Part 2

When they had passed through the village Teddy took the road towards the sea. He drove very well, and talked all the time to Lady Grace, sometimes leaning towards her and saying something in his gruff, hearty voice, and sometimes throwing his head back and laughing loudly. Lady Grace seemed to be receiving his attentions kindly, but Wooden looked a little anxious, and leant forward sometimes and joined in the conversation.

“Lady Grace is engaged to Colonel Jim of the Lifeguards,” she explained to Peggy. “The Queen takes a great interest in the young couple, and I promised her that I would give an eye to Lady Grace. The Queen trusts me, you know, dear.”

“Shall I see the Queen?” asked Peggy. “What is she like?”

“She is not very well,” said Wooden sadly. “I don’t know whether you will be able to see her, but I hope so.”

“What is the matter with her?” asked Peggy.

“Well they told me last night at the Palace that they were afraid she had a mump.”

“What is that?”

“Why, you know all about that, don’t you? You have had mumps yourself--several of them. If a doll has more than one it is generally fatal. But I quite hope that the Queen has not got any; and if she is better I am sure she would like to see you. You asked what she was like. Well, she is wax, of course, and she is about a hundred years old, or perhaps a thousand, or a million, but quite as beautiful as ever. She was one of the first wax dolls ever born, and they made her Queen because they admired her so.”

“Is there an elective monarchy in Toyland?” asked Peggy, who had got on quite a long way in history.

Wooden did not seem to understand the question fully, but she answered in her soothing voice, “No, dear, all the animals are tame; you need not be afraid of any of them.”

They drove on towards the sea, and when they got within sight of it Peggy cried out, and clapped her hands with pleasure.

For the sea was full of boats crowded with dolls all going to the Island. It was the prettiest sight. There were hundreds of toy yachts with their white sails, steam-boats and motor-boats and clockwork boats and rowing boats, and even boats made of paper, and walnut shells. The sun was shining brightly on this gay scene, and the water was as calm as possible, so that there was no chance of anybody being seasick.

“Why, they are all going over to the Island!” said Peggy. “Are we going there, too?”

“Oh, yes,” said Wooden. “The Island is Toyland; I forgot that you didn’t know that. That is where all the dolls live. Those who are finished with your world live there always, and the others go there every night. At least it is night with you, but of course it is day with us. And when it is day with you it is night with us.”

“Like Australia,” suggested Peggy.

“Yes, dear,” said Wooden. “I like it very much.”

“But if you go to Toyland every night, and it is day there, you never have any real night at all,” said Peggy.

“No, dear,” said Wooden reflectively. “I suppose not.”

When they reached the shore Teddy turned to the right. “Are we going to the Bungalow?” asked Peggy.

“That is where we shall set sail for Toyland,” said Wooden. “And, you know, I have two relations there.”

Peggy could not think what she meant for the moment. Then she remembered the two wooden figure-heads, and asked Wooden if they were her relations. Wooden said they were. One was her mother and one was her aunt. “I’m sure you will like mother, dear,” she said. “Aunt has wonderful high spirits, and doesn’t always behave as she ought, through picking up sailors’ ways. But she says herself she never did no harm to nobody, so we must overlook it.”

It was well that Wooden had given Peggy this warning about her aunt, or Peggy might have been rather surprised at her behaviour when the car drew up before the grass-plot by the Bungalow. The two figure-heads, now full length and moving about freely, were waiting for them, and when she saw them coming Wooden’s aunt gave a loud screech and rushed forward to meet them, but caught her foot on a root of gorse and fell full length in front of the car.

Teddy very cleverly stopped the car at once, or he might have run over her. Then he jumped down and lifted up Wooden’s aunt, who was not hurt at all, but screeched with laughter again. Teddy seized her round the waist and waltzed up and down the grass with her, kicking up his legs and being very silly. Peggy was surprised to see him going on like that, but Wooden’s aunt seemed to enjoy it thoroughly, and when he had finished she sat plump down on the grass, with her legs sticking out in front of her, and simply roared with laughter, and said, “Lawks! you _are_ a one!”

