Dorothy left Bunbury the same way she had entered it and when theywere in the forest again she said to Billina:

"I never thought that things good to eat could be so dis'gree'ble."

"Often I've eaten things that tasted good but were disagreeableafterward," returned the Yellow Hen. "I think, Dorothy, if eatablesare going to act badly, it's better before than after you eat them."

"P'raps you're right," said the little girl, with a sigh. "But whatshall we do now?"

"Let us follow the path back to the signpost," suggested Billina."That will be better than getting lost again."

"Why, we're lost anyhow," declared Dorothy; "but I guess you're rightabout going back to that signpost, Billina."

They returned along the path to the place where they had first foundit, and at once took "the other road" to Bunnybury. This road was amere narrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough forDorothy's feet to tread. Still, it was a guide, and the walkingthrough the forest was not at all difficult.

Before long they reached a high wall of solid white marble, and thepath came to an end at this wall.

At first Dorothy thought there was no opening at all in the marble,but on looking closely she discovered a small square door about on alevel with her head, and underneath this closed door was a bell-push.Near the bell-push a sign was painted in neat letters upon the marble,and the sign read:

NO ADMITTANCE

EXCEPT ON BUSINESS

This did not discourage Dorothy, however, and she rang the bell.

Pretty soon a bolt was cautiously withdrawn and the marble door swungslowly open. Then she saw it was not really a door, but a window, forseveral brass bars were placed across it, being set fast in the marbleand so close together that the little girl's fingers might barely gobetween them. Back of the bars appeared the face of a white rabbit--avery sober and sedate face--with an eye-glass held in his left eye andattached to a cord in his button-hole.

"Well! what is it?" asked the rabbit, sharply.

"I'm Dorothy," said the girl, "and I'm lost, and--"

"State your business, please," interrupted the rabbit.

"My business," she replied, "is to find out where I am, and to--"

"No one is allowed in Bunnybury without an order or a letter ofintroduction from either Ozma of Oz or Glinda the Good," announcedthe rabbit; "so that settles the matter," and he started to closethe window.

"Wait a minute!" cried Dorothy. "I've got a letter from Ozma."

"From the Ruler of Oz?" asked the rabbit, doubtingly.

"Of course. Ozma's my best friend, you know; and I'm a Princessmyself," she announced, earnestly.

"Hum--ha! Let me see your letter," returned the rabbit, as if hestill doubted her.

So she hunted in her pocket and found the letter Ozma had given her.Then she handed it through the bars to the rabbit, who took it in hispaws and opened it. He read it aloud in a pompous voice, as if to letDorothy and Billina see that he was educated and could read writing.The letter was as follows:

"It will please me to have my subjects greet Princess Dorothy, thebearer of this royal missive, with the same courtesy and considerationthey would extend to me."

"Ha--hum! It is signed 'Ozma of Oz,'" continued the rabbit, "and issealed with the Great Seal of the Emerald City. Well, well, well!How strange! How remarkable!"

"What are you going to do about it?" inquired Dorothy, impatiently.

"We must obey the royal mandate," replied the rabbit. "We aresubjects of Ozma of Oz, and we live in her country. Also we areunder the protection of the great Sorceress Glinda the Good, whomade us promise to respect Ozma's commands."

"Then may I come in?" she asked.

"I'll open the door," said the rabbit. He shut the window anddisappeared, but a moment afterward a big door in the wall opened andadmitted Dorothy to a small room, which seemed to be a part of the walland built into it.

Here stood the rabbit she had been talking with, and now that shecould see all of him, she gazed at the creature in surprise. He was agood sized white rabbit with pink eyes, much like all other whiterabbits. But the astonishing thing about him was the manner in whichhe was dressed. He wore a white satin jacket embroidered with gold,and having diamond buttons. His vest was rose-colored satin, withtourmaline buttons. His trousers were white, to correspond with thejacket, and they were baggy at the knees--like those of a zouave--beingtied with knots of rose ribbons. His shoes were of white plush withdiamond buckles, and his stockings were rose silk.

The richness and even magnificence of the rabbit's clothing madeDorothy stare at the little creature wonderingly. Toto and Billinahad followed her into the room and when he saw them the rabbit ranto a table and sprang upon it nimbly. Then he looked at the threethrough his monocle and said:

"These companions, Princess, cannot enter Bunnybury with you."

