away to her
father's house to put on a beautiful gown all covered with flounces and
ribbons, for she was glad to be relieved of the duties of the Queen and
was eager to be gaily dressed and one of the people again.

"I s'pose," said Trot, "I'll have to put on one of Tourmaline's common
pink dresses."

"Yes," replied Polychrome, "you must follow the customs of the country,
absurd though they may be. In the little sleeping chamber adjoining
this room you will find plenty of gowns poor enough for the Queen to
wear. Shall I assist you to put one on?"

"No," answered Trot, "I guess I can manage it alone."

When she withdrew to the little chamber, the Rainbow's Daughter began
conversing with the Witch, whom she urged to stay with the new queen
and protect her as long as she ruled the Pink Country. Rosalie, who
longed to please the powerful Polychrome, whose fairy powers as
Daughters of the Rainbow were far superior to her own witchcraft,
promised faithfully to devote herself to Queen Mayre as long as she
might need her services.

By the time Trot was dressed in pink and had returned to the room,
there was an excited and clamorous crowd assembled in the court, and
Polychrome took the little girl's hand and led her out to greet her new
subjects. The Pinkies were much impressed by the fact that the
Rainbow's Daughter was their new Queen's friend, and that Rosalie the
Witch stood on Trot's left hand and treated her with humble deference.
So they shouted their approval very enthusiastically and pressed
forward one by one to kneel before their new Ruler and kiss her hand.

The parrot was now on Cap'n Bill's shoulder, for Trot thought a Queen
ought not to carry a bird around, but the parrot did not mind the
change and was as much excited as anyone in the crowd. "Oh, what bliss
to kiss a miss!" he shouted as Trot held out her hand to be kissed by
her subjects, and then he would scream,

"We're in the sky and flyin' high;
We're goin' to live instead of die,
It's time to laugh instead of cry;
Oh, my! Ki-yi! Ain't this a pie?"

Cap'n Bill let the bird jabber as he pleased, for the occasion was a
joyful one, and it was no wonder the parrot was excited. And while the
throng shouted greetings to the Queen, suddenly the great Rainbow
appeared in the sky and dropped its end right on the Court of the
Statues. Polychrome stooped to kiss Trot and Button-Bright, gave Cap'n
Bill a charming smile and Rosalie the Witch a friendly