heavily on his back, rolled away on the edge of his block and the rimof his little round hat without making the slightest attempt to get on his feet again.
"I shall look precisely like a elephant with a pagoda on his back," said Dorothy, as she got down on her hands and knees and crawled through the little door into the house, "but I'm going to see what it's like while I have the chance. All hollow, right up to the roof, just as I expected," she exclaimed. "I s'pose that's so the fam'ly can stand up when they come inside." But there was nothing in the house but a lot of old umbrellas tied up in bundles and marked "DANGEROUS," and as she didn't think these were very interesting, and as, moreover, her head by this time was out of the door at the back, she crawled through without stopping and scrambled up on to her feet again.
"Oh, lovely!" cried Dorothy, clapping her hands in a rapture of delight; for she found herself in a beautiful wood—not a make-believe affair like the toy-farm, but a real wood with soft grass and pads of dark-green moss growing underfoot, and with ferns and forest flowers springing up on all sides. The wind was rustling pleasantly in the trees, and the sunlight, shining down through the dancing leaves, made little patches of light that chased each other about on the grass, and, as Dorothy walked along, she felt happier than she had at any time since losing the Blue Admiral Inn. To be sure, it wasn't the easiest matter in the world to get along, for as the trees and the bushes and the blades of grass were all of the natural size and Dorothy was no bigger than a wren, she fell over a good many twigs and other small obstacles, and tumbled down a great many times. Then, too, she found it rather trying to her nerves, at first, to meet with rabbits as big as horses, to come suddenly upon quails whistling like steam-engines, and to be chattered at by squirrels a head taller than she herself was; but she was a very wise little child about such matters, and she said to herself, "Why, of course, they're only their usual sizes, you know, and they're sure to be the same scary things they always are,"—and then she stamped her foot at them and said "Shoo!" very boldly, and, after laughing to see the great creatures whisk about and dash into the thicket, she walked along quite contentedly.
"SHE FOUND IT RATHER TRYING TO HER NERVES, AT FIRST, TO MEET WITH RABBITS AS BIG AS HORSES.""SHE FOUND IT RATHER TRYING TO HER NERVES, AT FIRST, TO MEET WITH RABBITS AS BIG AS HORSES."
"—TO BE CHATTERED AT BY SQUIRRELS A HEAD TALLER THAN SHE HERSELF WAS.""—TO BE CHATTERED AT BY SQUIRRELS A HEAD TALLER THAN SHE HERSELF WAS."
Presently she heard a voice singing. It seemed tocome from a thick part of the wood at one side of the path; and, after hesitating a moment, Dorothy stole into the bushes, and, creeping cautiously along until she was quite near the sound, crouched down in the thicket to listen.
It was a very small voice, and it was singing this song:
I know a wayOf hearing what the larks and linnets say.The larks tell of the sunshine and the sky;The linnets from the hedges make reply,And boast of hidden nests with mocking lay.I know a wayOf keeping near the rabbits at their play.They tell me of the cool and shady nooksWhere waterfalls disturb the placid brooksThat I may go and frolic in the spray.I know a wayOf catching dewdrops on a night in May,And threading them upon a spear of green,That through their sides translucent may be seenThe sparkling hue that emeralds display.I know a wayOf trapping sunbeams as they nimbly playAt hide-and-seek with meadow-grass and flowers,And holding them in store for dreary hoursWhen winds are chill and all the sky is gray.I know a wayOf stealing fragrance from the new-mown hayAnd storing it in flasks of petals made,To scent the air when all the flowers fadeAnd leave the woodland world to sad decay.I know a wayOf coaxing snowflakes in their flight to staySo still awhile, that, as they hang in air,I weave them into frosty lace, to wearAbout my head upon a sultry day.
I know a wayOf hearing what the larks and linnets say.The larks tell of the sunshine and the sky;The linnets from the hedges make reply,And boast of hidden nests with mocking lay.
I know a wayOf keeping near the rabbits at their play.They tell me of the cool and shady nooksWhere waterfalls disturb the placid brooksThat I may go and frolic in the spray.
I know a wayOf catching dewdrops on a night in May,And threading them upon a spear of green,That through their sides translucent may be seenThe sparkling hue that emeralds display.
I know a wayOf trapping sunbeams as they nimbly playAt hide-and-seek with meadow-grass and flowers,And holding them in store for dreary hoursWhen winds are chill and all the sky is gray.