"Why not?" asked Dorothy.

"In the first place they would frighten our people, who dislike dogsabove all things on earth; and, secondly, the letter of the Royal Ozmadoes not mention them."

"But they're my friends," persisted Dorothy, "and go wherever I go."

"Not this time," said the rabbit, decidedly. "You, yourself, Princess,are a welcome visitor, since you come so highly recommended; butunless you consent to leave the dog and the hen in this room I cannotpermit you to enter the town."

"Never mind us, Dorothy," said Billina. "Go inside and see what theplace is like. You can tell us about it afterward, and Toto and Iwill rest comfortably here until you return."

This seemed the best thing to do, for Dorothy was curious to see howthe rabbit people lived and she was aware of the fact that herfriends might frighten the timid little creatures. She had notforgotten how Toto and Billina had misbehaved in Bunbury, and perhapsthe rabbit was wise to insist on their staying outside the town.

"Very well," she said, "I'll go in alone. I s'pose you're the King ofthis town, aren't you?"

"No," answered the rabbit, "I'm merely the Keeper of the Wicket, anda person of little importance, although I try to do my duty. I mustnow inform you, Princess, that before you enter our town you mustconsent to reduce."

"Reduce what?" asked Dorothy.

"Your size. You must become the size of the rabbits, although you mayretain your own form."

"Wouldn't my clothes be too big for me?" she inquired.

"No; they will reduce when your body does."

"Can YOU make me smaller?" asked the girl.

"Easily," returned the rabbit.

"And will you make me big again, when I'm ready to go away?"

"I will," said he.

"All right, then; I'm willing," she announced.

The rabbit jumped from the table and ran--or rather hopped--to thefurther wall, where he opened a door so tiny that even Toto couldscarcely have crawled through it.

"Follow me," he said.

Now, almost any other little girl would have declared that she couldnot get through so small a door; but Dorothy had already encounteredso many fairy adventures that she believed nothing was impossible inthe Land of Oz. So she quietly walked toward the door, and at everystep she grew smaller and smaller until, by the time the opening wasreached, she could pass through it with ease. Indeed, as she stoodbeside the rabbit, who sat upon his hind legs and used his paws ashands, her head was just about as high as his own.

Then the Keeper of the Wicket passed through and she followed, afterwhich the door swung shut and locked itself with a sharp click.

Dorothy now found herself in a city so strange and beautiful that shegave a gasp of surprise. The high marble wall extended all around theplace and shut out all the rest of the world. And here were marblehouses of curious forms, most of them resembling overturned kettlesbut with delicate slender spires and minarets running far up into thesky. The streets were paved with white marble and in front of eachhouse was a lawn of rich green clover. Everything was as neat as wax,the green and white contrasting prettily together.

But the rabbit people were, after all, the most amazing things Dorothysaw. The streets were full of them, and their costumes were sosplendid that the rich dress of the Keeper of the Wicket wascommonplace when compared with the others. Silks and satins ofdelicate hues seemed always used for material, and nearly everycostume sparkled with exquisite gems.

But the lady rabbits outshone the gentlemen rabbits in splendor, andthe cut of their gowns was really wonderful. They wore bonnets, too,with feathers and jewels in them, and some wheeled baby carriages inwhich the girl could see wee bunnies. Some were lying asleep whileothers lay sucking their paws and looking around them with big pink eyes.

As Dorothy was no bigger in size than the grown-up rabbits she had achance to observe them closely before they noticed her presence. Thenthey did not seem at all alarmed, although the little girl naturallybecame the center of attraction and regarded her with great curiosity.

"Make way!" cried the Keeper of the Wicket, in a pompous voice; "makeway for Princess Dorothy, who comes from Ozma of Oz."

Hearing this announcement, the throng of rabbits gave place tothem on the walks, and as Dorothy passed along they all bowedtheir heads respectfully.

Walking thus through several handsome streets they came to a squarein the center of the City. In this square were some pretty trees anda statue in bronze of Glinda the Good, while beyond it were theportals of the Royal Palace--an extensive and imposing building ofwhite marble covered with a filigree of frosted gold.