e means of escape. There was none.
His cap could tell him nothing. He beat upon the doors, but his
strength soon failed him, and he fell down in a stupor.

How long he lay there he did not know, but when he awoke at length a
faint light was shining into the room from a small iron grating close
up to the ceiling, and the spicy smell was gone.

The first thing he did was to feel for his cap and spectacles which he
had had on when he fell asleep.

THEY WERE GONE.

Poor Daimur. For the first time since the beginning of his adventure
he felt completely helpless, and with a very dejected countenance
indeed he sat down to await the next happening.

He had not been sitting there for more than half an hour when a light
step sounded in the inner hall and stopped at the door.

A key was turned in the lock and a voice said: "Oh, bother this lock."
The key rattled again, the door opened rather suddenly, and there
entered--not a witch as Daimur expected--but the loveliest lady he had
ever seen.

She had big blue eyes, a lovely complexion, though it was a trifle pale
as if from being indoors a long time, and golden hair that hung over
her shoulders in long ringlets. Her gown was of a deep blue silk that
almost matched her eyes. At sight of Daimur she stood still in
astonishment, then came quickly towards him.

"Oh, poor young man," she cried. "Surely you are not a prisoner too."

"I am afraid I am," answered Daimur sadly, as he gazed at the beautiful
lady, "but tell me, do you know whether Queen Amy is here? I must find
her."

"I am that unhappy Queen," answered the lady. "Can it be that my
faithful subjects have sent you to seek me, sir?"

"Rather I have come because I wished to undo in a small measure the
mischief that the Evil Magician did," and Daimur hurriedly told her
something of his adventure, and finished by wishing he had his cap and
spectacles back, as he was afraid without them they would have great
difficulty in escaping.

Daimur at first had hopes that Princess Helda and Redmond might find
them and perhaps be able to open the door, as it was only bolted on the
outside, but then he remembered that the day was now well advanced and
that they must either have been trapped themselves long before this or
had crept back to the ship while it was still dark.

"Is there no other way of escape but by this door?" he asked Queen Amy,
after some reflection.

"No," said she. "No other way excepting through t