I know a wayOf stealing fragrance from the new-mown hayAnd storing it in flasks of petals made,To scent the air when all the flowers fadeAnd leave the woodland world to sad decay.
I know a wayOf coaxing snowflakes in their flight to staySo still awhile, that, as they hang in air,I weave them into frosty lace, to wearAbout my head upon a sultry day.
Dorothy, crouching down in the thicket, listened to this little song with great delight; but she was extremely sentimental where poetry was concerned, and it happened that when she heard this last verse she clasped her hands in a burst of rapture and exclaimed in quite a loud voice, "Oh, delicious!" This was very unfortunate, for the song stopped short the instant she spoke, and for a moment everything was perfectly silent; then the little voice spoke up again, and said, "Who is that?"
"It's I," said Dorothy.
"It's two eyes, if it comes to that," said the little voice; "I can see them through the bushes. Are you a rabbit?"
"No," said Dorothy, laughing softly to herself, "I'm a child."
"Oh!" exclaimed the voice. It was a very little Oh; in fact, it sounded to Dorothy as if it might be about the size of a cherry-stone, and she said to herself, "I verily believe it's a fairy, and she certainly can't be a bit bigger than my thumb—my regular thumb, I mean," she added, holding up her hand and looking at the size of it with great contempt.
Then the little voice spoke up again and said, "And how big are you?"
"I'm about three inches tall," said Dorothy; and she was so excited by this time at the prospect of seeing a real live fairy for the first time in her life, that she felt as if a lot of flies were running up and down on the back of her neck.
"Dear me!" exclaimed the little voice, expressing great astonishment in its small way. "Why, there's hardly enough of you to put in a corner."
Dorothy reflected for a moment and then called out, "But, you know,thatdepends altogether on the size of the corner."
"Oh, no, it doesn't!" said the little voice, very confidently. "All corners are the same size if you only get close enough to 'em."
"Dear me!" said Dorothy to herself, "how very intelligent she is! Imusthave a look at her"; and, pushing the leaves gently aside, she cautiously peeped out.
"PUSHING THE LEAVES GENTLY ASIDE, SHE CAUTIOUSLY PEEPED OUT.""PUSHING THE LEAVES GENTLY ASIDE, SHE CAUTIOUSLY PEEPED OUT."
It was a charming little dell, carpeted with fine moss, and with strange-looking wild flowers and tall nodding grasses growing about the sides of it; but, to Dorothy's astonishment, the fairy proved to be an extremely small field-mouse, sitting up like a little pug-dog and gazing attentively at the thicket: "andIthink"—the Mouse went on, as if it were tired of waiting for an answer to its last remark—"Ithink a child should be six inches tall,at least."
This was so ridiculous that Dorothy had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming with laughter. "Why," she exclaimed, "I used to be"—and here she had to stop and count up on her fingers asif she were doing a sum—"I used to be eight times as big asthat, myself."
"Tut, tut!—" said the Mouse, and the "tuts" sounded like beads dropping into a pill-box—"tut, tut! Don't tell me such rubbish!"
"Oh, you needn'ttutme," said Dorothy. "It's the exact truth."
"Then I don't understand it," said the Mouse, shaking its head in a puzzled way. "Ialways thought children grew the other way."
"Well, you see,—" said Dorothy, in her old-fashioned way,—"you see, I've been very much reduced." (She thought afterward that this sounded rather as if she had lost all her property, but it was the only thing she could think of to say at the time.)
"Idon'tsee it at all," said the Mouse, fretfully, "and what's more, I don't seeyou, in fact, I don't think you ought to be hiding in the bushes and chattering at me in this way."
This seemed to Dorothy to be a very personal remark, and she answered, rather indignantly, "And why not, I should like to know?"
"Because,"—said the Mouse in a very superior manner,—"because little children should be seen and not heard."
"Hoity-toity!" said Dorothy, very sharply. (I don't think she had the slightest idea of what this meant, but she had read somewhere in a book that it was an expression used when other persons gave themselves airs, and she thought she would try the effect of it on the Mouse.) But, to her great disappointment, the Mouse made no reply of any kind, and after picking a leaf and holding it up to its eyes for a moment, as if it were having a cry in its small way, the poor little creature turned about and ran into the thicket at the further side of the dell.
THE MOUSE LAMENTS.THE MOUSE LAMENTS.
