art of the town, where she at
length stopped in front of a small dilapidated house. She now pulled
out of her pocket an old rusty hook, and thrust it dexterously into a
small hole in the door, which immediately opened with a crash. But
what was the astonishment of little James as he entered! The interior
of the house was magnificently adorned, the ceiling and walls were of
marble, the furniture of the most beautiful ebony, inlaid with gold and
polished stones, the floor was of glass, and so smooth, that little
James several times slipped and fell down. The old woman now took a
small silver whistle from her pocket, and blew a tune on it which
sounded shrilly through the house. Immediately some guinea-pigs came
down the stairs, and little James was much amazed at their walking
upright on their hind legs, wearing on their paws nut-shells instead of
shoes, men's clothes on their bodies, and even hats in the newest
fashion on their heads.

"Where are my slippers, ye rascally crew?" cried the old woman,
striking at them with her stick, so that they jumped squeaking into the
air; "how long am I to stand here waiting?"

They quickly scampered up the stairs and returned with a pair of
cocoa-nut shells lined with leather, which they placed dexterously upon
the old woman's feet.

Now all her limping and shuffling was at an end. She threw away her
stick, and glided with great rapidity over the glass floor, pulling
little James after her with her hand. At length she stopped in a room
which was adorned with a great variety of utensils, and which almost
resembled a kitchen, although the tables were of mahogany, and the
sofas covered with rich cloth, more fit for a drawing-room.

"Sit down," said the old woman, very kindly, pressing him into a corner
of a sofa, and placing a table before him in such a manner that he
could not get out again; "sit down, you have had a heavy load to carry,
human heads are not so light--not so light."

"But, woman," replied the little boy, "you talk very strangely; I am,
indeed, tired, but they were cabbage heads I was carrying, and you
bought them of my mother."

"Why, you know but little about that," said the old woman, laughing, as
she took the lid from the basket and brought out a human head, which
she held by the hair. The little boy was frightened out of his senses
at this; he could not comprehend how it all came to pass; and thinking
of his mother, he said to himself, "If any one were