CHAPTER 19 The Lost Crowns
"Well, shall we return to the boat?" asked the Queen, when they hadlooked at the lost things a while longer.
"Yes," they answered willingly, for the Valley was a rather sadsight.
So they walked back to the bank, where they took off their overshoesand threw them upon the pile. Then they went down the sloping bank tothe river and sat down upon the sand to rest.
"I'm hungry," said Tot.
"I forgot to bring anything to eat," answered the Queen. "But thatwill not matter. Fetch me your basket from the boat."
Dot brought it to the little lady, who simply waved her fairy wandover it and said:
"Now we shall have a good dinner."
The girl removed the cover and found that the big basket was filledto the brim with dainties of all kinds.
"That's nice," said Tot. "Were all those things in the end of yourstick?"
"No one has ever yet discovered," answered the Queen, "how fairiesare able to do such wonderful things. In fact, fairies could notexplain them clearly if they wished to. So it is best not to askquestions, but to eat freely of these good things and be thankful mymagic wand was able to fill the basket."
"All right," said Tot.
Although they enjoyed their dinner, the little party seemed to beunusually silent and thoughtful, and finally Dot asked:
"What shall we do next? We have seen all of the Seven Valleys now."
"When we have finished our dinner we will return to my palace in theFourth Valley," replied the Queen, gaily.
A long pause followed this remark, and it was broken by Tot saying ina loud and decided voice:
"I want to go home!"
The Queen looked up quickly, with an anxious expression upon herface, and asked, "Do you really?"
"Yes. I want to see my mamma!" declared the boy.
"And leave this beautiful country, where you are a Prince?"
"Yes," said Tot decidedly.
"You surprise me, indeed," said the Queen, "and I am ratherdisappointed that you are not content to remain in my kingdom." Thenshe turned to Dot, and enquired: "Do you also wish to return to yourhome?"
"Well," replied the girl, "I love these beautiful Valleys dearly, andnever expect to be as happy again as I have been here. But if Totgoes home of course I must go with him, for his mother left him in mycare, you know."
"I am very sorry," said the Queen, after another long pause; "I hadhoped to keep you with me always. But in my Kingdom of Merryland noone must be unhappy--it is the law. And if you really wish to returnhome it would make you unhappy to stay. So," she added, quietly, "youmay go whenever you wish."
"How?" asked Tot, excited at the prospect.
"In your boat, of course. You have only to float down the river andthrough another tunnel to reach the big outside world again. But whenyou have passed through I shall close up the tunnel forever, so youwill never be able to return."
"That's all right," returned Tot, gleefully.
"I shall be sorry never to see you again," said Dot, gently, as sheclasped one of the fairy doll's pretty hands in her own. "You havebeen so kind to us, and I'm sure Tot is as grateful as I am. But he'sa boy, you know."
"I know," said the Queen, with a smile.
"Let's go now," urged Tot, as if he couldn't wait a minute, now thematter was decided.
"How can you get to the Fourth Valley if we take the boat?" Dot askedthe Queen.
"That will be easy," she answered, pleasantly; "my fairy wand willcarry me home."
"Come on, then!" cried Tot, leaping into the boat.
Dot turned to kiss the pretty Queen, who exclaimed: "Be careful of mywax!"
But she stood on her tiptoes and gave the little girl a dainty, airykiss that just brushed her lips.
"Good-bye my Princess," she said, and turning to the boy, added:
"Good-bye, Prince Tot of Merryland."
"Good-bye," called Tot from the boat. "You're nice, an' I love you.But I love my mamma, too."
"To be sure," answered the Queen, sweetly.
Dot now stepped in beside Tot, and the fairy doll placed the basketin the boat and pushed it away from the shore.
As they floated slowly down the stream the Queen followed along thetop of the high bank, as if to keep them in sight as long aspossible; and Dot was looking at her almost regretfully when suddenlya thought flashed into her mind. She stood up in the boat and calledout:
"You've never told us your name!"
"Haven't I, really?" asked the Queen, as if greatly surprised.
"No," said Dot. "I want to know what it is."
"So do I," yelled Tot, standing up beside the girl and steadyinghimself by her arm.