In the meantime Wooden had introduced Peggy to her mother, who was as fresh as paint could make her, but had a weather-beaten look, too, and a husky voice, owing to her having taken so many sea voyages that the fog had got into her throat. She said that she was very pleased to see Peggy, because she had heard a lot about her, and when they got on to the boat they must have a nice long talk.

“Aunt seems in very good spirits today, mother,” said Wooden, looking at her doubtfully as she was being danced about the grass by Teddy. Wooden’s aunt was really being rather common, and Wooden would not like Peggy to think that her relations were common.

Just at that moment Wooden’s aunt sat down on the grass in the rather vulgar way already described, and Wooden’s mother said to her sharply, “Now, Polly, do adone now, and remember what company you’re in. Get up, and come and be introduced to the little lady.”

So Wooden’s aunt came and shook hands with Peggy, and gave her a smacking kiss, which tasted of salt. “Dear little precious! Bless her!” she said in quite a kind voice, which made Peggy like her a little better. “Lawks, Maria! _She_ ain’t one to mind a body having a bit o’ fun.”

III

THE ROYAL ARK AND THE BAD BEHAVIOUR OF WOODEN’S AUNT

Lying tied to one of the groins, which seemed to have widened out into a sort of pier, was a rakish-looking clockwork steamer, with a red hull and a broad white line above it, all very smart and clean.

“Why, it’s my very own steamer,” cried Peggy, “just as it was when it was new, only much bigger.”

“Yes, dear,” said Wooden. “We use it every night to take us across to Toyland. You didn’t know that. You will see all your other toys when we get across, and some of them are coming with us.”

“Is the man who shoots pennies into my money-box coming?” asked Peggy.

“Yes,” replied Wooden. “He is the Queen’s head game-keeper. He shot the three china hares that stand on the nursery mantelpiece. He shot them with the sixpences you got out of the Christmas pudding.”

The steamer and the pier beside it were now crowded with doll sailors and doll passengers preparing to take the journey across the water to Toyland, and the road along the beach in both directions was full of dolls hurrying to the various starting-places. Every row of piles along the shore had turned into a pier, and scores of boats were moored alongside them, in which dolls were embarking.

But still they came, from north, east, and west. Many of them were in motor-cars, others were packed into wooden carts, the babies were being wheeled in prams, and many were walking. Some way off Peggy saw a troop of lead soldiers riding down to the shore on black horses, and they looked very fine with the sun shining on their helmets and breastplates.

Lady Grace shaded her eyes and looked at them, too, and Wooden said to her, “Lady Grace, I believe that is Colonel Jim’s regiment.”

Teddy turned round and grinned at them, and said, “What ho, girls!”

Wooden said sharply, “Now behave, Teddy, and don’t let’s have any byplay.”

They all embarked in the toy steamer, and Peggy was pleased to find her own sailor doll acting as captain of it. Very well he did it, too, standing on the bridge and shouting his orders down a tube, while the steamer was loosed from the quay and started off at a splendid pace, making a hundred knots an hour across the blue calm water.

It was a delightful voyage, pleasanter even than the motor drive had been. The sun was shining so brightly, and every one seemed so pleased to be going to Toyland. They could hear the dolls laughing and singing from the other boats, which were all round them. On one of them was a toy piano with five notes, on which a gentleman doll with long hair was playing a tune so difficult that you would never have thought it possible if you had not heard him.

Wooden’s mother and aunt went forward and stood in the bows of the boat as she drove across the sea. They sniffed the salt breeze with rapture, and their brightly-coloured faces glistened in the sunshine. “This,” said Wooden’s mother, “is Life!” And Wooden’s aunt enjoyed it so much that until they came to the other side she said nothing vulgar or common.

But the moment the steamer began to move, although the water was as smooth as it could possibly be, Teddy became as green as pea soup and rushed downstairs to the cabin.

“He’s always like that, poor fellow,” said Wooden. “I suppose it comes from being a bear. He will be all right when we get to the other side.”

Very soon the voyage was over, and the toy steamer came alongside a quay carpeted with red felt. There were many other landing stages all along the shore, at which other boats were landing their doll passengers; but the steamer was the only one which came alongside this special quay. It was decorated with flowers and flags, and round it stood a row of wooden soldiers, with shiny black bearskins, red coats, and spotless white trousers. They lined three sides of the square, and looked very smart, all of exactly the same height, and all standing at attention.

