The Counterpane Fairy Part 16

"You take something more," said the little old woman. Teddy hesitated, but when he looked at her again he saw that she really meant it, so he put his hand in and this time he pulled out a large iron key.

"Now try once more," said the little old woman, and this third time it was a rat-trap baited with cheese, that Teddy drew from the basket.

"But what shall I do with them?" he asked.

"You keep dem," said the old Italian, "and you find you need dem by and by." Then she rose, and pulling her cloak over the basket she took her staff in her other hand and hobbled down the pathway.

Teddy slipped the key into his pocket, and holding the shovel and the trap he ran down to the gate to open it for her. He stood looking after her as she went on down the street, her staff striking the bricks sharply, tap! tap! tap! Her back was certainly exactly like the Counterpane Fairy's.

As he walked slowly up the path swinging his shovel by the handle, he noticed that there was a rat-hole just back of the rain-b.u.t.t, and he thought what fun it would be to dig it out, so he put the cage down on the ground and set to work with his shovel.

The earth broke away from the rat-hole in great clods, and he found it so easy to dig that very soon he had made quite a big hole.

Then he saw that down in this hole there was a flight of stone steps leading into the earth. "Why, isn't that funny!" said Teddy. "Right in the back yard, too. I wonder where they go!"

Tucking the shovel under his arm and taking the trap in his hand, Teddy stepped into the rat-hole and began to go down the stairs.

He went on down and down and down, and at last he came to an iron door, and it was locked. Teddy tried it and knocked, but there was no answer.

He listened with his ear against it, but he heard nothing, and he was just about to turn and go up the stairs again, when he remembered the key the little old woman had given him.

He pulled it out of his pocket, and when he tried it in the keyhole it fitted exactly. He turned it, the door flew open, and Teddy stepped through.

Beyond was a cave, just such as he had often wished he could live in, with a rough table and chair, old kegs, and a heap of rubbish in one corner. On each side of the cave was a heavy door studded with iron nails. "I will just see where these doors lead to," said Teddy to himself, laying his trap and his shovel behind one of the kegs.

As he reached the first door and put his hand on it he heard someone singing the other side of it as sweetly and clearly as a bird, and this is what the voice sang:

"In field and meadow the gra.s.ses grow; The clouds are white and the winds they blow.

Out in the world there is much to see, If I were but free! If I were but free!

"My wings were bright and my wings were strong; I plumed myself and I sang a song: Where is the hero to rescue me, And set me free? And set me free?"

The song ended and Teddy opened the door.

Within was another room that looked almost like the first, only there was a fireplace in it, and in front of this fireplace a young girl was sitting.

As soon as Teddy opened the door she looked over her shoulder, and when she saw him she sprang to her feet with a glad cry and clasped her hands. "Oh!" she cried, "have you come to rescue me?"

"Who are you?" asked Teddy, wondering at her.

She was very beautiful. Her eyes were as bright and black as a sloe, her hair shone like threads of pure gold, and she wore a long cloak of golden feathers over her shoulders.

When Teddy spoke she answered him, "I am Avis, the Bird-maiden."

"And how did you come here?" asked Teddy.

Then the Bird-maiden told him how she used to live in a golden castle that was all her own; how she ate from crystal dishes and bathed every morning in a little marble bath-tub, and had nothing to do all day but swing in her golden swing and sing for her own pleasure. But after a while she grew tired of all this and began to wonder what the outside world was like, and one the day the sun was so bright and the air so sweet that she left her home and flew out into the wide, wide world.

That was all very pleasant until she grew tired and sat down on a stone to rest. Then a great brown robber came and caught her and carried her down into his den, and there he kept her a prisoner in spite of her tears and prayers, and there she must wait on him and keep his house in order; every day he went out and left her along, coming back loaded down with food or golden treasure that he had stolen.

"But why don't you run away?" asked Teddy. "I would."

"Alas! I can't," said the Bird-maiden, "for whenever the robber-magician goes out he locks the door after him, and I have no key to open it."

Then Teddy told her that he had a key that would unlock the door and that he would save her.

The Bird-maiden was very glad, but she said they must make haste, for it was almost time for the robber to come home; so she wrapped her cloak around her, and Teddy took her by the hand and together they ran to the door.

They had hardly reached the outer cave, however, when Teddy heard a loud bang that echoed and re-echoed from the walls.

"Alas! Alas!" cried the Bird-maiden, shrinking back and beginning to wring her hands, "we are too late. There comes the robber, and now we will never escape."

She had scarcely said this when in marched the robber-magician sure enough. He wore a great soft hat pulled down over his face, and he had a long brown nose and little black beads of eyes. His mustache stuck out on each side like swords, and he carried a great sack over his shoulder.

The robber-magician threw the sack down on the floor and frowned at Teddy from under his hat. "How now!" he cried. "Who's this who has come down into my cavern without even so much as a 'by your leave'?"

Teddy felt rather frightened, but he spoke up bravely. "I'm Teddy," he said, "and I didn't know this was your cave. I thought it was just a rat-hole."

"A rat-hole!" cried the robber-magician, bursting into a roar of laughter. "A rat-hole! My cave a rat-hole! Ho! ho! ho!'

"Yes, I did," said Teddy, "and I didn't know it was yours, but if you want me to go I will."

"Not so fast," said the robber. "Sometimes it is easier to come into my cave than to go out, and you must sit down and have some supper with me now that you are here."

Teddy was quite willing to do that, for he was really hungry, so he and the robber drew chairs up to the table, and the Bird-maiden, at a gesture from the robber, picked up the sack that he had thrown upon the ground, and out from it she drew some pieces of bread and some bits of cold meat. It did not look particularly good, but it seemed to be all there was, so when the robber began to eat Teddy helped himself too.

The robber-magician did not take off his hat, and he ate very fast; after a while he leaned back in his chair and began to tell Teddy what a great magician he was, and about his treasure chamber.

"There," he said, "is where I keep my gold. I have gold, and gold, and gold, great bars and lumps and crusts of gold, all piled up in my treasure chamber." At last he rose, pushed back his chair, and bade Teddy follow him and he should see how great and rich he was.

Leading the way across the cave, he unlocked the third door, and flinging it open stepped back so that Teddy might look in. As he opened it a very curious smell came out.

Teddy stared and stared about the treasure chamber. "But where is the gold?" he said.

"There, right before your eyes," said the robber. "Don't you see it?"

"Why, that isn't gold. That's nothing but cheese," cried Teddy.

"Cheese! cheese!" cried the robber-magician, stamping his foot in a rage; "I tell you it's gold."

"It isn't! it's cheese!" said Teddy. "Look! I have some just like it; I'll show you," and running to the keg where he had left his trap he pulled it out and held it up for the robber to see.

As soon as the robber-magician saw the cheese in the trap his fingers began to work and his mouth to water. "Oh, what a fine rich piece of gold!" he cried. "How do you get it out?"

"I don't know," said Teddy. "I don't think it comes out."

"There must be some way," cried the robber. "Let me see," and taking the trap from Teddy he put it down on the floor and began to pick and pry at the bars, but he could not get the cheese out, and the more he tried the more eager he grew. "There's one way," he muttered to himself, looking up at Teddy suspiciously from under his slouch hat.

"How is that?' asked Teddy.