“We have come from Catnip Island where we were captured by the cat pirates,” began Rudolf, stumbling over the words in his excitement, “and we—­we don’t know exactly where we are going, and we—­we aren’t doing exactly anything!”

“Aha!” The officer turned to his sergeant with a triumphant expression.  “Just what I thought.  Anybody that can’t give a better account of himself than that had better be locked up.  Spies—­aha!  Another of you came ashore a while ago—­a glib-tongued, story-telling gentleman who fooled us into letting him off, but we’ve got you safe and sound and here you’ll stay!  Sergeant, arrest these spies!”

“Certainly, sir,” said the sergeant, making a note of it in his book, “but please, sir, how do they be spelled, Captain Jinks, sir?”

“S-p-i-s-e, spies, of course, idiot!” snapped the captain.  “Now then, off with ’em.  Separate cell for each prisoner, bars to the windows.  Heavy chains on this gentleman in particeler,” pointing to Rudolf.  “Bread and water, on a Sunday.  Off to the jail with ’em—­march ’em along!”

“Beg pardon, sir,” interrupted the sergeant who was glad of an excuse to stop at a very difficult bit of spelling.  “We’ll have to wait a bit.  I hear the Queen’s band playin’—­”

“Then stand at attention and hold yourself answerable for the prisoners!” With this command, Captain Jinks faced about to the road, and stiffened all over till he looked like a little tin statue.  For some time the children had been hearing the sound of music, at first faint and far-away, now growing louder and louder.  The sergeant pulled them hastily to the side of the road, and bade them in a gruff voice, “Keep quiet, or he’d settle ’em!” Then he, too, stiffened all over just as Captain Jinks had done, and both of them presented arms.  The head of a procession was coming in sight.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER X

MEETING A QUEEN

First came a large company of soldiers almost exactly like Captain Jinks and the sergeant, except that their uniforms were a little shabbier-looking, and their arms a little less brightly polished.  They held themselves stiffly and marched very well, in spite of the fact that many of them had suffered severe injuries, such as the loss of a leg or an arm at the least, in some former campaign, and all of them were rather the worse for wear.  After the soldiers came the band, playing shrilly on their tiny instruments, and next, to the children’s delight and astonishment, rolled a number of little carriages drawn by mechanical horses.  Rudolf was so keenly interested in the working of these mechanical horses, that he hardly noticed the fine ladies who sat stiffly on the cushioned seats of the carriages, very grandly dressed, and holding beautiful pink and blue parasols over their curled heads.

Suddenly Ann grabbed his arm and whispered:  “Look, look!  Did you see them?  Marie-Louise and Angelina-Elfrida, my own dolls, and they never so much as bowed!”