“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.”