Dorothy was greatly distressed at this, and, jumping out of the bushes into the dell, she began calling, "Mousie! Mousie! Come back! I didn't mean it, dear. It was only an esperiment." But there was no answer, and, stooping down at the place where the Mouse had disappeared, she looked into the thicket. There was nothing there but a very small squirrel eating a nut; and, after staring at her for a moment in great astonishment, he threw the nut in her face and scampered off into the bushes.
"Nice manners, upon my word!" said Dorothy, in great indignation at this treatment, and then, standing up, she gazed about the dell rather disconsolately; but there was no living thing in sight except a fat butterfly lazily swinging up and down on a blade of grass. Dorothy touched him with her finger to see if he were awake, but the Butterfly gave himself an impatient shake, and said, fretfully, "Oh, don't," and, after waiting a moment, to be sure that was all he had to say, she walked mournfully away through the wood.
The wood wasn't nearly so pleasant now as it had been before, and Dorothy was quite pleased when, after walking a little way, she came in sight again of the bank covered with rocking-chairs, and running up, she hurried through the little door into the toy-shop.
Everything was just as she had left it, and the stream was running merrily under the castle bridge; but just as she was going by, the bridge itself began hitching up in the middle and pawing, as it were, at the banks of the stream in such an extraordinary manner that she stopped to see what was going to happen.
"It's sure to be something wonderous," she said to herself, as she stood watching it, and she was quite right about this, for the bridge presently turned into a remarkably spirited rocking-horse (dappled, with black spots scattered about), and after rocking back and forth once or twice, as if to be sure it reallywasa horse, settled down perfectly still as if it never expected to beanything else. In fact, with the exception of a large fly, about as big as one of Dorothy's feet, that was buzzing about, everything in the window was now perfectly quiet, and drawing a long breath of relief, she walked away through the shop.
"AND FOUND THE CARAVAN SITTING IN A ROW ON A LITTLE BENCH AT THE DOOR.""AND FOUND THE CARAVAN SITTING IN A ROW ON A LITTLE BENCH AT THE DOOR."
As she walked along on the shelf, she presently came to the grocer's shop and found the Caravan sitting ina row on a little bench at the door. The Admiral had the Camel in his lap, and they were all gazing at it with an air of extreme solicitude. It was a frowsy little thing with lumpy legs that hung down in a dangling way from the Admiral's knees, and Sir Walter was busily employed trying to make it drink something out of a bottle.
"What are you giving him?" inquired Dorothy, curiously.
"Glue," said the Admiral, promptly. "He needs stiffening up, you see."
"Goodness gracious, what an awful dose!" said Dorothy, with a shudder.
"Thatdoesn't make any difference so long as he won't take it," said Sir Walter; and here he flew into a tremendous passion, and began beating the Camel about the head so furiously with the bottle that Dorothy cried out, "Here—stop that instantly!"
"Hedoesn't mind it no more than if he was a bolster," put in the Highlander. "Set him up again and let's see him fall down," he added, rubbing his hands together with a relish.
"Indeed, you'll do nothing of the sort," exclaimed Dorothy, with great indignation; and, snatching theCamel from the Admiral's lap, she carried him into the grocer's shop and set him down upon the floor. The Camel looked about for a moment with a very mournful expression on his face, and then climbed into one of the drawers that was standing open, and pulled it to after him as a person might close a door, and Dorothy, after watching this remarkable performance with great wonderment, went out again.
The Caravan had lost no time, and were standing on the bench, putting up a little sign on the front of the shop with "CAMEL FOR SALE" on it, and Dorothy, trying not to laugh, said, "Is this your shop?"
"Yes," replied the Admiral, with an important air. "The grocer's been sold for a cook because he had an apron on, and we've taken the business."
"What are you going to keep?" asked Dorothy, who was vastly amused at this idea.
"Why, we're going to keep the shop," said the Admiral, climbing down from the bench and staring at her in great surprise.
"But you must certainly keep things to sell," said Dorothy.
"How can we keep things if we sell 'em?" inquired Sir Walter.
"Well, you can't sell anything unless you keep it in the shop, you know," persisted Dorothy, feeling that she was somehow or other getting the worst of the argument.
"Bosh!" said the Admiral, obstinately; "youcan'tkeep things you sell—that is," he added, "not unless your customers are crazy"; and with this remark the Caravan went into the shop and shut the door in Dorothy's face, as if she wasn't worth talking to any longer.
Dorothy waited for a moment to see if they were coming out again, and then, as there was a noise inside as if they were piling up the drawers against the door by way of a barricade, she walked slowly away through the toy-shop.
