_How_ BUNNYBURY WELCOMED THE STRANGERS
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Dorothy left Bunbury the same way she had entered it and when they werein the forest again she said to Billina:
"I never thought that things good to eat could be so dis'gree'ble."
"Often I've eaten things that tasted good but were disagreeableafterward," returned the Yellow Hen. "I think, Dorothy, if eatables aregoing to act badly, it's better before than after you eat them."
"P'raps you're right," said the little girl, with a sigh. "But whatshall we do now?"
"Let us follow the path back to the signpost," suggested Billina. "Thatwill be better than getting lost again."
"Why, we're lost anyhow," declared Dorothy; "but I guess you're rightabout going back to that signpost, Billina."
They returned along the path to the place where they had first found it,and at once took "the other road" to Bunnybury. This road was a merenarrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough for Dorothy'sfeet to tread. Still it was a guide, and the walking through the forestwas not at all difficult.
Before long they reached a high wall of solid white marble, and the pathcame to an end at this wall.
At first Dorothy thought there was no opening at all in the marble, buton looking closely she discovered a small square door about on a levelwith her head, and underneath this closed door was a bell-push. Near thebell-push a sign was painted in neat letters upon the marble, and thesign read:
_No Admittance Except on Business_
This did not discourage Dorothy, however, and she rang the bell.
Pretty soon a bolt was cautiously withdrawn and the marble door swungslowly open. Then she saw it was not really a door, but a window, forseveral brass bars were placed across it, being set fast in the marbleand so close together that the little girl's fingers might barely gobetween them. Back of the bars appeared the face of a white rabbit--avery sober and sedate face--with an eye-glass held in his left eye andattached to a cord in his button-hole.
"Well! what is it?" asked the rabbit, sharply.
"I'm Dorothy," said the girl, "and I'm lost, and--"
"State your business, please," interrupted the rabbit.
"My business," she replied, "is to find out where I am, and to--"
"No one is allowed in Bunnybury without an order or a letter ofintroduction from either Ozma of Oz or Glinda the Good," announced therabbit; "so that that settles the matter," and he started to close thewindow.
"Wait a minute!" cried Dorothy. "I've got a letter from Ozma."
"From the Ruler of Oz?" asked the rabbit, doubtingly.
"Of course. Ozma's my best friend, you know; and I'm a Princess myself,"she announced, earnestly.
"Hum--ha! Let me see your letter," returned the rabbit, as if he stilldoubted her.
So she hunted in her pocket and found the letter Ozma had given her.Then she handed it through the bars to the rabbit, who took it in hispaws and opened it. He read it aloud in a pompous voice, as if to letDorothy and Billina see that he was educated and could read writing. Theletter was as follows:
"It will please me to have my subjects greet Princess Dorothy, thebearer of this royal missive, with the same courtesy and considerationthey would extend to me."
"Ha--hum! It is signed 'Ozma of Oz,'" continued the rabbit, "and issealed with the Great Seal of the Emerald City. Well, well, well! Howstrange! How remarkable!"
"What are you going to do about it?" inquired Dorothy, impatiently.
"We must obey the royal mandate," replied the rabbit. "We are subjectsof Ozma of Oz, and we live in her country. Also we are under theprotection of the great Sorceress Glinda the Good, who made us promiseto respect Ozma's commands."
"Then may I come in?" she asked.
"I'll open the door," said the rabbit. He shut the window anddisappeared, but a moment afterward a big door in the wall opened andadmitted Dorothy to a small room, which seemed to be a part of the walland built into it.
Here stood the rabbit she had been talking with, and now that she couldsee all of him she gazed at the creature in surprise. He was a goodsized white rabbit with pink eyes, much like all other white rabbits.But the astonishing thing about him was the manner in which he wasdressed. He wore a white satin jacket embroidered with gold, and havingdiamond buttons. His vest was rose-colored satin, with tourmalinebuttons. His trousers were white, to correspond with the jacket, andthey were baggy at the knees--like those of a zouave--being tied withknots of rose ribbons. His shoes were of white plush with diamondbuckles, and his stockings were rose silk.
The richness and even magnificence of the rabbit's clothing made Dorothystare at the little creature wonderingly. Toto and Billina had followedher into the room and when he saw them the rabbit ran to a table andsprang upon it nimbly. Then he looked at the three through his monocleand said:
"These companions, Princess, cannot enter Bunnybury with you."
