time to keep 'em smooth," answered the
boy. "The poor King can't do much more than admire himself, so he don't
get time to have fun."

[CHAPTER XIV] _A Real Fairyland_

As they left the royal arbor of white flowers the Messenger turned to
the left and guided his guests through several bright and charming
avenues to a grove of trees that had bright blue bark and yellow
leaves. Scattered about among the branches were blossoms of a delicate
pink color, shaped like a cup and resembling somewhat the flower of the
morning-glory.

"Are you hungry?" asked Ephel.

"Oh, I could eat something, I guess," said Chubbins.

The Messenger flew to one of the trees and alighted upon a branch where
three of the pink, cup-shaped flowers grew in a row. The children
followed him, and sitting one before each blossom they looked within
the cups and found them filled with an unknown substance that both
looked and smelled delicious and appetizing.

"It is royal amal," said their guide, busily pecking at his cup with
his bill. "Help yourselves, little ones. You will find it very nice
indeed."

"Well," said Twinkle, "I'd be glad to eat it if I could. But it
wouldn't do Chubbins and me a bit of good to stick our noses into these
cups."

Ephel turned to look at them.

"True," he remarked; "it was very careless of me to forget that you
have no bills. How are you accustomed to eat?"

"Why, with spoons, and knives and forks," said the girl.

"You have but to ask for what you need," declared the royal Messenger.

Twinkle hesitated, scarcely knowing what to say. At last she spoke
boldly: "I wish Chub and I had spoons."

Hardly had the words left her lips when two tiny golden spoons appeared
in the flower-cups. Twinkle seized the spoon before her in one claw and
dipped up a portion of the strange food, which resembled charlotte
russe in appearance. When she tasted it she found it delicious; so she
eagerly ate all that the blossom contained.

When she looked around for Chubbins she found he was gone. He had
emptied his cup and carried the golden spoon to another blossom on a
higher limb, where the girl discovered him eating as fast as he could
dip up the food.

"Let us go to another tree," said Ephel. "There are many excellent
things to eat, and a variety of food is much more agreeable than
feasting upon one kind."

"All right," called Chubbins, who had succeeded in emptying the second
cup.

As they flew on Twinkle said to the g