"HE DROPPED HIS LITTLE BOOK, WITH AN APPEARANCE OF GREAT AGITATION, AND HURRIED AWAY.""HE DROPPED HIS LITTLE BOOK, WITH AN APPEARANCE OF GREAT AGITATION, AND HURRIED AWAY."
She had had such a variety of adventures in the shop by this time that she was getting quite tired of the place, and she was walking along rather disconsolately, and wishing there was some way of growing to her natural size, and then getting back again to poor old Uncle Porticle and the Blue Admiral Inn, when, as she went around the corner of the little apothecary's shop, she came suddenly upon Bob Scarlet. To her great surprise, he was now just about the size ofan ordinary robin; but he had on his red waistcoat, and had quite as important an air as ever, and he was strolling about examining the various toys, and putting down the price of everything in a little red book, as if he were thinking of going into the business himself.
"Now, I wonder how he ever got to bethatsize," thought Dorothy, as she hid behind a little pile of lead-pencils and watched him over the top of them. "I suppose he's eaten something, or drunk something, to make him grow, the way they do in fairy stories; because the Admiral certainly said he wasn't any bigger than an ant. And, oh! I wish I knew what it was," she added, mournfully, as the tears came into her eyes at the thought of how small she was, "IwishI knew what it was!"
"If I wasn't a little afraid of him," she went on, after she had had a little cry, "I'd ask him. But likely as not he'd peck at me—old peckjabber!" and here she laughed through her tears as she thought of the Caravan in their little sunbonnets. "Or p'r'aps he'd snap me up! I've often heard of snapping people up when they asked too many questions, but seems to me it never meant anything so awful as that before"; and she was rambling on in this way,laughing and crying by turns, when at this moment Bob Scarlet came suddenly upon a fine brass bird-cage, and, after staring at it in a stupefied way for an instant, he dropped his little book, with an appearance of great agitation, and hurried away without so much as looking behind him.
Dorothy ran after him, carefully keeping out of sight in case he should turn around, and as she went by the bird-cage she saw that it was marked "PERFECTLY SECURE" in large letters. "Andthat'swhat took the conceit out of you, mister," she said, laughing to herself, and hurried along after the Robin.
"A DOOR AT THE BACK OF THE SHOP OPENED AND THEY ALL RUSHED OUT.""A DOOR AT THE BACK OF THE SHOP OPENED AND THEY ALL RUSHED OUT."
As she caught sight of him again he was just scurrying by the grocer's shop, and she could see the faces of the Caravan watching him, over the top of a littlehalf-blind in the window, with an expression of the greatest concern, and the next moment a door at the back of the shop opened and they all rushed out. They had on their sunbonnets and shawls, and Dorothy saw that the Admiral was carrying the Camel under his arm; but before she could say a word to them they had scampered away and were out of sight.
By this time the toy-shop itself was all in a commotion. Dolls were climbing down from the shelves and falling over each other; the big marbles had in some way got out of the basket and were rolling about in all directions; and Dorothy could see the old dame at the further end of the shop, running about and frantically striking at one thing after another with her spoon. To make matters worse, quite a little army of tin soldiers suddenly appeared, running confusedly about, with thedrawers from the little grocer's shop upside down on their heads, and all calling "Fire!" at the top of their voices. As they couldn't see where anybody was going, or where they were going themselves, it made the situation very desperate indeed.
Dorothy was frightened almost out of her wits, but she ran on in a bewildered sort of a way, dodging the rolling marbles and upsetting the dolls and the soldiers in great numbers, until she fortunately caught sight of the little rat-hole of a door, and, rushing through it, she hurried down the bank, knocking the green rocking-chairs about in every direction, and ran off into the wood as fast as she could go.
TAIL-PIECE TO CHAPTER VIII.
Dorothy ran along until she thought she was quite safe, and then stopped to look back and listen. There was a confused sound of shouts and cries in the distance, but nothing seemed to be coming after her, so, after waiting a moment to get her breath, she walked quietly away through the wood.
"What a scene of turmoil it was!" she said to herself. (You see, she was trying to express herself in a very dignified and composed manner, as if she hadn't been in the least disturbed by what had happened.) "I presume—" she went on, "I presume it was something like a riot, although I really don't see what it was all about. Of course I've never been in a riot, but if it's anything likethat, I shall never have anything to do with one";—which certainly was a very wise resolution for a little girl to make; but as Dorothy was always making wise resolutions about thingsthat were never going to happen, I really don't think that this particular one was a matter of any consequence.
