was about to leave the room
when the Princess, who had been scanning the girl's face, stopped her
by saying, more gently:

"Come nearer to me."

Dorothy obeyed, without a thought of fear, and stood before the
Princess while Langwidere examined her face with careful attention.

"You are rather attractive," said the lady, presently. "Not at all
beautiful, you understand, but you have a certain style of prettiness
that is different from that of any of my thirty heads. So I believe
I'll take your head and give you No. 26 for it."

"Well, I b'lieve you won't!" exclaimed Dorothy.

"It will do you no good to refuse," continued the Princess; "for I need
your head for my collection, and in the Land of Ev my will is law. I
never have cared much for No. 26, and you will find that it is very
little worn. Besides, it will do you just as well as the one you're
wearing, for all practical purposes."

"I don't know anything about your No. 26, and I don't want to," said
Dorothy, firmly. "I'm not used to taking cast-off things, so I'll just
keep my own head."

"You refuse?" cried the Princess, with a frown.

"Of course I do," was the reply.

"Then," said Langwidere, "I shall lock you up in a tower until you
decide to obey me. Nanda," turning to her maid, "call my army."

Nanda rang a silver bell, and at once a big fat colonel in a bright red
uniform entered the room, followed by ten lean soldiers, who all looked
sad and discouraged and saluted the princess in a very melancholy
fashion.

"Carry that girl to the North Tower and lock her up!" cried the
Princess, pointing to Dorothy.

"To hear is to obey," answered the big red colonel, and caught the
child by her arm. But at that moment Tiktok raised his dinner-pail and
pounded it so forcibly against the colonel's head that the big officer
sat down upon the floor with a sudden bump, looking both dazed and very
much astonished.

"Help!" he shouted, and the ten lean soldiers sprang to assist their
leader.

There was great excitement for the next few moments, and Tiktok had
knocked down seven of the army, who were sprawling in every direction
upon the carpet, when suddenly the machine paused, with the dinner-pail
raised for another blow, and remained perfectly motionless.

"My ac-tion has run down," he called to Dorothy. "Wind me up, quick."

She tried to obey, but the big colonel had by this time managed to get
upon his feet again, so he grabbed fast hold of the gi