oking for my white cow who had strayed away, I came upon the
magnificent castle to which we are now going. It has four beautiful
towers, and a door set with diamonds.

"'Whose castle is this?' I said to the lodge-keeper.

"'It's nobody's, marm,' said he.

"'What,' said I; 'do you mean to say that nobody owns this fine castle?'

"'That's just what I mean to say, marm,' answered he; 'the castle
belongs to anyone who wants it.'

"So into the castle I walked, and I did n't go out, you may be sure,
till I had been into every room that I could find. Then I put on these
clothes and these diamonds, which I found in a cupboard, and went down
and told the servants I intended to be queen. You see, Peter dear,
there's nothing that a woman of determination and energy can't
accomplish."

The coach rolled on, and soon Peter caught sight of Aunt Jane's castle.
It was rather large, and had an enormous round tower at each corner--a
thing which brought to Peter's mind the picture of an elephant lying on
its back. Peter and Aunt Jane, accompanied by a train of servants
dressed in blue-and-buff livery, walked into the castle through the
diamond-studded door.

"Do you think you could eat a little more of something?" said Aunt Jane,
taking off her white-kid gloves; "because if you can I'll have a place
set for you at the luncheon table."

And Peter, who like all boys, could eat a little more anywhere and at
any time, readily answered, "Yes."

So Peter and Aunt Jane sat down to a wonderful little table covered with
a snow-white cloth.

"Draw your chair nearer, Peter dear," said Aunt Jane.

"I can't" said Peter, "it's stuck to the floor."

And so it was; the chair was stuck to the floor, and no amount of
pushing or pulling could budge it.

"That's odd," said Aunt Jane; "but never mind, I'll push the table over
to the chair."

But like the chair, the table refused to budge. Peter then tried to
slide his plate of soup closer to him, but the plate, which the servant
had placed on the cloth but an instant before, had evidently frozen to
the table in some extraordinary manner and could not be moved an inch.
The soup in the plate, however, was not fastened to the dish, nor were
the wonderful strawberry-cakes and the delicious ices with which the
dinner closed.

"You don't suppose this castle is enchanted, do you, Aunt Jane?" asked
Peter.

"Not a bit of it," replied Aunt Jane. "And even if it were," she
continued recklessly, "I s