"Good-bye, your Majesty!" cried Dot and Tot together.
Swiftly the boat floated up the stream--so swiftly, indeed, that the water rippled like music against the bow. The children waved their handkerchiefs at the fairy doll until she had reached the arch leading to the Valley of Babies, when they pa.s.sed through the gateway and, dismissing their coachmen, walked up the village street to visit the dolls.
These were really becoming rather boisterous and ran about in circles, playing "I spy," and blind-man"s buff, and London Bridge with much laughter and noise. When they saw Dot and Tot they ran up to them and cried:
"Start the music box! We want to dance."
"I do not know how. The Queen has the key with her," answered Dot, shouting loudly that she might be heard above the tumult.
The dolls seemed greatly disappointed at this, and one saucy-looking wooden-jointed doll said crossly:
"The Queen has no right to go away and take the key. How are we to amuse ourselves all day unless we can dance?"
"Tot and I will play with you," answered Dot.
"Very well," said a big China doll which wore a rather soiled and ragged dress. "What new games do you know?"
Dot mentioned several; but the dolls laughed at her, crying out: "That"s old! We"re tired of that! Give us something new!"
"The old games are very nice games," said the girl, "and I do not see why you should object to playing them."
"We"ll object if we want to!" declared a worn-looking kid doll, whose joints were so ripped that they scattered sawdust whenever it moved.
"You"re not our Queen."
"But I"m your Princess," said Dot, with dignity, "and while the Queen is away I have the right to rule in this Valley."
"So have I," said Tot.
"Then rule!" shouted the saucy wooden doll. "Rule as the Queen does, and give us music to dance by."
"Yes! yes!" they all cried. "We want to dance!" And they flung their arms over their heads, and leaped and pranced so energetically that the ground was quite strewn with sawdust that leaked out of them.
Dot was much troubled at the noisy demands of the dolls. She had expected a quiet and happy day playing with these pretty creatures, and now, even in the first hour of their awakening, they were proving very troublesome. Tot seemed to enjoy the excitement, however, and stood behind Dot, with his hands in his pockets, smiling gleefully.
While she was thinking what was best to be done, the rag doll Scollops came up to Dot and said:
"Since the music box is locked up, why do you not order out the pewter band to play for them?"
"That is a good idea," she exclaimed, her face brightening. "Go at once, Scollops and tell the musicians to come and play."
While Scollops was on this errand the dolls became more noisy than ever, and one of them tried to knock Tot"s crown off. But the boy gave the naughty doll such a strong push that he pushed over a dozen or more that stood behind it.
"Don"t hurt them, Tot," said the girl; "remember they are not strong and will break easily."
"I"ll smash "em if they touch me!" cried the boy, indignantly; "I"m Prince Tot."
Fortunately, the pewter band now made its appearance, and at Dot"s command they stood in a circle at one edge of the road and began to play a waltz.
The effect of the music upon the dolls was laughable. They immediately began waltzing around as merrily as could be, and paid no further attention to Dot and Tot. While they danced the dolls kept up a continual chattering and laughter, and they looked so sweet and happy that the children could hardly realize they had been so cross and unreasonable a short time before.
"If they are kept busy they won"t get into mischief," said Scollops, who had come back with the band; "but even her Majesty the Queen cannot manage them when they have nothing to amuse themselves with.
I"m a doll myself and I know."
"What does she do when they are naughty?" asked Dot.
"She puts them to sleep," was the answer.
Dot had almost regretted asking the Queen to leave the village dolls awake all day; but she loved to watch them dance, and they seemed quite contented now.
"Don"t they ever remain quiet, and visit with each other, and rest?"
asked the girl.
"Never," replied Scollops. "They always are unhappy unless they are rushing around or playing or dancing."
"They wouldn"t make very comfortable playmates, would they, Tot?" she said.
"No," he answered, gravely; "don"t like live dolls."
But it amused them to watch the little creatures capering about, so the children sat down upon a door-step and enjoyed the dancing until Twinkle came to tell them their luncheon was ready. Then they quietly stole away, unnoticed by the dolls, and walked to the palace, where they had a delightful luncheon and were waited upon by Scollops and Twinkle.
While they were yet at the table they suddenly heard a great noise and clamor at the palace gate, so they at once ran out to see what was the matter. Crowding before the gates was an excited throng of dolls, screaming and stamping and waving their hands in the air as if they had really become crazy.
At first Dot could make nothing of their cries, for all were talking at the same time; but she asked Twinkle what the trouble was about and the maid answered, "The musicians must have stopped playing."
"I wonder why they did that," said the girl.
Here Scollops, who had been down to the gate and spoken to the dolls, came up to Dot, bringing with him the leader of the pewter band.
"What caused this trouble?" she asked.
"They are so unreasonable," replied the musician, in a complaining voice, "that no one can manage them except the Queen. We had played dance music for several hours and were all tired out, for our lungs are only pewter, and no true musician likes to play such common music continually. So we thought we would rest ourselves by playing something slow and really cla.s.sical--for all cla.s.sical music is slow, you know. But no sooner had we started the introduction than those soulless dolls became violent. They rushed at my poor musicians, threw them down, and trampled upon them! Every member of my band is either bent or broken. Even I have a bent back and a twisted leg, and my horn is badly damaged."
Dot looked at him and saw that he spoke truly.
"I"m very sorry," she said, nervously. "I"m sure I don"t know what to do with them, for the Queen will not return before sundown."
The dolls had remained outside the palace gates until now; but as Dot looked anxiously toward them, the gate flew open and one of the rebellious creatures ran up the path to where the children stood. She was dressed in a rather fussy way, and had big black eyes that stared straight at one. Her hair was tangled and matted, and she had lost one shoe and worn a great hole in her stocking, through which her toes peeped out.
"What do you want?" asked Dot, as this doll came near.
"We want our dinner, of course," answered the doll, saucily.
"But I didn"t know dolls could eat," said the girl.
"Well we do, and now we want to be fed. Do you think it is right and proper to keep us awake all day and then refuse to give us any dinner?"
"What do you eat?" enquired Dot.
"What could a doll eat but sawdust? Nearly all of us have danced more or less sawdust out of our bodies, and now we want them filled up again," continued the doll.