Miss Egerton kept a bird, and Daisy had a great dislike to birds.
"Please, Mr.Prince," she said, in conclusion, "stay with me here for an hour or two, and tell me a beautiful story." Noel was rather clever at making up impromptu stories, and he now proceeded to relate a tale with a moral.
"There was a kind lady who had prepared lovely guest-chambers--beautiful they were, and worthy of a palace." Here Noel stopped, and looked hard at his little listener.
"Do you know why they were so lovely, little maid ?" "No; please tell me, Mr.Prince.Oh, I am sure this is going to be a real true fairy tale--how delicious!" and Daisy leaned back on her sofa with a sigh of content.
"The rooms were beautiful, Daisy," continued Arthur "because the walls were papered with Goodness and the chairs, and the tables, and the carpets, and the sofas, and the thousand-and-one little knick-knacks, were placed in the rooms by Self-Denial, and the windows were polished very brightly by Love herself, and she kept the key which opened the chamber doors." "How sweet!" said Daisy.
"Yes; there were two rooms, and they were very sweet.

To live there meant to get into an abode of peace.

As to ogres, they would fall down dead on the threshold of such rooms.

There were only two, and they were up high in a small house, and without the gilding and the glory which I spoke of they would have seemed humble enough, but to those who knew their secret, and what their owner had done for her expected guests, they appeared a very Palace Beautiful.

Now, Daisy, I must tell you something so sad.