"Certainly. I'll tell you now," cried the Queen, still running alongthe bank. But scarcely had she spoken when she threw up both herhands and screamed:
"Look out for the arch!"
Dot and Tot both turned around to look, but they were too late. Alow, gloomy archway was just before them, and as the boat glided intoit, the jagged rocks of the roof caught the children and threw themflat upon the bottom of the boat.
In falling, both the pretty gold crowns were knocked from their headsand fell splashing into the dark waters of the river, where they werelost forever.
Dot and Tot lay quite still for a time, while the light in the tunnelturned to twilight, and the twilight turned to utter darkness.
Suddenly they heard a great crash, with the sound of falling rocksand the splashing of water. The boat rocked with a little shiver, butneither of the children spoke, for they knew the Queen had kept herpromise and closed up the archway behind them.
Finally Tot whispered, "I've got her yet."
"Who?" asked Dot.
"Jane."
The girl did not reply. She was rubbing her head where the roof hadstruck it and thinking earnestly of the wonderful country she hadjust left. Tot might, in time, forget his visit to Merryland, but Dotnever would.
"It's goin' to be as long as the first tun'l, Dot," said the boy; andthen he curled himself up and fell asleep, while the boat glidedswiftly through the dark tunnel, and no sound broke the stillnesssave the soft rippling of the unseen waters.
CHAPTER 20 The Voyage Ends
Suddenly Dot, who had also fallen asleep, awoke with a start.
The sun was just sinking in the west, and the boat had left thetunnel while they slept and was slowly floating down the middle of abig river.
The girl at once awakened Tot and they looked carefully along bothsides of the river to see if they could find the place where they hadcome out of the tunnel. But nothing could be seen except a line oflow trees growing close down to the water.
"It doesn't make any difference, anyway," said the girl; "for theQueen has closed up the end of the tunnel."
"Where are we?" asked Tot.
"I don't exactly know. But this looks very much like the river thatflows past Roselawn."
"Yes!" cried the boy, nodding his head, "I 'member those trees."
"Then," rejoined Dot, slowly, "I think I know how it happened. TheValleys of Merryland are not in a straight line, but lie in the formof a half circle; so in passing through them we have come upon thesame river again, only higher up the stream. We'll soon be oppositeRoselawn, Tot."
The boy was staring at the bank and did not answer at once. But asthe boat swept around a bend in the river he cried:
"Look!" and pointed with his finger to the shore.
Before them were the green banks of Roselawn, and someone had alreadyseen the children, for a boat pushed out from the shore and camerapidly toward them.
A few minutes afterward Dot was closely clasped in her father's arms,while Tot was rapturously kissing the bearded face of Thompson thegardener.
"How do you happen to be at Roselawn, Papa?" Dot asked.
"Miss Bombien telegraphed me you were lost, so I came by the firsttrain and have been searching everywhere for you. Thompson and I hadboth nearly despaired, for we fear
ed our little ones had beendrowned."
"Oh, no," said Dot, "we've only been on a trip to Merryland. But I'lltell you the whole story when we get home."
Mr. Freeland noticed his daughter's round, plump cheeks, slightlysunburned, but with a fresh, rosy tint showing through the skin, andsaw how her eyes sparkled and danced with health. Very gratefully hepressed her again to his heart and whispered:
"Wherever you may have been, my darling, the change has restored yourhealth, and that repays me for all my anxiety."
* * *
As they walked up the white-graveled paths of Roselawn, Dot skippedhappily along by her father's side, while Tot held fast to thegardener's big finger with one hand and carried Jane in the other.
Soon they came to the place where the path branched off to the gap inthe hedge beyond which Tot lived, and he called out, "Good-bye, Dot."
"Good-bye," answered the girl; "I'll see you tomorrow."
But before she had gone far Tot came running up, calling for her tostop.
"Oh, Dot!" he said, "I know what the Queen's name is!"
"Do you?" she asked eagerly. "Tell me, quick!"
"Why it's Dolly, of course," said Tot.
"Of course!" answered Dot, with a smile. "Funny we never thought ofthat, isn't it?"
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