Wooden seemed to be rather embarrassed as the steamer made fast alongside this gaily decorated quay. “This is the royal quay,” she said to Peggy. “Only the Queen uses it. There must be some mistake.” And she asked the captain why they were landing there.

“Orders, ma’am, orders,” said the captain briefly, touching his cap.

“I expect,” said Lady Grace, “that it is to do honour to our little visitor.” She put her hand on Peggy’s shoulder and smiled at her.

Wooden’s honest face beamed with pleasure. “Now, I do call that kind of Her Majesty,” she said, “very kind indeed.”

The wooden soldiers all presented arms as Peggy stepped off the steamer between Lady Grace and Wooden, while Wooden’s mother and aunt followed them, and Teddy came up from below no longer looking green, but quite cheerful again and grinning all over. One of the soldiers let off his gun by mistake. He had only lately joined the regiment, and did not quite understand the words of command. The captain of the wooden soldiers boxed his ears soundly, and nobody took any further notice of the episode, which, however, had far-reaching effects, as will presently appear.

Directly the party had landed, a band struck up and led the way along a broad carpeted passage, which was also lined on one side by wooden soldiers. On the other side was the water, for the royal quay was at the mouth of a broad river, and a little farther on was another quay towards which they were going. And here Peggy saw an extraordinary and pleasing sight.

There was a large, gaily decorated Noah’s Ark lying at the second quay. At each end of the house on the Ark was a big platform. The one in front was shaded by a gaily striped awning. There was also a carpet on it, and big pots of flowers, and comfortable chairs and little tables. On the platform at the back stood Mr. Noah in a long yellow robe, and Mrs. Noah in a blue robe. Mr. Noah had taken off his black shiny hat, and was bowing low, as Wooden and her party approached the Ark.

But the most curious thing of all was the long line of animals that were standing two and two along the towing-path by the river. They were all in charge of the rest of Mr. Noah’s family, and were harnessed to the Ark, which they were evidently going to pull. There were two elephants and two camels, giraffes, zebras, cows, hyenas, leopards, and a lot more, all much the same size; and at the head of the procession were two antelopes. Hovering round the Ark were a great number of birds--wild geese, and rooks and parrots and peacocks and canaries and budgeree-gars and others, all flying in pairs.

“The Queen’s own Ark,” said Lady Grace. “It must have been sent down for somebody. I wonder who.”

“Do you think it could be for a specialist?” Peggy asked. “They do send for them, you know, if anybody is ill.”

“Oh, I do hope her mump isn’t worse,” said Wooden.

“I expect it’s sent down for me,” said Wooden’s aunt, with her vulgar laugh. “She knowed I was coming all right.”

“Now, Polly, behave,” said Wooden’s mother. “Mr. and Mrs. Noah are looking at us.”

Mr. Noah advanced to the side of the Ark and bowed to Wooden. “I have been ordered to bring the Ark down for you and your party,” he said. “I hope we shall have a nice trip up the river.”

Wooden turned to Peggy with a pleased smile on her face. “Now that is an honour,” she said. “I am so pleased, dear. It is a most lovely ark inside.”

Then she asked Mr. Noah how the Queen was, and he shook his head and was just going to tell her how the Queen was when Wooden’s aunt gave a wild whoop, and picking up her skirts ran along the quay, kicking her feet out in front of her, and shouting, “Come on, girls! Here’s larks!”

And I am sorry to say that Teddy joined her, and they danced up the quay together and rushed down the bridge from the bank to the ark, jostling each other and quite spoiling everything by their behaviour.

“Oh dear, oh dear!” said Wooden’s mother in a vexed voice, “Really, Polly does carry on something awful.”

But Mr. Noah only laughed and said, “I like a little fun sometimes.”

Then he led the way to the platform in the front of the ark, and Mrs. Noah walked by Peggy and said to her, “I like your face very much. I am sure we shall be friends.”

