As nobody cared a snap about the Peppermint Stick and as Sally felt that there was no use in arguing with any of them, she suggested that they should make a move, and herself taking the lead, they started forth in Indian file.
“Idiots!” muttered the little girl to herself. “To think that they’ve lived here all their lives and don’t know anything about the place!”
She hurried along at such a brisk pace that the others found some difficulty to keep up, especially the Doughnut Man, burdened as he was by his huge basket of buttons. After they had gone a mile or so, the little girl suddenly uttered a cry of joy, for she beheld an opening in the trees and saw that a few steps would bring them to the edge of the wood. Upon emerging from the dense shadows of the trees, they found that it was already twilight and Sally no longer wondered at her ravenous appetite.
Once on the highroad, it was easy enough to find the way home, and hither she hastened, feeling glad enough when she beheld the lights of the Walking House through the shadows.
The Weather Prophet ran to meet her, her face sparkling with excitement.
“The King and Queen have been here,” she cried, “and they were so delighted to find that I was not devoured by a horrid dragon that they are going to take me to live with them at the palace, and build a beautiful crystal tower for my use exclusively.”
She then told Sally of the Wizard’s bulletin and added that, as he had humbly begged her pardon and promised never to interfere with her again, she had not betrayed him to the King and Queen.
“I guess that was the best thing to do,” said Sally, as she sat down to a substantial supper. “Nobody else understood about the sun and a perpetual eclipse would have been perfectly awful.”
“Quite so,” returned the Weather Prophet, and after a little, Sally having related the day’s adventures, they all went to bed.