“It’s my belief,” said Colonel Jim, “that Queen Rosebud is alive.”
All the dolls exclaimed, in surprise. And Wooden said, after the pause which followed, “But King Selim said that she was dead, Colonel Jim. We all heard him with our own ears.”
“I know that,” said Colonel Jim shortly.
There was another pause of consternation. “Do you mean that you think the King has told an untruth?” asked Lady Grace, in an awestruck voice.
“Yes,” said Colonel Jim.
Another pause. “It would be a dreadful thing if he had,” said Wooden. “He wouldn’t deserve to be King if he could do a thing like that, would he?”
“He doesn’t deserve it,” said Colonel Jim.
Nobody spoke. The matter was too serious to be treated in a light conversational way, and it was felt that Colonel Jim must have more to tell them, if he could only get it out.
He seemed to feel, himself, that he owed them explanations, and must try to make them as clear as possible, for he spoke slowly, and in longer sentences than he usually employed. He could do this all right if he liked.
“It was Rose who put him up to it all,” he said. “She’s mad all the time because she isn’t Wax.”