The captain of the wooden soldiers now gave some words of command, and all his troops fell into their places ready to march alongside the ark. Mr. Noah blew a whistle, and his sons made themselves very busy unfastening ropes, pushing the ark out into the river, and getting ready to start the animals. Mr. Noah blew his whistle again when the ark was clear of the shore, and with a great deal of shouting and cheering, the procession of animals started off, and pulled the ark at a good pace up the river.

It was a very pleasant journey. The air was warm and the sky was blue. All the different animals that were pulling the ark were very interesting to look at, and the birds that flew in couples overhead were very pretty, too, and sang most melodiously.

They had not travelled very far before a smart servant doll in cap and apron came out of the house in the ark, and said, “Would you like to take a little light refreshment?”

Wooden’s aunt instantly jumped up from her chair and said, “I’m always ready for my grub.” Then she pushed in front of all the others and rushed into the house in the most vulgar and objectionable manner. And again, I am sorry to say, Teddy followed her.

Wooden blushed with annoyance at the behaviour of her relative, and Wooden’s mother said in an angry voice, “It is really too much. But please don’t think because she is my daughter’s aunt that she is my sister. Quite the reverse. I wouldn’t own her. My poor brother married much beneath him. He was a wooden Scotchman of irreproachable character, outside a tobacconist’s shop, and a perfect gentleman in every way.”

Peggy smoothed the wounded feelings of Wooden and her mother, and said it didn’t matter. “I think I had better say a word to Teddy,” she said. “He is not behaving nicely.”

“Oh, she leads him on,” said Wooden’s mother, who was still very much annoyed.

“Teddy has always been flighty, for a bear,” said Wooden. “I haven’t liked to say anything, dear, but I think it would be a good thing if you were to speak to him. He would pay attention to you.”

When they got inside the house of the ark they found a most beautifully furnished apartment, with big windows on either side, through which the scenery on the banks of the river could be observed as they went along.

On the table was spread a most sumptuous repast. There was a dish of chicken, consisting entirely of wishing-bones; there was a pudding made of one gigantic chocolate cream; there were little baby bananas growing on a live tree in the middle of the table; there were sandwiches of toast and butter and watercress and blackberry jam and potted prawns, all mixed up together in the most ingenious manner, and very seductive to the palate; there was a birthday cake and a wedding cake; there was a jelly that tasted of violets and another that tasted of carnations; there were delicious drinks, from the sweet and comforting chocolate of the cold north to the iced sherbet of the burning south; there were dozens of crackers, and every one of them contained a beautiful toy, a motto, a cap of coloured paper decorated with gold and silver, and a small but valuable piece of jewellery. In short, there was every delicacy of the season, and all in the utmost profusion.

Wooden’s aunt was already deep in the repast when they got inside. She was purple in the face, and beginning to breathe heavily.

“Such greed I never saw,” said Wooden’s mother, eyeing her severely. “She has not even washed her hands.”

Teddy, however, was nowhere to be seen, and the servant-doll said that he had gone out by another door into Mr. Noah’s cabin. Mr. Noah had invited him to have a steak and onions with him. Peggy was rather glad not to have to rebuke him before company, for she was fond of Teddy. She thought that if he were kept away from Wooden’s aunt he would probably behave all right.

The servant-doll had led them into a nice airy bedroom, which opened out of the main saloon, and Peggy washed her hands, and then put on a very pretty pinafore made of lace and chiffon, which the servant-doll gave her. When they were all ready they went into the saloon and sat down at the table, and much enjoyed their repast, while the ark was drawn rapidly along the winding river.

Unfortunately their enjoyment was marred by the continued bad behaviour of Wooden’s aunt, who went on as if she had really never been in respectable company before. When she could eat no more--and that was not for a long time--Wooden’s mother gave her a dose of Gregory powder, which she always carried about with her for such emergencies, or she would probably have died. As it was she felt very ill, and said so in a thoroughly vulgar manner.

Wooden was most distressed at her behaviour, but she was so kind-hearted that she could not help making excuses for her. “Greediness and vulgarity and vanity are her only failings, poor thing,” she said. “Otherwise she has a very charming character. We all have our little weaknesses, and we must not think too much of them.”

