Part 6

“Yes, they will, if you say the word ‘pot-plants,’” said the gentleman doll. “Say that somebody has come from the palace with some pot-plants for you. Go quickly, before anybody comes.”

Peggy went back, and told Wooden and the others what had happened. “I don’t know who it was,” she said, “but I couldn’t help thinking that I had heard his voice before.”

“Was it the Lord Chancellor?” asked Wooden’s mother. “Perhaps this is his compromise.”

“I don’t think so,” said Peggy. “But hadn’t we better ask for him to be let in?”

Teddy had finished his performance, and was climbing down the pole. It was time to do something, for soon the crowd of dolls would disperse, and some would go round to the other side of the House.

“Yes, dear, we had better do that,” said Wooden. “It is a very good idea. Perhaps you had better go yourself, if you don’t mind, as it was you who heard what he said.”

Peggy would have been quite willing to go down, but the door of their room was locked. So after a little more discussion they rang the bell, and presently Mr. Emma came up to see what they wanted.

The dolls seemed to expect Peggy to speak, so she said, “There is a man outside who wants to come up and see us.”

Mr. Emma beamed affectionately upon her. “Bless your dear little heart!” he said. “I’d do anything to please you, but I can’t let anybody up to see you without orders. It would be as much as my place is worth.”

“He has come from the palace with some pot-plants,” said Peggy.

Mr. Emma’s face underwent a complete change. “Come with what?” he asked.

“With some pot-plants.”

“Oh, well then, I’ll let him up at once,” said Mr. Emma. “Oh, certainly.”

He went out quickly, but did not forget to lock the door behind him.

Just as he had locked it, and they thought he was on his way downstairs, he unlocked it again, and put his head into the room. “What did you say the man had come with?” he asked.

“With some pot-plants,” said Peggy again.

“Ah, that’s the word,” he said. “I wasn’t quite certain I’d got it right.”

Then he locked the door behind him again, and they heard his feet going heavily downstairs.

In a few minutes he came back again, unlocked the door, and came into the room with the gentleman doll, who was wrapped in his long cloak, and carried his pots in his arms.

“I’ll leave the gentleman with you for a bit,” said Mr. Emma, “as I’m just in the middle of my tea.”

He went out and locked the door behind him once more. The gentleman doll, who had put the pots down on the floor, stood up and threw off his cloak, and revealed the stalwart form and handsome features of Colonel Jim, of the Lifeguards.

IX

THEY DISCUSS A PLAN OF ESCAPE

The first thing Colonel Jim did when he had thrown off his disguise was to bow politely to all of them. But to Lady Grace he did more than that. He took her hand and kissed it respectfully, and then said, “Very sorry to see you here, my lady. Forming plans to get you out. Disgraceful affair altogether!”

Lady Grace looked pleased at the attention paid to her, and blushed. Peggy had not known before that dolls could fall in love, but it was quite plain that Lady Grace was in love with handsome Colonel Jim. It seemed plain also that he was in love with her. He spoke in short sharp sentences because he was a soldier, and loved deeds better than words. But there was a tenderness in his manner when he addressed Lady Grace which he did not show to anybody but her, though his manners were always courteous.

Wooden’s aunt gave a screech of enjoyment when Colonel Jim kissed Lady Grace’s hand, and said, “Lawks! I wish I’d got a handsome beau like that.” But nobody took any notice of her, as there was so much to talk about. Wooden’s mother requested Colonel Jim to take a seat, which he did, and proceeded to explain himself.

“Didn’t hear you were shut up till Teddy bear came and told me so,” he said. “Determined at once to use the pass-word for the day, which I knew, as commanding troops at palace. Pass-word ‘Pot-plants.’ So concocted plan with Teddy bear, and here I am.”

Peggy wondered that she had not known who he was under his disguise. But he had not then spoken in the military way he used now, as he had, of course, been playing his part as well as he could.

“And very pleased we are to see you, Colonel Jim,” said Wooden, in her nice gentle manner. “It’s a sad thing, this shutting up of Waxes and others. I’m sure dear Queen Rosebud would never have allowed it, if she had been alive.”

“It’s my belief,” said Colonel Jim, “that Queen Rosebud _is_ alive.”

All the dolls exclaimed, in surprise. And Wooden said, after the pause which followed, “But King Selim said that she was dead, Colonel Jim. We all heard him with our own ears.”

