"Well, never mind if she is. Don't let's call names, anyway."
And then Hester arrived. It was easily seen she was prepared for a fray. She was not smiling, and she said "Hello" with a very sour expression of face. Then she turned to Midget.
"Did you make me a new crown?" she said. "Are you going to let me be Queen?"
"We have to vote about that," returned Marjorie, "and I do hope, my courtiers, that we won't have any squabbling before our royal visitor, Miss Princess Sand,—Sand—well, San Diego is the only name I can think of for Kit!"
"Hail, Princess Sandeago!" cried Tom, and all the courtiers ducked almost to the ground in low bows.
"Now," went on Marjorie, "our first business this morning is the election of a new Queen."
"Queens aren't elected," growled Tom, "they,—they,—what do they do? Oh, they succeed!"
"That's exactly what they do!" cried Midget. "And I'm going to succeed! I mean I'm going to succeed in my plan of having Hester succeed me! I asked Father about elections, and he said people could be instructed to vote a certain way. So I hereby instruct you all, my beloved courtiers, to vote for a new Queen. The same to be our beloved Sand Witch."
"Beloved grandmother!" exclaimed Tom, irrepressibly.
"No, my Grand Sandjandrum," went on Midget, looking sternly at him, "she isn't your grandmother, but she's to be your new sovereign, so you may as well make up your mind to it."