The next moment--"'Alt!" ordered a harsh voice--a voice with an English accent.

There was a flash of scarlet before Gwendolyn's face--of scarlet so vivid that it blinded. She flung up a hand. But she was not frightened.

She knew what it was. And rubbed at her eyes hastily to clear them.

He stood in full view.

As far as outward appearance was concerned, he was exactly the looking person she had pictured in her own mind--young and tall and lusty, with a florid countenance and hair as blonde as her own. And he wore the uniform of an English soldier--short coat of scarlet, all gold braid and brass buttons; dark trousers with stripes; and a little round cap with a chin strap.

But he carried no cane. Instead, as he stepped forward, nose up, chin up, eyes very bold, he swung a most amazing weapon. It was as scarlet as his own coat, as long as he was tall, and polished to a high degree. But it was not unbending, like a sword: It was limber to whippiness, so that as he twirled it about his blonde head it snapped and whistled. And Gwendolyn remembered having seen others exactly like it hanging on the bill-board at the Face-Shop. For it was a tongue!

"Aw! Mah word!" exclaimed the King's English, surveying the halted group.

Gwendolyn could not imagine what word he had in mind, but she thought him very fine. With his air of proud self-assurance, and his fine brilliant uniform, he was strikingly like her own red-coated toy!

Anxious to make a favorable impression upon him, she smoothed the gingham dress hastily, brushed back straying wisps of yellow, straightened her shoulders, and assumed a cordial expression of countenance.

"How do you do," she said, curtseying.

He saluted. But blocked the way.

"May we go into the Zoo, please?"

His hand jerked down to his side. "One at a time," he answered; "--all but Thomas."

Thomas had come short with the others. Now as Gwendolyn looked at him she saw that he, also, was armed with a tongue--a warped and twisted affair, rough, but thin along its edges.

"If you try to keep me out," he cried, "I certainly _will_ murder you!"

At this juncture the Policeman pit-patted forward and took his station at the left of the Gate. Next, the King's English stepped back until he stood at the right. Between them, hand in hand once more, passed Gwendolyn and the Man-Who-Makes-Faces.

The Piper came next. "Call that a' English tongue?" he asked, with an impudent grin at the soldier's shining weapon.

"Yes, sir."

"Pah!"

Now Thomas gave Jane a quick shove forward--but a shove which sent her only as far as the Gate.

The King's English stared down at her. "How are you?" he said coldly.

"I'm awful uncomfortable," was the mournful answer.

"Then take off your stays," he advised. Whereat the polished tongue glanced through the light, caught Jane fairly around the waist, and with a swift recoil brought her to her feet!

And now Gwendolyn, astonished, saw that too much laughter had again remolded that sateen bulk. The nurse had grown woefully heavy about the shoulders--which put a fearful strain on the stitches of her bodice! and gave her the appearance of a gigantic humming-top! As she swayed a moment on her wide-toed shoes--shoes now utterly lacking buttons--the King's English again struck out, caught her, this time, around the neck, and sent her spinning through the Gate!

"_Zing-g-g-g!_" she laughed dizzily--that laugh the high, persistent note of a top!

Thomas attempted to follow. "I just _will_ come in," he cried, wielding his warped weapon with a flourish.

"You shall _not!_" To bar the way, the King's English thrust out his polished tongue.

"I _will!_" _Crack! Crack!_

"You won't!" _Crack! Crack!_

The fight was on! For the combatants, tongue's-length from each other, were prowling to and fro menacingly.

"Oh, there's going to be a tongue-lashing," cried Gwendolyn, frightened.

"I'm the King's Hinglish!"--it was the soldier's slogan.

"This is me!" sang Thomas, saucily flicking at a brass button. His face was all cunning.

Then how the tongues popped!

"This is I!" corrected the King's English promptly. But his face got a trifle more florid.

"Steady!" counseled the little old gentleman.

"I'm hall right," the other cried back.

"Oh, Piper!" said Gwendolyn; "which side are _you_ on?"

The Piper shifted his tobacco pipe from one corner of his mouth to the other. "I'm for the man that's got the _cash_," he declared.

There was no doubt about Jane's choice. Seeing Thomas's momentary advantage, she came spinning close to the Gate. "Use h-words, Thomas!"

she hummed. "Use h-words!"

Thomas acted upon her advice. "Hack and hit and hammer!" he charged.

"Haggle and halve and hamper! Halt and hang and harass!"

"'Ack and 'it and 'ammer!" struck back the King's English, beginning to breath hard. "Aggie and 'alve and 'amper! 'Alt and 'ang and 'arass!"

As the tongues met, Gwendolyn saw small bright splinters fly this way and that--a shower of them! These splinters darted downward, falling upon the road. And each, as it lit, was an h!

The Policeman was frightened. "Which is your best foot?" he called.

The King's English indicated his right. "This!"

"Then put it forward!"

"My goodness!" exclaimed Gwendolyn. "Am I seeing this, or is it just Pretend?"

Thomas now warmed to the fray. "Harm!" he scourged, "Harness! Hash! Hew!

Hoodwink! Hurt and hurk!"

"'Eavens!" breathed the King's English.

"Turn your cold shoulder," advised the little old gentleman.