old."

She waved her hand, and I looked round too at
the yellow clay walls and ceilin'. You never
could think of such a place, Dolly, unless
you'd ha' seen it. However that poor creature
had fixed it up so, no mortal will ever know, I
expect. There was a fireplace in one corner,
and a hole in the roof over it. I found out
arterwards that the smoke went out through a
hollow tree that grew right over the cave.
There was a fryin'-pan, and some meal in a kind
o' bucket made o' birch-bark, some roots, and a
few apples. All round the sides she'd stuck
alder-berries and flowers and pine-tassels, and
I don't know what not. There was nothin' like a
cheer or table, nothin' but the heap o' skins
she was settin' on,--that was bed and sofy and
everything else for her, I reckon.

And she herself--oh, dear! it makes me want to
laugh and cry, both together, to think _how_
that unfortinit creature was rigged up. She had
a sheepskin over her shoulders, tied round her
neck, with the wool outside. On her head was a
crown o' birch-bark, cut into p'ints like the
crowns in pictures, and stained yeller with the
yeller clay,--I suppose she thought it was
gold,--and her long black hair was stuck full
o' berries and leaves and things. Under the
sheepskin she had just nothin' but rags,--such
rags as you never seed in all your days, Dolly,
your mother bein' the tidy body she is. And
moccasins on her feet,--no stockin's; that
finished her Majesty's dress. Well, poor soul!
and she as proud and contented as you please,
fancyin' herself all gold and di'monds.

I made up my mind pretty quick what was the
right thing for me to do; and I said, as
soothin' as I could,--

"Your Majesty, I don't reelly advise you to
wait here no longer for King Solomon. I never
seed no kings round these woods,--it's out o'
the line o' kings, as you may say,--and I don't
think he'd be likely to find you out, even if
he should stroll down to take a look at the
falls, same as I did. Haven't you no
other--palace, that's a little more on the
travelled road, where he'd be likely to pass?"

"No," s