“You see,” said Cap’n Bill, “the sky is all around us, an’ we’re high up, so the sun really loses itself in the clouds an’ leaves a trail of beauty behind him.”

“He does that!” agreed Trot.  “This is almost worth comin’ for, Cap’n.”

“But not quite,” said Button-bright sadly.  “I’d get along without the sunset if only we could go home.”

They went in to dinner after this, and sat at Coralie’s own table with her husband and children and found the meal very good.  After a pleasant evening, during which no reference was made to their being prisoners, they were shown to prettily furnished rooms—­all in pink—­and slept soundly in the soft beds provided for them.  Trot wakened early the next morning and went out on the balcony to see the sunrise.  The little girl was well repaid, for the splendor of the rising sun was almost equal to that of the setting sun.  Surely this was a wonderful country and much more delightful than the Blue side of the island, where the sun was hidden by the great Fog and only the moon was visible.

When she went in, she found that both Button-Bright and Cap’n Bill were up and dressed, so they decided to take a walk before breakfast.  No one restrained them or interfered with them in any way.  “They know we can’t get away,” observed the sailor, “so they don’t need to watch us.”

“We could go into the Fog Bank again,” suggested Trot.

“We could, mate, but we won’t,” answered Cap’n Bill.  “If there’s no way for us to get clean off’n Sky Island, I’d rather stay with the Pinkies than with the Blues.”

“I wonder what they’ll do with us,” said Button-Bright.  “The Queen seems like a nice girl, and I don’t think she’ll hurt us, whatever happens.”

They walked freely along the circular street, seeing such sights as the Pink City afforded, and then returned to Coralie’s house for breakfast.  Coralie herself was not there, as she had been summoned to the Queen’s palace, but her husband looked after the guests, and when breakfast was finished he said to them, “I am to take you to Tourmaline, who has promised to decide your fate this morning.  I am curious to know what she will do with you, for in all our history we have never before had strangers intrude upon us.”

“We’re curious, too,” said Trot, “but we’ll soon find out.”  As they walked down the street, they observed that the sky was now covered with dark clouds which entirely hid the sun.

“Does it ever rain here?” inquired Button-Bright.

“Certainly,” answered Coralie’s husband, “that is the one drawback of our country:  it rains quite often.  And although it makes the flowers and the grass grow, I think rain is very disagreeable.  I am always glad to see the rainbow, which is a sign that the sun will shine again.”

“Looks like rain now,” remarked Cap’n Bill.

“It does,” said the man, glancing at the sky.  “We must hurry, or we may get wet.”