from the house."

"Does Nimmie Amee live there now?" asked the Tin Woodman anxiously.

"Yes, indeed," said the rabbit.

"And does she weep and wail from morning till night?" continued the
Emperor.

"No; she seems quite happy," asserted the rabbit.

The Tin Woodman seemed quite disappointed to hear this report of his
old sweetheart, but the Scarecrow reassured his friend, saying:

"Never mind, your Majesty; however happy Nimmie Amee is now, I'm sure
she will be much happier as Empress of the Winkies."

"Perhaps," said Captain Fyter, somewhat stiffly, "she will be still
more happy to become the bride of a Tin Soldier."

"She shall choose between us, as we have agreed," the Tin Woodman
promised; "but how shall we get to the poor girl?"

Polychrome, although dancing lightly back and forth, had listened to
every word of the conversation. Now she came forward and sat herself
down just in front of the Blue Rabbit, her many-hued draperies giving
her the appearance of some beautiful flower. The rabbit didn't back
away an inch. Instead, he gazed at the Rainbow's Daughter admiringly.

"Does your burrow go underneath this Wall of Air?" asked Polychrome.

"To be sure," answered the Blue Rabbit; "I dug it that way so I could
roam in these broad fields, by going out one way, or eat the cabbages
in Nimmie Amee's garden by leaving my burrow at the other end. I don't
think Nimmie Amee ought to mind the little I take from her garden, or
the hole I've made under her magic wall. A rabbit may go and come as he
pleases, but no one who is bigger than I am could get through my
burrow."

"Will you allow us to pass through it, if we are able to?" inquired
Polychrome.

"Yes, indeed," answered the Blue Rabbit. "I'm no especial friend of
Nimmie Amee, for once she threw stones at me, just because I was
nibbling some lettuce, and only yesterday she yelled 'Shoo!' at me,
which made me nervous. You're welcome to use my burrow in any way you
choose."

"But this is all nonsense!" declared Woot the Wanderer. "We are every
one too big to crawl through a rabbit's burrow."

"We are too big now," agreed the Scarecrow, "but you must remember that
Polychrome is a fairy, and fairies have many magic powers."

Woot's face brightened as he turned to the lovely Daughter of the
Rainbow.

"Could you make us all as small as that rabbit?" he asked eagerly.

"I can try," answered Polychrome, with a smile. And presently she did
it--so easily that Wo