A silver flower vase upon a stand contained a bouquet of gorgeous peonies, "as nat'ral as life," said Cap'n Bill, although he saw plainly that they must be made of metal.
Trot came in just then to see how her dear friend was located.

She entered from the doorway that connected the two rooms and said, "Isn't it pretty, Cap'n?
And who'd ever think that awful creature Zog owned such a splendid castle and kept his prisoners in such lovely rooms ?" "I once heard tell," said the sailor, "of a foreign people that sacrificed humans to please their pagan gods, an' before they killed 'em outright they stuffed the victims full of good things to eat an' dressed 'em in pretty clothes an' treated 'em like princes.

That's why I don't take much comfort in our fine surroundin's, Trot.

This Zog is a pagan, if ever there was one, an' he don't mean us any good, you may depend on 't." "No," replied Trot soberly, "I'm sure he does not expect us to be happy here.

But I'm going to fool him and have just as good a time as I can." As she spoke they both turned around--an easy thing to do with a single flop of their flexible tails--and Cap'n Bill uttered a cry of surprise.