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The Bird-maiden was very glad, but she said they must make haste, for it was almost time for the robber to come home; so she wrapped her cloak around her, and Teddy took her by the hand and together they ran to the door. They had hardly reached the outer cave, however, when Teddy heard a loud bang that echoed and re-echoed from the walls. "Alas!
Alas!" cried the Bird-maiden, shrinking back and beginning to wring her hands, "we are too late. There comes the robber, and now we will never escape." She had scarcely said this when in marched the robber-magician sure enough. He wore a great soft hat pulled down over his face, and he had a long brown nose and little black beads of eyes.
I can't," said the Bird-maiden, "for whenever the robber-magician goes out he locks the door after him, and I have no key to open it." Then Teddy told her that he had a key that would unlock the door and that he would save her.
She was very beautiful. Her eyes were as bright and black as a sloe, her hair shone like threads of pure gold, and she wore a long cloak of golden feathers over her shoulders. When Teddy spoke she answered him, "I am Avis, the Bird-maiden." "And how did you come here?" asked Teddy.
Then the Bird-maiden told him how she used to live in a golden castle that was all her own; how she ate from crystal dishes and bathed every morning in a little marble bath-tub, and had nothing to do all day but swing in her golden swing and sing for her own pleasure.
In a moment Teddy had unlocked the door they had passed through, and it had swung to behind them. Up the stairs they ran, and there they were standing in the sunlight near the rain-butt. "I am free! I am free!" cried the Bird-maiden, joyously. "Oh! thank you, little boy. And now for home."
"Click!" went the trap, and there he was fastened in with the cheese. It was in vain that he shook the bars and squeaked. "Quick! quick!" cried the Bird-maiden, "let us escape before he can use his spells." She caught Teddy by the hand, and together they ran to the door that led to the stairway. "Your key! Oh, make haste!" cried the Bird-maiden, breathlessly.
Teddy was quite willing to do that, for he was really hungry, so he and the robber drew chairs up to the table, and the Bird-maiden, at a gesture from the robber, picked up the sack that he had thrown upon the ground, and out from it she drew some pieces of bread and some bits of cold meat.
Now that he was awake it sounded more like the voice of the singing garden than anything else. Suddenly a faint rosy light appeared at the foot of the bed, and standing in it was the most beautiful lady that Teddy had ever seen. She was quite tall, as tall as his own mother, and not even the fairy Rosine, or the Bird-maiden, no, nor the Princess Aureline herself, had been half as beautiful.
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