She was so much pleased with these remarks that she was going on to say a number of very fine things, when she came suddenly upon the Caravan hiding behind a large tree. They were sitting in a little bunch on the grass, and, as Dorothy appeared, they all put on an appearance of great unconcern, and began staring up at the branches of the tree, as if they hadn't seen her.
"They've certainly been doing something they're ashamed of," she said to herself, "but they can't deceive me with any such behavior asthat"; and just then the Admiral pretended he had just caught sight of her and said, with a patronizing air, "Ah! How d' ye do? How d' ye do?" as if they hadn't met for quite a while.
"You know perfectly well how I do, and I consider that a very foolish remark," replied Dorothy, speaking in a very dignified manner, and not feeling at all pleased with this reception; and then noticing that Humphrey was nowhere to be seen, she said severely, "Where's your Camel?"
"Camels is no good," said the Admiral, evasively. "Leastwisehewasn't."
"Why not?" said Dorothy. She said this very sternly, for she felt morally certain that the Admiral was trying to conceal something from her.
"Well, you see," said the Admiral, uneasily, "he talked too much. He was always grumbling."
"Grumbling about what?" said Dorothy.
"Oh, about a wariety of things," said the Admiral. "Meals and lodgings and all that, you know. I used to try to stop him. 'Cammy,' I says—"
"'Cammy' is short for camel," explained Sir Walter, and Dorothy laughed and nodded, and the Admiral went on—
"'Cammy,' I says, 'don't scold so much'; but lor! I might as well have talked to a turnpike-gate."
"Better," put in Sir Walter. "Thatshuts up sometimes, andhenever did."
"Oh, jummy!" said the Highlander, with a chuckle, "that'sa good one!"
"But what was it all about?" persisted Dorothy.
"Youtell her, Ruffles," said the Admiral.
"Well," said Sir Walter, "it was all the same thing,over and over again. He had it all in verses so he wouldn't forget any of it. It went like this:
"Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed,Parrots have crackers to crunch;And, as for the poodles, they tell me the noodlesHave chickens and cream for their lunch.But there's never a questionAboutMYdigestion—Anythingdoes for me!"Cats, you're aware, can repose in a chair,Chickens can roost upon rails;Puppies are able to sleep in a stable,And oysters can slumber in pails.But no one supposesA poor Camel dozes—Any placedoes for me!"Lambs are inclosed where it's never exposed,Coops are constructed for hens;Kittens are treated to houses well heated,And pigs are protected by pens.But a Camel comes handyWherever it's sandy—Anywheredoes for me!"People would laugh if you rode a giraffe,Or mounted the back of an ox;It's nobody's habit to ride on a rabbit,Or try to bestraddle a fox.But as for a Camel, he'sRidden by families—Any loaddoes for me!"A snake is as round as a hole in the ground,And weasels are wavy and sleek;And no alligator could ever be straighterThan lizards that live in a creek.But a Camel's all lumpyAnd bumpy and humpy—Any shapedoes for me!"
"Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed,Parrots have crackers to crunch;And, as for the poodles, they tell me the noodlesHave chickens and cream for their lunch.But there's never a questionAboutMYdigestion—Anythingdoes for me!
"Cats, you're aware, can repose in a chair,Chickens can roost upon rails;Puppies are able to sleep in a stable,And oysters can slumber in pails.But no one supposesA poor Camel dozes—Any placedoes for me!
"Lambs are inclosed where it's never exposed,Coops are constructed for hens;Kittens are treated to houses well heated,And pigs are protected by pens.But a Camel comes handyWherever it's sandy—Anywheredoes for me!
"People would laugh if you rode a giraffe,Or mounted the back of an ox;It's nobody's habit to ride on a rabbit,Or try to bestraddle a fox.But as for a Camel, he'sRidden by families—Any loaddoes for me!
"A snake is as round as a hole in the ground,And weasels are wavy and sleek;And no alligator could ever be straighterThan lizards that live in a creek.But a Camel's all lumpyAnd bumpy and humpy—Any shapedoes for me!"
Now, Dorothy was a very tender-hearted little child, and by the time these verses were finished she hardly knew whether to laugh or to cry. "Poor old, feeble-minded thing!" she said, compassionately. "And what became of him at last?"