“I know that,” said Colonel Jim shortly.

There was another pause of consternation. “Do you mean that you think the King has told an untruth?” asked Lady Grace, in an awestruck voice.

“Yes,” said Colonel Jim.

Another pause. “It would be a dreadful thing if he had,” said Wooden. “He wouldn’t deserve to be King if he could do a thing like that, would he?”

“He doesn’t deserve it,” said Colonel Jim.

Nobody spoke. The matter was too serious to be treated in a light conversational way, and it was felt that Colonel Jim must have more to tell them, if he could only get it out.

He seemed to feel, himself, that he owed them explanations, and must try to make them as clear as possible, for he spoke slowly, and in longer sentences than he usually employed. He could do this all right if he liked.

“It was Rose who put him up to it all,” he said. “She’s mad all the time because she isn’t Wax.”

“And only half Composition,” put in Wooden’s aunt.

“Well, that’s as may be,” said Colonel Jim. “Anyhow, she got him to let her nurse the Queen, and told him to give out that she was dead. She wasn’t dead at all, but getting better all the time.”

“Do you mean that _she_ told a story?” asked Wooden, in a voice of consternation.

“Yes,” said Colonel Jim. “I do.”

“Well,” said Wooden, “I never liked her; but I did not think she would go so far as that.”

“It’s depravity,” said Wooden’s mother. “That’s what I call it; positive depravity.”

“Well, that’s as may be,” said Colonel Jim again. “Anyhow, that’s what she did.”

“How did you find out about Rose so cleverly?” asked Lady Grace.

Colonel Jim looked pleased at being called clever, which he wasn’t very. “One of my troopers is going to be married to Rose’s maid,” he said. “She heard them talking--Rose and Selim--and told him about it. He came and told me. Very proper thing to do. Made him a lance-corporal on the spot. He marries the maid tomorrow. Shall give them a wedding present. Silver pepper-castor.”

“Then, where is dear Queen Rosebud?” asked Wooden. “I am so glad she isn’t dead after all. I wish we could see her.”

“This is my month to be in waiting,” said Lady Grace. “Could you take me to her, do you think?”

“Afraid that’s impossible,” said Colonel Jim. “Don’t know where she is. She was taken out of the palace and hidden somewhere.”

“How dreadful it all sounds,” said Wooden. “I shouldn’t have thought such things could have happened in Toyland. I do hope they give her enough to eat.”

“I expect she’s having her tea now,” said Wooden’s aunt. “If I was a Queen, I’d have herrings every day.”

It was a foolish remark, as many of Wooden’s aunt’s remarks were, but it turned out to be a lucky one, for it reminded Peggy of something she had heard downstairs, while she was bathing the baby doll.

“I suppose she couldn’t be the lady in the top story!” she said.

They stared at her. “What do you mean, dear? What lady?” asked Wooden.

“When I was downstairs just now,” said Peggy, “Mrs. Emma was getting tea ready for the lady in the top story, and Mr. Emma said he was sorry for her being shut up there, and he wondered if she would like a herring for her tea.”

“Did they give her one?” asked Wooden’s aunt.

“No,” said Peggy. “Mrs. Emma said that as she was Wax she might not like herrings.”

“It’s the best fish out of the sea,” said Wooden’s aunt, smacking her lips. “Lawks! How I wish they’d bring me one!”

“Adone, now!” said Wooden’s mother sharply. “We’re talking about the Queen in the top story, not about what you’d like to have for your tea.”

“I don’t know that it is the Queen,” said Peggy. “But there is a lady on the top story, and she is Wax. I know as much as that.”

“And it’s a good deal to know, dear,” said Wooden fondly. “It was very clever of you to find it out.”

“Oh, it’s the Queen, right enough,” said Colonel Jim. “Wonder we never thought of her being here before. Question is now how to get at her. I wish that Teddy bear was here.”

They all seemed at a loss what to do next, and the suggestions they made were not very helpful. Wooden thought that it would be a good thing if Teddy were to bring a very long pole and climb up to the top of the House of Cards. But it was quite certain that there wasn’t a pole long enough in the whole of Toyland, or anywhere else. Wooden’s mother suggested throwing the Queen a rope. But it was equally certain that nobody could have thrown it far enough. Wooden’s aunt said, why not telephone to her? But this was silly, because there was no telephone.

