, which made all this place so bright and beautiful, came
from, Twinkle could not imagine. There was no sun, nor were there any
electric lights that could be seen; but it was fully as bright as day
and everything showed with great plainness.

While the children, who stood just inside the archway through which they
had entered, were looking at the wonders of Sugar-Loaf City, a file of
sugar soldiers suddenly came around a corner at a swift trot.

"Halt!" cried the Captain. He wore a red sugar jacket and a red sugar
cap, and the soldiers were dressed in the same manner as their Captain,
but without the officer's yellow sugar shoulder-straps. At the command,
the sugar soldiers came to a stop, and all pointed their sugar muskets
at Twinkle and Chubbins.

"Surrender!" said the Captain to them. "Surrender, or I'll--I'll--"

He hesitated.

"What will you do?" said Twinkle.

"I don't know what, but something very dreadful," replied the Captain.
"But of course you'll surrender."

"I suppose we'll have to," answered the girl.

"That's right. I'll just take you to the king, and let him decide what
to do," he added pleasantly.

So the soldiers surrounded the two children, shouldered arms, and
marched away down the street, Twinkle and Chubbins walking slowly, so
the candy folks would not have to run; for the tallest soldiers were
only as high as their shoulders.

"This is a great event," remarked the Captain, as he walked beside them
with as much dignity as he could muster. "It was really good of you to
come and be arrested, for I haven't had any excitement in a long time.
The people here are such good sugar that they seldom do anything wrong."

Chapter IV
To the King's Palace

"WHAT, allow me to ask, is your grade of sugar?" inquired the Captain,
with much politeness. "You do not seem to be the best loaf, but I
suppose that of course you are solid."

"Solid what?" asked Chubbins.

"Solid sugar," replied the Captain.

"We're not sugar at all," explained Twinkle. "We're just meat."

"Meat! And what is that?"

"Haven't you any meat in your city?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Well, I can't explain exactly what
meat is," she said; "but it isn't sugar, anyway."

At this the Captain looked solemn.

"It isn't any of my business, after all," he told them. "The king must
decide about you, for that's _his_ business. But since you are not made
of sugar you must excuse me if I decline to converse with you