TWILIGHT LAND

him out into the garden. There in a corner by the wall
was a great trap-door of iron. The old man fitted the
key to the lock and turned it. He lifted the door, and
then went down a steep flight of stone steps, and the
Fiddler followed close at his heels. Down below it was
as light as day, for in the centre of the room hung a
great lamp that shone with a bright light and lit up all
the place as bright as day. In the floor were set three
great basins of marble: one was nearly full of silver, one
of gold, and one of gems of all sorts.

“All this is mine,” said the old man, “and after I am
gone it shall be yours. It was left to me as I will leave
it to you, and in the meantime you may come and go as
you choose and fill your pockets whenever you wish to.
But there is one thing you must not do: you must never
open that door yonder at the back of the room. Should
you do so, Ill-Luck will be sure to overtake you.”

Oh no! The Fiddler would never think of doing such
a thing as opening the door. The silver and gold and
jewels were enough for him. But since the old man had
given him leave, he would just help himself to a few of
the fine things. So he stuffed his pockets full, and then
he followed the.old man up the steps and out into the
sunlight again.

It took him maybe an hour to count all the money and
jewels he had brought up with him. After he had done
that, he began to wonder what was inside of the little
door at the back of the room, First he wondered ; then
he began to grow curious ; then he began to itch and
tingle and burn as though fifty thousand I-want-to-know
nettles were sticking into him from top to toe. At last
he could stand it no longer. “TI just go down yonder,”

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