By-and-by they all looked at Peggy, as if they expected her to suggest something sensible. She did not like to disappoint them, as it was flattering the way they seemed to believe in her. So she knitted her brows hard, to see if she could think of something.

“We could do so much more if we weren’t locked up in prison,” she said at last.

All the dolls looked at one another in admiration, and Wooden said, “Now, that’s one of the cleverest things I ever heard said, dear. How these things come into your head I can’t think.”

Peggy didn’t think that what she had said was so clever as all that, though she had had something further in her mind when she had said it. But she was pleased at being praised; most of us are; and she wanted to be as helpful as she could.

“Did you and Teddy make any plan for getting us out of prison?” she asked, turning to Colonel Jim.

“Now, I wonder what made her think of that?” said Wooden’s mother.

“Well, we did make a plan,” said Colonel Jim; “though how you guessed it I don’t know, as you couldn’t have heard us talking. Our plan was this: When I’m ready to go out, I say to Mr. Emma, ‘I should like to look at the view.’ He says, ‘With pleasure,’ and takes me up to the top story.”

“But supposing he doesn’t say ‘With pleasure,’” suggested Wooden.

Colonel Jim looked worried. “Teddy bear said he’d say ‘With pleasure,’” he said. “Never thought of asking what to do if he didn’t.”

“If Teddy said he’d say ‘With pleasure,’ I should think he would,” said Wooden. “Teddy is flighty, but I have always found his word reliable.”

Colonel Jim brightened. “Well, then, we go up to the top story,” he said. “Then I look at the view, and I say--let’s see, what is it I say? I’ve learnt it all up, but it’s difficult to remember. Oh, yes, I know. I say, ‘What’s that bird flying towards the sea?’ No, that’s wrong. I say, ‘What’s that bird over there?’ He says, ‘What bird? Where?’ I say, ‘Over there!’ pointing towards the sea. He turns to where I point, you see, and----”

“But are you sure there will be a bird to point at?” asked Lady Grace. “If not, won’t it be telling a story?”

“Do you think it will?” asked Colonel Jim. “I shouldn’t like to do that.”

There was a pause. “I like the plan,” said Wooden, “but that does rather interfere with it, doesn’t it?”

They all looked at Peggy as if they expected her to find a way out of the difficulty; and she did so at once. “I think there are sure to be birds flying about,” she said, “and some of them will be flying towards the sea.”

Their faces brightened, and Wooden’s aunt slapped her knee. “Now, doesn’t that beat all?” she said. “How she do think of things, to be sure! Well, go on, soldier.”

“Directly he says, ‘What bird, where?’” proceeded Colonel Jim, “that’s my sign. I get behind him. I whip off my cloak. I throw it over his head. I tie the cord--it’s got a cord, you see--round his arms, so that he can’t move. Then I say to him, ‘Your keys, please.’ Then I come downstairs with the keys, unlock the doors, and off we go. Well, that’s the plan, and if it all goes right I don’t think a better plan was ever invented. It’s Teddy bear’s plan chiefly, but it was me who thought of saying, ‘Your keys, please,’ instead of ‘Hand over your keys.’ More polite.”

The plan was not received with the pleasure that Colonel Jim seemed to expect. Wooden said doubtfully, “Mr. Emma is a very nice man. He might not like to have a cloak thrown over his head.”

“Don’t you think he would?” asked Colonel Jim, in a disturbed way. “I never thought of that. What do you say, Peggy?”

“If you were to treat him as gently as you could,” said Peggy, “and tell him that he might go downstairs to Mrs. Emma and the baby in five minutes, when we had all got away, he might not mind so much.”

“He couldn’t do that,” said Colonel Jim. “His legs would be tied up too. I forgot to say that. Can’t keep everything in your head at once.”

“Try again, dear,” said Wooden hopefully.

“Well, supposing we told Mrs. Emma she could go up and untie him, as we went out!” suggested Peggy.

“The very thing!” exclaimed Wooden’s mother. “I should never have thought of that if I had tried for a week.”

They had no time to settle anything further, for at that moment the key was heard turning in the lock outside. Colonel Jim had just time to put on his long cloak again before Mr. Emma came into the room.

