'I then remembered my dear father's last words, and made what haste I
could to this wood, which is not above a mile distant from the castle;
and being, as I thought, about the middle of it, I struck three times
with my wand, and immediately up rose this grove of trees, which you
see, this house, and all the other conveniences, which I now enjoy; and
getting that very night into this my plain and easy bed, I enjoyed as
sweet a repose as ever I did in my life, only delayed, indeed, a short
time, by a few sighs, for the loss of so good a parent, and the unhappy
state of a self-tormented sister, whose slumbers (I fear) on a bed of
down, were more restless and interrupted that night than mine would have
been, even had not my father's present of the wand prevented me from the
necessity of using the bed of grass, which she, in her wrath, allotted
me. In this grove, which I call Placid Grove, is contained all that I
want; and it is so well secured from any invaders, by the thick briars
and thorns which surround it, having no entrance but through that tender
jessamine, that I live in no apprehensions of any disturbance, though so
near my sister's castle. But once, indeed, she came with a large train,
and, whilst I was asleep, set fire to the trees all around me; and
waking, I found myself almost suffocated with smoke, and the flames had
reached one part of my House. I started from my bed, and striking on
the ground three times with my wand, there came such a quantity of water
from the heavens, as soon extinguished the fire; and the next morning,
by again having recourse to my wand, all things grew up into their
convenient and proper order. When my sister Brunetta found that I had
such a supernatural power at my command, though she knew not what it
was, she desisted from ever attempting any more by force to disturb me;
and now only uses all sorts of arts and contrivances to deceive me,
or any persons whom I would wish to secure. One of my father's daily
lessons to me was, that I should never omit any one day of my life
endeavouring to be as serviceable as I possibly could to any person in
distress. And I daily wander, as far as my feet will carry me, in search
of any such, and hither I invite them to peace and calm contentment. But
my father added also this command, that I should never endeavour doing
any farther good to those whom adversity had not taught to hearken to
the voice of reason, enough to enable them so to conquer th