into the cottage, a vigorous woman of sixty,
followed by her son, erect and happy, and twenty years younger than
herself.

The Dryad sped away to the woods, shrugging her shoulders as she felt
the cool evening wind.

When she reached the great oak, she turned the key and opened the
door. "Come out," she said to the Echo-dwarf, who sat blinking
within. "Winter is coming on, and I want the comfortable shelter of
my tree for myself. The cattle have come down from the mountain for
the last time this year, the pipes will no longer sound, and you can
go to your rocks and have a holiday until next spring."

Upon hearing these words the dwarf skipped quickly out, and the Dryad
entered the tree and pulled the door shut after her. "Now, then," she
said to herself, "he can break off the key if he likes. It does not
matter to me. Another will grow out next spring. And although the
good piper made me no promise, I know that when the warm days arrive
next year, he will come and let me out again."

The Echo-dwarf did not stop to break the key of the tree. He was too
happy to be released to think of any thing else, and he hastened as
fast as he could to his home on the rocky hill-side.

* * * * *

The Dryad was not mistaken when she trusted in the piper. When the
warm days came again he went to the oak-tree to let her out. But, to
his sorrow and surprise, he found the great tree lying upon the
ground. A winter storm had blown it down, and it lay with its trunk
shattered and split. And what became of the Dryad, no one ever knew.

THE QUEEN'S MUSEUM.

* * * * *

There was once a Queen who founded, in her capital city, a grand
museum. This institution was the pride of her heart, and she devoted
nearly all her time to overseeing the collection of objects for it,
and their arrangement in the spacious halls. This museum was intended
to elevate the intelligence of her people, but the result was quite
disappointing to the Queen. For some reason, and what it was she
could not imagine, the people were not interested in her museum. She
considered it the most delightful place in the world, and spent hours
every day in examining and studying the thousands of objects it
contained; but although here and there in the city there was a person
who cared to visit the collection, the great body of the people found
it impossible to feel the slightest interest in it. At first t