There was a dead silence for a moment, and then the Admiral said solemnly:
"We put him in a pond."
"Why, that's the most unhuman thing I ever heardof in all my life!" exclaimed Dorothy, greatly shocked at this news.
THE CARAVAN DISCIPLINE THE CAMEL.THE CARAVAN DISCIPLINE THE CAMEL.
"Well," said the Admiral, in a shamefaced sort of way, "wethought it was a good thing to do—for us, you know."
"AndIcall it proud and unforgiving," said Dorothy, indignantly. "Did the poor creature say anything?"
"Not at first," said the Admiral; "but after he got in he said things."
"Such as what?" said Dorothy.
"Oh, we couldn't make outwhathe said," replied the Admiral, peevishly. "It was perfectly unintellijibbergibble."
"Kind of gurgly," put in the Highlander.
"Did he go right down?" inquired Dorothy, very anxiously.
"Not a bit of it," said the Admiral, flippantly. "He never went down at all. He floated, just like a cork, you know."
"Round and round and round," added Sir Walter.
"Like a turnip," put in the Highlander.
"What do you mean bythat?" said Dorothy, sharply.
"Nothing," said the Highlander, looking very much abashed; "only I thought turnips turned round."
Dorothy was greatly provoked at all this, and felt that she really ought to say something very severe; but the fact was that the Caravan looked so innocent, sitting on the grass with their sunbonnets all crookedon their heads, that it was as much as she could do to keep from laughing outright. "You know," she said to herself, "if it wasn't for the Highlander's whiskers, it'd be precisely like a' infant class having a picnic; and after all, they're really nothing but graven images"—so she contented herself by saying, as severely as she could:
"Well, I'm extremely displeased, and I'm very much ashamed of all of you."
The Caravan received this reproof with great cheerfulness, especially the Admiral, who took a look at Dorothy through his spy-glass, and then said with much satisfaction: "Now we're each being ashamed of bythreepersons"; but Dorothy very properly took no notice of this remark, and walked away in a dignified manner.
As Dorothy walked along, wondering what would happen to her next, she felt something tugging at her frock, and looking around she saw that it was the Highlander running along beside her, quite breathless, and trying very hard to attract her attention. "Oh, it's you, is it?" she said, stopping short and looking at him pleasantly.
"Yes, it's me," said the Highlander, sitting down on the ground as if he were very much fatigued. "I've been wanting to speak to you privately for a very long time."
"What about?" said Dorothy, wondering what was coming now.
"Well," said the Highlander, blushing violently and appearing to be greatly embarrassed, "you seem to be a very kind-hearted person, and I wanted to show you some poetry I've written."
"Did you compose it?" said Dorothy, kindly.
"No," said the Highlander; "I only made it up. Would you like to hear it?"
"Oh, yes, indeed," said Dorothy, as gravely as she could; "I should like to hear it very much."
"It's called"—said the Highlander, lowering his voice confidentially and looking cautiously about—"it's called 'The Pickle and the Policeman';" and, taking a little paper out of his pocket, he began:
"There was a little pickle and his name was John—"
"There was a little pickle and his name was John—"
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Dorothy, "I don't think that will doat all."
"Suppose I call himGeorge?" said the Highlander, gazing reflectively at his paper. "It's got to be something short, you know."
"But you mustn't call himanything," said Dorothy, laughing. "Pickles don't have any names."
"All right," said the Highlander; and, taking out a pencil, he began repairing his poetry with great industry. He did a great deal of writing, and a good deal of rubbing out with his thumb, and finally said triumphantly:
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name!"
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name!"
"Yes, that will do very nicely," said Dorothy; and the Highlander, clearing his voice, read off his poetry with a great flourish:
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name—In this respect, I'm just informed, all pickles are the same.A large policeman came along, a-swinging of his club,And took that little pickle up and put him in a tub.
"There was a little pickle and he hadn't any name—In this respect, I'm just informed, all pickles are the same.A large policeman came along, a-swinging of his club,And took that little pickle up and put him in a tub.
"That's rather good about taking him up," said the Highlander, chuckling to himself; "so exactly like a policeman, you know."
"Oh, yes, indeed," said Dorothy, who was ready to scream with laughter. "What's the rest of it?"
"There isn't any more," said the Highlander, rather confusedly. "There was going to be another verse, but I couldn't think of anything more to say."