“I’m ashamed of her,” said Wooden’s mother. “And I shall tell her so to her face directly she regains consciousness.”

For Wooden’s aunt was now stretched on one of the luxurious sofas of the saloon in a state of complete collapse.

“Let us leave her there,” said Lady Grace. “She will be better when we arrive at Dolltown.”

IV

MOMENTOUS NEWS IS BROUGHT BY A DUTCH DOLL

They left Wooden’s aunt in the saloon and went on deck again, and seated themselves in the comfortable chairs under the awning, from which they could observe the scenery. This was very beautiful.

They were now going through a mountain gorge. The river was narrow here, but deep. The mountains came steeply down into the water, and on one side of the river was a road cut in the rock, along which all the animals were walking two by two, pulling the ark at a smart pace. Perched up on the mountains here and there were pretty wooden Swiss chalets, large and small; and numberless clean wooden cows, with bells round their necks, were browsing in the mountain pastures, which were gay with flowers. The wooden peasants who were looking after them showed great interest in the progress of the ark. They came running down the steep paths to see who was on board, and shouted and waved their hats in their excitement.

By-and-by they had passed through the mountains, and had come to a perfectly flat country, planted with wooden poplars of a vivid green. Here and there were farms--dear little wooden houses with doll-farmers living in them, and taking care of more wooden animals, cows and horses, and sheep and pigs. After a time they came to a small town consisting of streets of dolls’ houses, with a church built of toy bricks.

“Oh, I would like to go into one of those dear little houses,” said Peggy. “Can’t we stop here, Wooden?”

“We shall see much better dolls’ houses than those when we get to Dolltown,” said Wooden. “I have got a very nice dolls’ house myself, bigger than any of those. I shall take you there, dear, and you will occupy the spare room. And I will show you the Queen’s Palace, which is finer than any of them.”

At this moment Mrs. Noah came forward, and stood by them smiling, as if she would like a little conversation.

“Won’t you sit down, Mrs. Noah?” said Lady Grace politely; and Mrs. Noah thanked her and sat down.

Mrs. Noah was a large smiling woman who liked to make friends. She smiled at Lady Grace, and Wooden, and Wooden’s mother, and Peggy, and then said suddenly, “I thought you’d like to know how it all was.”

Of course they would like to know how it all was, though they didn’t quite know what she meant. So they smiled back at her, and then she began.

“Of course he is wood,” she said, “begging your pardon, Lady Grace, and I ought to like him on that account. But the truth is that I don’t, and can’t.”

There was a little pause, and then Wooden’s mother said, nodding her head wisely, “Ah, I know who you mean, and I don’t much like him either. I suppose because he’s a foreigner.”

Wooden shook her head, but said nothing. Lady Grace said, “I hate him; but then I’m wax, you see.”

Peggy wondered who they were talking about, but just as she was going to ask Wooden, Mrs. Noah looked at her, and said, “Why, bless me! the little lady must be thinking that we’re talking in riddles.”

And then she told the following story:--

Some time before, a ship had been wrecked on the coast of Toyland, and all its passengers drowned except King Selim. He had been brought to Dolltown, and, because he was a king, Queen Rosebud had given him a set of rooms in her palace, where he had lived very comfortably ever since.

“What was he King of?” asked Peggy.

Mrs. Noah hesitated. “I really don’t know, dear,” she said. “Do you know, Wooden?”

“No,” said Wooden. “I never thought of asking.”

It seemed that nobody else had ever thought of asking either. They knew he must be a king because he said he was. Besides, he wore a crown. Everybody was very sorry for him, because his Queen had been drowned when the ship had been wrecked, but when some time had passed and he had got over that, he had become rather interfering, and he was not so much liked now as he had been, especially by the Waxes. For although all the dolls in Toyland generally lived happily together, still there was always apt to be a little feeling between the Waxes and the Woodens. The Waxes thought the Woodens were rather common, and the Woodens thought the Waxes were rather stuck up.

“Of course, speaking for myself,” said Mrs. Noah, “I’ve never had no quarrel with a Wax in my life, and, if I may say so, have as many friends among the Waxes as I have among the Woodens.”