"Why not?" asked Dorothy.
"In the first place they would frighten our people, who dislike dogsabove all things on earth; and, secondly, the letter of the Royal Ozmadoes not mention them."
"But they're my friends," persisted Dorothy, "and go wherever I go."
"Not this time," said the rabbit, decidedly. "You, yourself, Princess,are a welcome visitor, since you come so highly recommended; but unlessyou consent to leave the dog and the hen in this room I cannot permityou to enter the town."
"Never mind us, Dorothy," said Billina. "Go inside and see what theplace is like. You can tell us about it afterward, and Toto and I willrest comfortably here until you return."
This seemed the best thing to do, for Dorothy was curious to see how therabbit people lived and she was aware of the fact that her friends mightfrighten the timid little creatures. She had not forgotten how Toto andBillina had misbehaved in Bunbury, and perhaps the rabbit was wise toinsist on their staying outside the town.
"Very well," she said, "I'll go in alone. I s'pose you're the King ofthis town, aren't you?"
"No," answered the rabbit, "I'm merely the Keeper of the Wicket, and aperson of little importance, although I try to do my duty. I must nowinform you, Princess, that before you enter our town you must consent toreduce."
"Reduce what?" asked Dorothy.
"Your size. You must become the size of the rabbits, although you mayretain your own form."
"Wouldn't my clothes be too big for me?" she inquired.
"No; they will reduce when your body does."
"Can _you_ make me smaller?" asked the girl.
"Easily," returned the rabbit.
"And will you make me big again, when I'm ready to go away?"
"I will," said he.
"All right, then; I'm willing," she announced.
The rabbit jumped from the table and ran--or rather hopped--to thefurther wall, where he opened a door so tiny that even Toto couldscarcely have crawled through it.
"Follow me," he said.
Now, almost any other little girl would have declared that she could notget through so small a door; but Dorothy had already encountered so manyfairy adventures that she believed nothing was impossible in the Land ofOz. So she quietly walked toward the door, and at every step she grewsmaller and smaller until, by the time the opening was reached, shecould pass through it with ease. Indeed, as she stood beside the rabbit,who sat upon his hind legs and used his paws as hands, her head was justabout as high as his own.
Then the Keeper of the Wicket passed through and she followed, afterwhich the door swung shut and locked itself with a sharp click.
Dorothy now found herself in a city so strange and beautiful that shegave a gasp of surprise. The high marble wall extended all around theplace and shut out all the rest of the world. And here were marblehouses of curious forms, most of them resembling overturned kettles butwith delicate slender spires and minarets running far up into the sky.The streets were paved with white marble and in front of each house wasa lawn of rich green clover. Everything was
as neat as wax, the greenand white contrasting prettily together.
But the rabbit people were, after all, the most amazing things Dorothysaw. The streets were full of them, and their costumes were so splendidthat the rich dress of the Keeper of the Wicket was commonplace whencompared with the others. Silks and satins of delicate hues seemedalways used for material, and nearly every costume sparkled withexquisite gems.
But the lady rabbits outshone the gentlemen rabbits in splendor, andthe cut of their gowns was really wonderful. They wore bonnets, too,with feathers and jewels in them, and some wheeled baby carriages inwhich the girl could see wee bunnies. Some were lying asleep whileothers lay sucking their paws and looking around them with big pinkeyes.
As Dorothy was no bigger in size than the grown-up rabbits she had achance to observe them closely before they noticed her presence. Thenthey did not seem at all alarmed, although the little girl naturallybecame the center of attraction and all regarded her with greatcuriosity.
"Make way!" cried the Keeper of the Wicket, in a pompous voice; "makeway for Princess Dorothy, who comes from Ozma of Oz."
Hearing this announcement, the throng of rabbits gave place to them onthe walks, and as Dorothy passed along they all bowed their headsrespectfully.
Walking thus through several handsome streets they came to a square inthe center of the City. In this square were some pretty trees and astatue in bronze of Glinda the Good, while beyond it were the portals ofthe Royal Palace--an extensive and imposing building of white marblecovered with a filigree of frosted gold.
The Emerald City of Oz Page 20
