"Yes, yes!" spoke up Uncle Palladius, in a deep, bass voice; "I flatter myself I can be heard throughout the whole Valley."
"But the kittens cannot jump to the roofs of the houses, can they?" asked Dot.
"No, indeed," replied Snowball; "only those who are old enough and strong enough to jump to the roofs are considered worthy to take part in the concerts. But the little ones have the pleasure of lying inside before the fire and listening to us."
"Do you have fires?" enquired the child.
"Yes; we consider nothing more cozy and comfortable than lying before a glowing grate fire. When the evenings are chilly there is a fire in every house, and we pussys lie before it upon our cushions and enjoy its warmth. Usually we sleep all day long, and most of the night, except during the concert, which lasts from midnight until dawn."
"You must enjoy yourselves very much," said Dot, earnestly.
"Oh, we do, indeed!" replied the white pussycat; "but I see that dinner is now ready, so please come to the table."
The girl walked toward the low table with some curiosity to know how these pussys ate, and what they had for food. She found a row of white bowls sitting upon a white cloth, and each bowl was filled with fresh milk. At the ends of the table were plates of light bread with deep brown crusts.
The kittens all brought cushions to the sides of the table and sat upon them, their heads being then just high enough to reach the bowls. Dot was placed at one end of the table, with Snowball at her right hand, and Uncle Palladius sat at the other end.
"Where do you get such nice milk?" asked the girl.
"We have several springs in the Valley," answered Snowball, "where it bubbles up constantly."
"And where do you get the bread?" Dot next enquired.
"That grows upon the tall trees you see scattered about. We climb the bread-trees every day and gather fresh loaves."
"Don't you catch mice?" asked Dot.
"Mercy, no!" replied Snowball, in a horrified voice. "Do you suppose mice would be foolish enough to come into a Valley of Pussycats?"
"No, I suppose not," replied the girl; "but I always thought pussys liked mice."
"I have never seen the horrid animals," returned the white cat; "but there is a tradition in the Valley that some of our forefathers found mice here at one time and quickly destroyed them. They may have eaten them, for all I know; no one can be certain what his forefathers did. But none of us now living here has ever eaten anything but bread and milk, of that I am positive."
"It's such nice bread and milk," said Dot, "that I should think you would prefer it to anything else."
"We do, for there's nothing else to prefer," was the answer.
After dinner the kittens washed their faces carefully and then all of them, accompanied by Dot, left the room and walked to King Felis' house where they found Tot and the Queen surrounded by a crowd of pussys.
"Oh, Dot!" cried Tot, when he saw the girl. "I held the gray kittens after dinner, an' never dropped 'em once!"
"Was he good?" Dot asked Cousin Tabby. "Yes, he behaved very nicely," answered Cousin Tabby. "We must now bid our friends farewell," said the Queen, "for it is time to proceed upon our journey."
So they returned to the boat, and all the pussys, headed by King Felis and
Uncle Palladius, went with them and politely bade them good-bye.
When they were floating in the river again the Queen asked Dot, "How did you like the pussycats?"
"They're lovely!" exclaimed the girl. "I should have liked to stay all night with them."
"Well, I wouldn't," rejoined the Queen. "The last time I passed the night in this Valley the pussys screamed so loudly at their midnight concert that the noise cracked my wax. They are much nicer to visit in the daytime."
"Why is the King named Felis?" enquired Dot, after a moment's thought.
"Because that is the name of his race. All our names have some meaning in Merryland," answered the Queen.
"I suppose your own name has a meaning, if only we knew what it was," said Dot, slyly.
"Good gracious!" cried the Queen; "haven't I told you my name yet?"
"No," said Dot.
"Then I must have forgotten that you asked it. It was very stupid of me, and I assure you I didn't mean to be rude." Then her Majesty turned to Tot and asked:
"How did you like the Valley of Pussys?"
"Fine!" said the boy. "The kitties were soft an' fuzzy, an' the bread and milk was good. But the doors," he added, solemnly, "are built too high up to be 'zactly comf'table."
CHAPTER XVI. The Busy Mr. Split
"Isn't there anything but trees here?" asked Tot.
"Yes, indeed, there is a very pleasant country behind the trees," answered the Wax Doll. "Follow me and I will guide your steps."
So they followed the Queen slowly along the shady path, while over their heads the branches met and sheltered them from the rays of the afternoon sun. This was gratefully appreciated by Dot and Tot, for they had left their hats in the boat and wore only their golden crowns.
After walking a short distance the Queen stopped suddenly so suddenly that Dot nearly ran against her and Tot bumped his nose upon Dot's shoulder. Looking ahead to see what was the matter, the children found lying across the path a bright green Alligator nearly three feet long. Its back was scaly and made in short lengths, which were jointed together in a peculiar way.