shall teach them cooking; they burns everything to a cinder now
unless they eats it raw.'

'But can you talk to them?'

'Lor' love a duck, yes!' the happy cook-queen replied; 'it's quite
easy to pick up. I always thought I should be quick at foreign
languages. I've taught them to understand "dinner," and "I want a
drink," and "You leave me be," already.'

'Then you don't want anything?' Anthea asked earnestly and
anxiously.

'Not me, miss; except if you'd only go away. I'm afraid of me
waking up with that bell a-going if you keep on stopping here
a-talking to me. Long as this here dream keeps up I'm as happy as
a queen.'

'Goodbye, then,' said Anthea, gaily, for her conscience was clear
now.

She hurried into the wood, threw herself on the ground, and said
'Home'--and there she was, rolled in the carpet on the nursery
floor.

'SHE'S all right, anyhow,' said Anthea, and went back to bed. 'I'm
glad somebody's pleased. But mother will never believe me when I
tell her.'

The story is indeed a little difficult to believe. Still, you