Thereupon she gave a shrill whistle, and a moment later a great Maltese pussycat sprang upon the shelf of the doorway at number 1 and sat there for an instant crouched, with its ears pointing into the air and its big yellow eyes gazing steadily at the visitors. Then the pussy leaped lightly to the ground, and standing upon its rear legs before the Queen, he bobbed his head solemnly up and down and said, "Welcome, Queen of Merryland, to the Valley of Pussycats!"
"I thank you, King Felis," responded the Wax Doll sweetly. "But permit me to introduce to you my adopted children, Princess Dot and Prince Tot of Merryland."
The big pussy looked at the children with surprise, but nodded his head politely.
"The Prince and Princess seem like people from the big, outside world," he said, with a wise look; and then he turned to Dot and asked:
"Do you pull the tails of pussycats?"
"Oh, no!" exclaimed the girl, who was just then admiring the beauty of the cat King as well as his ability to speak.
"Or pinch their ears?" he continued.
"Never!" declared Dot.
"I did once," remarked Tot, composedly. "An' it yelled."
The big kitty looked at the boy gravely and said:
"Should you do such a thing in this Valley I would ask the Queen to send you away at once. It is really a wicked amusement, for it hurts a pussy as much as if someone should pinch your own ears."
"All right," remarked Tot. "I'll be good."
"You will find my adopted children both kind and gentle," said the Queen; "so pray do not fear them, King Felis."
"Your Majesty rules all Merryland," he replied; "and your children shall be as welcome in our Valley as yourself. But I must call my people, that they may pay their respects to your Majesty."
"Where are they?" asked Tot, who had been looking around and could see no other living thing than the big Maltese.
"At this time of day they are asleep, as all good pussycats should be," was the King's answer. "The sun is warm and pleasant just now, and my people are enjoying their mid-day naps."
He then lifted his voice and uttered a loud, wailing cry.
Scarcely had it died away when the pussys began to appear. They leaped from the roofs of the houses, from the doorways, and even from among the shady clumps of long grass. Every house added six or seven to the number, and soon hundreds of pussycats were standing before the Queen, bowing gracefully and crying, "Welcome, your Majesty!" in all sorts of voices.
They were plump and comfortable looking, and Dot had no idea there were so many kinds and colors of pussys in the world. Some had long, silky hair, and some short, velvety hair; some had long, bushy tails, some short tails and some no tails at all. They were white and black, blue and gray, yellow and red, speckled and tortoise-shell in color. Some had pretty ribbons around their necks and some of the older ones wore spectacles; but all were as neat as wax, and seemed well cared for.
The big King was the largest of them all; yet there were many various sizes, down to the tiniest kittens with their eyes just open.
When all this array of pussys had saluted the Queen they sat down upon the grass and began to purr, while some indulged in a yawn behind their paws and others commenced to wash their faces; for they had just been aroused from a long nap.
"Your people seem happy and contented, King Felis," remarked the Queen, when she had looked them over carefully.
"Oh, yes; they are thriving finely," replied the Maltese King. "But why should they not? They have no troubles nor cares, and pass their lives in eating and sleeping. With comfortable homes and plenty of food they cannot help being the happiest pussycats in the big round world."
"I should think not, indeed," said the Queen.
"But now you must permit me to offer you the hospitality of my house," said the King. "It is nearly dinner time, and you will wish to rest and eat. Our houses are not very large, so I must divide your party and place you in separate families. The boy will be cared for by my cousin Tabby, who lives at number 16. The girl I will place with Uncle Palladius, who lives at number 9. And your Majesty will, I trust, partake of the hospitality of my humble home." And he bowed again, very politely.
"We accept your kindness with much pleasure and many thanks," answered the Queen; and then she whispered to Dot and Tot not to be afraid, for the pussys would treat them with great courtesy.
CHAPTER XV. The Valley of Pussycats
"I am Cousin Tabby,
and as you are to be my guest please follow me to number 16."
The boy laughed at the idea of entering a cat's house, but he walked after the softly-moving pussy, who, when she reached number 16, sprang upon the shelf and said:
"Climb in, please."
This was hard work, for the shelf was nearly as high as his chin. But Tot had already learned to climb the trees at home, so he managed in some way to pull himself up, with the result that he lost his balance and fell head foremost inside the house.
To his surprise he alighted on a soft cushion, and then he scrambled quickly to his feet and looked around him.