He seemed not to be in quite such a good temper as before. Directly he came in, he said to Colonel Jim, “Now, then, my man, you’ve been here quite long enough. Pot-plants or no pot-plants, it’s time you cleared out.”

Colonel Jim hesitated. Peggy was afraid for the moment that he had forgotten the words he had learned so carefully. But they seemed to come to him all of a sudden. He straightened himself up, and said in a firm voice, but rather as if he were repeating a lesson, “I should like to go up to the top story and look at the view.”

Peggy heard Wooden say, “With pleasure,” under her breath, as if she were helping Mr. Emma to remember his part.

But unfortunately Mr. Emma had not learnt his part. What he did say was, “Oh, you would, would you? Well, I’m afraid I can’t oblige you. I’m almost run off my legs with work as it is. Now you come along down with me.”

X

PEGGY TALKS TO A ROYAL PRISONER

Colonel Jim threw a despairing look at Peggy; she could just see it under the hood that he had put over his head. His carefully arranged plan had gone wrong at the very beginning, and he hadn’t the least idea what to do next. Of course, he might just as well have thrown his cloak over Mr. Emma’s head there and then, as done it on the top of the House of Cards, after pointing to a bird which might not have been there. But perhaps he did not like to exercise violence before ladies, or perhaps it never occurred to him to alter the plan so as to suit the circumstances. At any rate, he prepared to follow Mr. Emma downstairs without any further ado. If Peggy had not suddenly thought of something, there would have been an end of any good he had done by making his way in to them.

As they were going out, Peggy said to Mr. Emma, “If you and Mrs. Emma have got so much work to do, couldn’t I come down and help you?”

Mr. Emma turned round and beamed at her. “Now, you _are_ a kind little lady!” he said. “And I don’t know as you can’t help us. Yes, you come along o’ me, dearie. My missus will be glad to see your pretty little face, anyhow, and you can talk to her a bit in her own lingo, which I never could fathom, nohow.”

Peggy was very glad at that moment that she had paid attention to her French, which gave her this opportunity of helping her doll friends, though she had been far from thinking that she would ever make such extraordinary use of it when she had talked as much as she could to French people during her holidays. She followed Mr. Emma out of the room, and he locked the door carefully after him, and led the way downstairs.

Now would have been Colonel Jim’s opportunity, either to throw his cloak over Mr. Emma, who was in front of him, or else to bolt upstairs instead of down. If he had done that, Mr. Emma would have had to follow him, and then they could have had it out together, and Colonel Jim would probably have won, as he was younger and stronger than Mr. Emma. But, though as brave as a lion, Colonel Jim had a brain that did not move very fast. All he could do, as they went downstairs, was to nudge Peggy with his elbow, and that did not take them very far, for when she whispered to him, “What is it?” he had nothing to say.

So it rested with her to think of something, and she whispered to Colonel Jim, unheard by Mr. Emma, whose large feet were making a considerable noise, “I will try to get upstairs, and see if it is the Queen who is there; and you and Teddy must try to get in to us again. Then I will tell you what I have found out.”

Colonel Jim nodded his head repeatedly, and Peggy could only hope that he had understood what she had said, and would remember it, for she had not time to say it over again, as they had now reached the ground floor.

Mr. Emma unlocked the big door leading into the market-place, and Colonel Jim went out. Just as he was going down the steps, Peggy had another bright idea. She said to Mr. Emma, “We should like this man to bring us a few more pot-plants later on. I suppose you will let him in, if he comes.”

But Mr. Emma spoilt that little plan at the beginning, for he said, “No, dearie, I can’t do that. When he once goes out he stays out.” Then he locked the door.

Mrs. Emma was pleased to see Peggy again. She and Mr. Emma had had their own tea, and she was preparing trays to take up to the prisoners. Peggy helped her to do this, while Mr. Emma sat by the cradle of his baby doll, of which he seemed to be very fond. Peggy couldn’t help going over to have a look at it sometimes, and see it smile and gurgle; and it delighted Mr. Emma to see her so taken up with his baby doll. This was a very good thing, for when Peggy said, “Now, I will take up the trays, if you like,” Mr. Emma replied, “I ought not to let you do it, I suppose, because I shall have to give you my keys. But I’ve been so rushed off my legs today that I shan’t be sorry to sit still for a bit; and you’re such a nice little lady that I really feel as if I could do anything for you.”

