way, it
would make life easier for the members of his own family. He agreed that
the way to keep people from being cruel was to make them happy in their
own minds.

[Illustration: _Flew away . . . into the night_]

"And it's such an easy way," said Miss Muffet, "I wonder that nobody has
thought of it before."

[Illustration: _Into his overcoat pocket_]

[Illustration: _Red Riding-Hood's Grandmother began to dance_]

There is not time to tell of all that happened at the party. As to
refreshments, the Old Woman who lived on victuals and drink declared
that victuals and drink were nothing to the good things which Miss
Muffet had provided. Before the evening was over the Pied Piper played
so merrily that even Red Riding-Hood's Grandmother began to dance. The
Twelve Dancing Princesses said that it was the first time that they had
been able to dance as much as they liked. Before this they had had to
stop when they danced the soles off their shoes; but this evening the
spider had thoughtfully provided each one with several pairs.

And how did it end? All of a sudden, lights out, cobweb broken, and Miss
Muffet left alone with her curds and whey? Not at all. It ended as all
good parties end. The Rockaby Lady from Hushaby Street suggested that it
was getting late. Then one by one the guests came to Little Miss Muffet
and told her what a good time they had had, and how glad they were that
Christmas comes once every year. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod sailed away in
a wooden shoe. They were such dear little fellows that Miss Muffet was
sorry that she hadn't noticed them till they came to say good-by. Mr.
Esop put out the lights in his pavilion; and the Arabians mounted their
camels and rode slowly toward Bagdad, first making the Sultana promise
to tell them a story that would last through the whole Arabian Night.
The Wonderlanders put on their queer bonnets and coats, all carefully
wrong side out; and the Man Friday hoisted his umbrella to keep the dew
off Robinson Crusoe; and Doctor Gulliver put all the Lilliputians he
could catch into his overcoat pocket; and Mother Goose flew away with
all her family into the night. The little people from the North were the
last to get away, for it took them a long time to get on their overshoes
and fur coats and mufflers, but at last they too had gone.

[Illustration: _A long time to get on their overshoes_]

[Illustration: _Closed her eyes_]

"I see by the moonlight that it's almost midn