"Oh, well, it's very nice as it is," said Dorothy, consolingly; and then, as the Highlander put up his paper and went away, she laughed till her eyes were full of tears. "They areallfunny," she said at last, as she walked away through the wood, "but I thinkhe'sfunnier than all of 'em put together"—which, by the way, was not a very sensible remark for her tomake, as you will see if you'll take the trouble to think it over.
"'THERE ISN'T ANY MORE,' SAID THE HIGHLANDER, RATHER CONFUSEDLY.""'THERE ISN'T ANY MORE,' SAID THE HIGHLANDER, RATHER CONFUSEDLY."
But presently, as she strolled along, she made a discovery that quite drove the Highlander and his ridiculous poetry out of her head. It was a tower in the wood; not an ordinary tower, of course, for there would have been nothing remarkable about that, but a tower of shining brass, and so high that the top ofit was quite out of sight among the branches of the trees. But the strangest thing about it was that there seemed to be no possible way of getting into it, and Dorothy was very cautiously walking around it to see if she could find any door when she came suddenly upon the Caravan standing huddled together, and apparently in a state of great excitement.
"What is it?" asked Dorothy, eagerly.
"Hush!" said the Admiral, in an agitated whisper. "We think it's where Bob Scarlet changes himself"—and as he said this there was a tremendous flapping of wings, and down came Bob Scarlet through the branches and landed with a thump a little way from where they were standing. He was as big as a goose again, and his appearance was so extremely formidable that the Caravan, as one man, threw themselves flat on their faces in a perfect frenzy of terror, and Dorothy herself hid in the grass, with her heart beating like a little eight-day clock. But Bob Scarlet fortunately paid no more attention to any of them than if they had been so many flies, and, after strutting about for a moment with his usual important air, strolled away in the direction of the toy-shop.
"Now what do you make ofthat?" said the Admiral,lifting up his head. "He went in at a little door not five minutes ago, and he wasn't any bigger than an every-day bird."
"I'm sure I don't knowwhatto make of it," said Dorothy. "But where is the door?" she added, running around the tower and looking at it on all sides.
"It went up after him," said the Admiral, "like a corkscrew."
"And it's coming down again, like a gimlet!" shouted the Highlander; and, as they all looked up, sure enough there was the little door slowly coming down, around and around, as if it were descending an invisible staircase on the outside of the tower. They all watched this performance with much interest, and as the door touched the ground it opened, and, to Dorothy's amazement, out came the little field-mouse.
"What is it?" cried Dorothy, as they all crowded around the little creature. "Do tell us what it all means."
"It's a Sizing Tower," said the Mouse, its little voice trembling with agitation. "You get big at the top, and little at the bottom. I wouldn't go up there again—not for a bushel of nuts."
"Were you pretty big?" inquired Sir Walter.
"Monstrous!" said the Mouse, with a little shudder; "I was as big as a squirrel; and while I was up there, Bob Scarlet flew up and came down with the door, and there I was."
"Thatwas a precious mess!" remarked the Highlander.
"Wasn't it now!" said the Mouse. "And if he hadn't taken it into his head to come up again andfly down, I'd 'a' been there yet."
"Why, it's the very thing for us!" cried Dorothy, clapping her hands with delight as a happy thought occurred to her. "Let's all go up and get back our regular selves."
"You go first," said the Admiral, suspiciously, "and call down to us how it feels." But Dorothy wouldn't hear of this; and after a great deal of arguing and pushing and saying "Yougo in first," the whole party at last got squeezed in through the little doorway. Then the Mouse sat up on its hind legs and waved a little farewell with its paws, and the door softly closed.
"If we begin to grownow," said the Admiral's voice in the dark, "we'll all be squeegeed,sure!"
"What an extraordinary thing!" exclaimed Dorothy; for they had come out into a street full of houses.
"WhatIwant to know is what's become of the door," said Sir Walter, indignantly, staring at a high wall where the door had been, and which was now perfectly blank.
"I'm sure I don't know," said Dorothy, quite bewildered. "It's really quite mysterious, isn't it?"
"It makes my stomach tickle like anything," said the Highlander, in a quavering voice.
"Whatshallwe do?" said Dorothy, looking about uneasily.
"Run away!" said the Admiral, promptly; and without another word the Caravan took to their heels and disappeared around a corner. Dorothy hurried after them, but by the time she turned the corner they were quite out of sight; and as she stopped and looked about her she discovered that she was once more in the Ferryman's street, and, to her great delight, quite as large as she had been when she left the Blue Admiral Inn.