“It is more like Mademoiselle doing something for _you_,” said Mrs. Emma, with a laugh. But if she had only known, she might not have said that.

“I know you wouldn’t want to get me into trouble,” said Mr. Emma as he handed Peggy his keys. “You won’t tell the King now, will you? He’s Wood, and so am I; but he don’t seem above punishing Woods, if it suits him, any more than the rest.”

Peggy promised not to tell the King, readily enough. She was not quite sure that Mr. Emma might not get into trouble, if anything came of her taking his keys; but she made up her mind to speak up for him when affairs in Toyland came to be righted, as she hoped they would be. Selim was only a usurping King, after all, and if Queen Rosebud was restored to her throne he would not be able to do any harm to Mr. Emma, or to anybody else.

“First of all,” said Mrs. Emma, “you might take this tray up to the top story. There is a wax lady there who hasn’t been very well. I should like her to have her tea first.”

Peggy was almost frightened at the easiness of it all. She had hardly taken any trouble to bring it about, and here she was with the key to the Queen’s prison, and her tea-tray in her hands. For she had little doubt now that it was the Queen who was shut up in the top story. Mrs. Emma had no idea who she was, but she said she had been ill, and Peggy knew that the Queen had been ill.

Just as she was going out with the tea-tray, Mrs. Emma said, “Don’t stay very long, because there are the other trays to take up. But you might just talk to her a little. She is a nice lady, and it is lonely for her up there, all by herself.”

This made it all the easier for Peggy, and she started upstairs, thinking how luckily it had all turned out.

It took her quite a long time to reach the top story. There were four flights of stairs to each story, and each flight had ten steps. Four times ten times thirteen are five hundred and twenty all the world over, and if you ever try going up five hundred and twenty stairs with a rather heavy tea-tray in your hands you will find that it is no light matter. However, Peggy got to the top at last, with one or two rests on the way--But wait a minute. She did not have to go up the last two flights of stairs, which would have led to the roof, so that takes twenty off the total, and makes exactly five hundred steps, which is almost as serious as five hundred and twenty.

She put the tray on the floor outside while she unlocked the door. Then she knocked at it, and a voice inside said, “Come in.”

She opened the door a little, took up the tea-tray from the floor, and then pushed the door open with her elbow and went in.

The room was much like the one downstairs, and was quite as comfortably furnished, but was without the pot-plants which made theirs so bright and gay. So that it did look rather bare, and not altogether unlike a prison, in spite of the large window, which showed a magnificent view of the country. But perhaps what gave it the air of being a prison was not that, but the sad figure of the lady doll that was sitting in a chair by the window.

Peggy knew that it must be the Queen, directly she saw her. Indeed, it was surprising that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Emma had guessed who the prisoner on the top story really was.

For she looked very royal. She was most delicately made of wax, and looked a little faded, which would have been accounted for by her great age. But she was beautiful, too, with young features; for, of course, dolls do not grow old like human beings, and when they are in Toyland even breakages do not count.

She wore a dress of rich brocade embroidered with seed pearls, rather like those that you see in pictures of Queen Elizabeth. It was quite possible that she might have been born about the same time as Queen Elizabeth, which would have made her very interesting, if she had had a good memory, and could have talked about all the changes she had seen. But dolls’ memories are short, and Peggy did not find out how old the Queen really was, and, indeed, it would not have been good manners to ask.

When Peggy came in with the tea-tray, the Queen looked surprised, and said, in a sad but gentle voice, “Who are you? Have you come to take me home? Why am I kept locked up here?”

Peggy put the tray down on the table, and said, “I am Peggy, your Majesty. Wooden brought me to Toyland. You said that she might.”

“Why do you call me your Majesty?” asked the Queen. “They said that if anybody called me that, or I told anybody who I was, I should be locked up in a dungeon where I could not see the light.”

Peggy felt desperately sorry for her. She had called her “Your Majesty” quite naturally, for she was very royal, both in appearance and manner, although she was only a doll. It seemed quite dreadful that she should be locked up there, and be threatened with still worse imprisonment, and for no fault of her own at all.

“I know that you are the Queen,” Peggy said, “and I hope that you will soon be back in your beautiful palace again. They are making plans outside to rescue you.”