The Emerald City of Oz
Page 22
_How_ THE KING CHANGED HIS MIND
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Just then a rabbit band of nearly fifty pieces marched in, playing upongolden instruments and dressed in neat uniforms. Following the band camethe nobility of Bunnybury, all richly dressed and hopping along on theirrear legs. Both the ladies and the gentlemen wore white gloves upontheir paws, with their rings on the outside of the gloves, as thisseemed to be the fashion here. Some of the lady rabbits carriedlorgnettes, while many of the gentlemen rabbits wore monocles in theirleft eyes.
The courtiers and their ladies paraded past the King, who introducedPrincess Dorothy to each couple in a very graceful manner. Then thecompany seated themselves in chairs and on sofas and looked expectantlyat their monarch.
"It is our royal duty, as well as our royal pleasure," he said, "toprovide fitting entertainment for our distinguished guest. We will nowpresent the Royal Band of Whiskered Friskers."
As he spoke the musicians, who had arranged themselves in a corner,struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced the WhiskeredFriskers. They were eight pretty rabbits dressed only in gauzy purpleskirts fastened around their waists with diamond bands. Their whiskerswere colored a rich purple, but otherwise they were pure white.
After bowing before the King and Dorothy the Friskers began theirpranks, and these were so comical that Dorothy laughed with realenjoyment. They not only danced together, whirling and gyrating aroundthe room, but they leaped over one another, stood upon their heads andhopped and skipped here and there so nimbly that it was hard work tokeep track of them. Finally they all made double somersaults and turnedhandsprings out of the room.
The nobility enthusiastically applauded, and Dorothy applauded withthem.
"They're fine!" she said to the King.
"Yes, the Whiskered Friskers are really very clever," he replied. "Ishall hate to part with them when I go away, for they have often amusedme when I was very miserable. I wonder if you would ask Glinda--"
"No, it wouldn't do at all," declared Dorothy, positively. "Therewouldn't be room in your hole in the ground for so many rabbits,'spec'ly when you get the lily chair and your clothes there. Don't thinkof such a thing, your Majesty."
The King sighed. Then he stood up and announced to the company:
"We will now behold a military drill by my picked Bodyguard of RoyalPikemen."
Now the band played a march and a company of rabbit soldiers came in.They wore green and gold uniforms and marched very stiffly but inperfect time. Their spears, or pikes, had slender shafts of polishedsilver with golden heads, and during the drill they handled theseweapons with wonderful dexterity.
"I should think you'd feel pretty safe with such a fine Bodyguard,"remarked Dorothy.
"I do," said the King. "They protect me from every harm. I supposeGlinda wouldn't--"
"No," interrupted the girl; "I'm sure she wouldn't. It's the King's ownBodyguard, and when you are no longer King you can't have 'em."
The King did not reply, but he looked rather sorrowful for a time.
When the soldiers had marched out he said to the company:
"The Royal Jugglers will now appear."
Dorothy had seen many jugglers in her lifetime, but never any sointeresting as these. There were six of them, dressed in black satinembroidered with queer symbols in silver--a costume which contrastedstrongly with their snow-white fur.
First they pushed in a big red ball and three of the rabbit jugglersstood upon its top and made it roll. Then two of them caught up a thirdand tossed him into the air, all vanishing, until only the two wereleft. Then one of these tossed the other upward and remained alone ofall his fellows. This last juggler now touched the red ball, which fellapart, being hollow, and the five rabbits who had disappeared in the airscrambled out of the hollow ball.
Next they all clung together and rolled swiftly upon the floor. Whenthey came to a stop only one fat rabbit juggler was seen, the othersseeming to be inside him. This one leaped lightly into the air and whenhe came down he exploded and separated into the original six. Then fourof them rolled themselves into round balls and the other two tossed themaround and played ball with them.
These were but a few of the tricks the rabbit jugglers performed, andthey were so skillful that all the nobility and even the King applaudedas loudly as did Dorothy.
"I suppose there are no rabbit jugglers in all the world to compare withthese," remarked the King. "And since I may not have the WhiskeredFriskers or my Bodyguard, you might ask Glinda to let me take away justtwo or three of these jugglers. Will you?"
"I'll ask her," replied Dorothy, doubtfully.
"Thank you," said the King; "thank you very much. And now you shalllisten to the Winsome Waggish Warblers, who have often cheered me in mymoments of anguish."
The Winsome Waggish Warblers proved to be a quartette of rabbit singers,two gentlemen and two lady rabbits. The gentlemen Warblers worefull-dress swallow-tailed suits of white satin, with pearls for buttons,while the lady Warblers were gowned in white satin dresses with longtrails.
