eping; but
little by little Cinderella drew from her the truth. The little thing
was much too small to be entrusted with the care of sheep, and her life
had been made wretched by fear of the great dogs which were never
absent from the flocks, and by the dark rumors of wolves which the
shepherds were forever repeating.

Grettel expressed her opinion of the case without reserve. "It may be
hysteria," she said, "though it looks more to me like a complete
nervous break-down."

"I hardly think so," said Cinderella smiling. "We'll just take them
along with us, and they'll be all right."

And so, with the addition of yet another pair to their numbers, they
quickened their pace along the road.

They were becoming hungrier every minute--even the sons and daughters
of the Old Woman who lived in a shoe, who, as we have seen, had had far
too light a supper--and while they were willing to sleep without
shelter, if they were called upon to do so, they all hoped that they
need not go to sleep supperless.

While there was still a short period of daylight remaining they came
into an ancient town situated at the foot of a hill on which a castle
stood; and upon questioning a number of the townspeople they learned
that they had entered the realm of a cruel king, who resided in the
castle on the hill.

"Take my advice and escape while ye may," said one ancient man with a
long white beard. He had addressed Everychild. He added, "The king
hath a grudge against one manly little lad who greatly resembles you,
and if he once sets eyes on you I should tremble for the consequences."

Everychild thanked the old man for this well-meant counsel. "But,"
said he, "my friends and I are weary, and we must think of resting for
the night before we set forth on our way again."

"Then," said the old man, "you might find shelter in yonder house,
which hath long remained empty, because it is said to be haunted." And
he pointed to a neglected old house hard by the road. "Though," he
added, "I can assure you that the story which hath it that there are
specters in the house is but an idle one. The truth is this: there
once dwelt a good woman and her fair daughter in the house; and the
cruel king seeing the daughter, he commanded straightway that she be
brought to him to become his bride. The good woman, desiring to save
her daughter, escaped; and the henchmen of the king, not wishing the
real truth to be known, invented the story of a ghost in