that Miss
Muffet should always put down the exact address, for it would never do
to have any of the letters go to the dead-letter office. Sometimes,
however, they were puzzled to find the right direction.

[Illustration: _They sat down_]

"Shall I address this letter to Norwich or the Moon?" asked Miss Muffet,
handing him an envelope.

"Ah!" said the spider, "this is a difficult case; it's hard to reach
these traveling men. Here is a gentleman residing in the Moon, who
suddenly sets out for Norwich without leaving his address. Better direct
the letter to 'Norwich, General Delivery,' and write in the upper left
hand corner, 'If not called for in five minutes, forward to the Moon.'"

"And I suppose that Gloucester is Dr. Foster's address? That is where I
last heard of him."

"No; I'm afraid we shall have to give the doctor up. He is a very
peculiar man and took a prejudice against the town, and vowed he would
never go that way again."

"Oh, yes, I remember," said Miss Muffet; "it was because he didn't like
the way they kept the roads."

It was a difficult matter to get the correct titles for all the princes
and princesses of Fairyland, and to learn the names of all the crowned
heads. Of course, where their names were in the Court Directory it was
easy enough, for the spider had a huge volume at his elbow; but he said
that it was far from complete. All the giant-killers and the young men
who married the kings' daughters were in it, but the kings themselves
were often forgotten.

"'A certain king had three daughters,'" said Miss Muffet; "that's all
that I know about him, but he ought to be invited. The postman will want
to know which 'Certain King' it is, and what he's king of."

"The best way to do," said the spider, "would be to address a hundred
letters, each to 'A Certain King,' asking His Majesty to honor your
party with his presence, and to bring with him a 'Certain Queen.' Then
whenever the messenger comes across a king without any particular name
he can give him an invitation. If you want to be more definite, you may
address each letter to 'A Certain Kingdom.'"

"But he has usually given away half of his kingdom."

"That's true," said the spider; "you had better address it to 'The Other
Half.'"

Miss Muffet was troubled about the persons who had only lately risen in
life.

"There is Dumbling, who went out to chop wood, and the dwarf gave him a
golden goose that made everything stick to it. The king'