The first song they sang began in this way:
"When a rabbit gets a habit Of living in a city And wearing clothes and furbelows And jewels rare and pretty, He scorns the Bun who has to run And burrow in the ground And pities those whose watchful foes Are man and gun and hound."
Dorothy looked at the King when she heard this song and noticed that heseemed disturbed and ill at ease.
"I don't like that song," he said to the Warblers. "Give us somethingjolly and rollicking."
So they sang to a joyous, tinkling melody as follows:
"Bunnies gay Delight to play In their fairy town secure; Ev'ry frisker Flirts his whisker At a pink-eyed girl demure. Ev'ry maid In silk arrayed At her partner shyly glances, Paws are grasped, Waists are clasped As they whirl in giddy dances. Then together Through the heather 'Neath the moonlight soft they stroll; Each is very Blithe and merry, Gamboling with laughter droll. Life is fun To ev'ry one Guarded by our magic charm For to dangers We are strangers, Safe from any thought of harm."
"You see," said Dorothy to the King, when the song ended, "the rabbitsall seem to like Bunnybury except you. And I guess you're the only onethat ever has cried or was unhappy and wanted to get back to your muddyhole in the ground."
His Majesty seemed thoughtful, and while the servants passed aroundglasses of nectar and plates of frosted cakes their King was silent anda bit nervous.
HIS MAJESTY WAS THOUGHTFUL]
When the refreshments had been enjoyed by all and the servants hadretired Dorothy said:
"I must go now, for it's getting late and I'm lost. I've got to find theWizard and Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and all the rest sometime beforenight comes, if I poss'bly can."
"Won't you stay with us?" asked the King. "You will be very welcome."
"No, thank you," she replied. "I must get back to my friends. And I wantto see Glinda just as soon as I can, you know."
So the King dismissed his court and said he would himself walk withDorothy to the gate. He did not weep nor groan any more, but his longface was quite solemn and his big ears hung dejectedly on each side ofit. He still wore his crown and his ermine and walked with a handsomegold-headed cane.
When they arrived at the room in the wall the little girl found Toto andBillina waiting for her very patiently. They had been liberally fed bysome of the attendants and were in no hurry to leave such comfortablequarters.
The Keeper of the Wicket was by this time back in his old place, but hekept a safe distance from Toto. Dorothy bade good bye to the King asthey stood just inside the wall.
"You've been good to me," she said, "and I thank you ever so much. Assoon as poss'ble I'll see Glinda and ask he
r to put another King in yourplace and send you back into the wild forest. And I'll ask her to letyou keep some of your clothes and the lily chair and one or two jugglersto amuse you. I'm sure she will do it, 'cause she's so kind she doesn'tlike any one to be unhappy."
"Ahem!" said the King, looking rather downcast. "I don't like to troubleyou with my misery; so you needn't see Glinda."
"Oh, yes I will," she replied. "It won't be any trouble at all."
"But, my dear," continued the King, in an embarrassed way, "I've beenthinking the subject over carefully, and I find there are a lot ofpleasant things here in Bunnybury that I would miss if I went away. Soperhaps I'd better stay."
Dorothy laughed. Then she looked grave.
"It won't do for you to be a King and a cry-baby at the same time," shesaid. "You've been making all the other rabbits unhappy and discontentedwith your howls about being so miserable. So I guess it's better to haveanother King."
"Oh, no indeed!" exclaimed the King, earnestly. "If you won't sayanything to Glinda I'll promise to be merry and gay all the time, andnever cry or wail again."
"Honor bright?" she asked.
"On the royal word of a King I promise it!" he answered.
"All right," said Dorothy. "You'd be a reg'lar lunatic to want to leaveBunnybury for a wild life in the forest, and I'm sure any rabbit outsidethe city would be glad to take your place."
"Forget it, my dear; forget all my foolishness," pleaded the King,earnestly. "Hereafter I'll try to enjoy myself and do my duty by mysubjects."
So then she left him and entered through the little door into the roomin the wall, where she grew gradually bigger and bigger until she hadresumed her natural size.
The Keeper of the Wicket let them out into the forest and told Dorothythat she had been of great service to Bunnybury because she had broughttheir dismal King to a realization of the pleasure of ruling sobeautiful a city.
"I shall start a petition to have your statue erected beside Glinda's inthe public square," said the Keeper. "I hope you will come again, someday, and see it."
"Perhaps I shall," she replied.
Then, followed by Toto and Billina, she walked away from the high marblewall and started back along the narrow path toward the sign-post.