"Can't we open the gate?" asked the girl, after a moment.
"No!" answered one of the soldiers, in a voice he tried to make gruff, but which sounded rather squeaky, as if it needed oiling.
"Why not?" inquired Tot.
"It's against orders," replied the soldier. "The Queen has commanded me to shoot any stranger who tries to open the gate."
"But your gun is only wood," said Dot, who was annoyed at the soldier's interference.
"Wooden guns can't shoot!" shouted Tot, gleefully.
The soldier seemed somewhat embarrassed at this and Dot thought he blushed a little.
"It does not matter whether my gun will shoot or not," he answered, stiffly. "I am ordered not to let anyone open the gate."
"But
you have no right to give me orders," said the girl. "I don't belong to Merryland, so your Queen has no authority over either Tot or me."
"Then why are you here, if you don't belong here?" asked the soldier.
Dot hesitated to reply, for she felt the rebuke this question implied.
"We couldn't help coming," she explained, at last; "the boat brought us."
"Well, since you are here," said the soldier, "you must obey the laws of this country and the Queen who rules it."
"That's rubbish!" cried Dot, now thoroughly provoked. "You can't obey the orders of your Queen yourself."
"Why not?" inquired the soldier, in surprise.
"You were ordered to shoot, were you not?"
"Certainly."
"Well, you can't shoot, for your gun is made of wood. So you cannot obey orders."
"But if you had not come here," protested the soldier, "I should have had no occasion to shoot. So it is all your fault."
"Perhaps so," replied Dot; "but I mean to open the gate in spite of your orders."
She raised the latch and the gate began to swing slowly back upon its hinges; but when it had partly opened, she saw standing before her another wooden soldier, dressed like a Captain, who held in his hand a wooden sword.
"Stand back!" cried the Captain. "If you advance another step I will stick my sword into you."
Dot looked at the sword and saw that the point of it was really sharp. So she stopped short and said, "Does the Queen of Merryland live here?"
"She does," replied the Captain.
"Then please let her know that I have come to call upon her," continued Dot. She was a wise little girl, and knew that while she might safely argue with the helpless soldiers, it was far better to be polite to the Captain with the sharp sword.
At her request the officer bowed courteously and blew upon a pewter whistle that hung around his neck. In answer to the summons another soldier appeared, who saluted his Captain respectfully.
"Go to her Majesty the Queen," commanded the officer, "and tell her there are two strangers at the gate who wish to see her."
At once the soldier started upon his mission, and the little wooden Captain turned to Dot and Tot, saying, "You may come within the gate and sit down while you await the commands of our Queen; but if she will not receive you, of course you must go out again."
So the children passed through the gateway, which the Captain closed behind them, and sat down upon a small wooden bench built against the wall. Then they began to look around, for now before their eyes was the Fourth Valley of Merryland, the home of the Queen.
"Why, it's just like a toy village!" cried Dot, after the first look.
It really was something like a toy village. There were several pretty streets, with rows of little houses facing them, and each house was much ornamented and brightly painted. Before the houses were rows of trees which seemed to have been whittled out of wood, for the leaves looked like shavings. These trees were colored a bright emerald green, and each one stood upon a little round platform of its own. The grass also looked like wood shavings, and was dyed the same bright green color as the trees.
Dot gazed dreamily at the houses and thought they resembled the big doll's playhouse her papa had once given her for Christmas, and which now was standing in the attic of her city home.
At the far end of the main street, which ran down to the gate where they sat, was a house much bigger than the others, having for a roof a round dome which shone in the sun as if made of gold. This house was built in a remarkably beautiful and artistic manner, and before it, upon a bright green lawn, stood many trees and flowering shrubs.
"Who lives there?" Dot asked the wooden Captain.
"That is the palace of her Majesty the Queen," was the reply.
"Oh!" said Dot; "is she very big?"
"Quite big," answered the Captain, proudly.
"But," he added, "of course she is not so extremely large as you are."
"Oh!" exclaimed Dot again, and before he had time to say anything more she saw a carriage drive around to the front of the palace. Then the door quickly opened, and what looked to be a lady came out and entered the carriage.
It was so far away she could not see the lady clearly at first; but soon the carriage came rolling swiftly toward them, and both Dot and Tot stood up that they might see plainly who was coming.