she went out by a door and left the prisoner alone.

Ojo was much astonished, for not only was this unlike any prison he had
ever heard of, but he was being treated more as a guest than a
criminal. There were many windows and they had no locks. There were
three doors to the room and none were bolted. He cautiously opened one
of the doors and found it led into a hallway. But he had no intention
of trying to escape. If his jailor was willing to trust him in this way
he would not betray her trust, and moreover a hot supper was being
prepared for him and his prison was very pleasant and comfortable. So
he took a book from the case and sat down in a big chair to look at the
pictures.

This amused him until the woman came in with a large tray and spread a
cloth on one of the tables. Then she arranged his supper, which proved
the most varied and delicious meal Ojo had ever eaten in his life.

Tollydiggle sat near him while he ate, sewing on some fancy work she
held in her lap. When he had finished she cleared the table and then
read to him a story from one of the books.

"Is this really a prison?" he asked, when she had finished reading.

"Indeed it is," she replied. "It is the only prison in the Land of Oz."

"And am I a prisoner?"

"Bless the child! Of course."

"Then why is the prison so fine, and why are you so kind to me?" he
earnestly asked.

Tollydiggle seemed surprised by the question, but she presently
answered:

"We consider a prisoner unfortunate. He is unfortunate in two
ways--because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of
his liberty. Therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his
misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not
be sorry he had done wrong. Ozma thinks that one who has committed a
fault did so because he was not strong and brave; therefore she puts
him in prison to make him strong and brave. When that is accomplished
he is no longer a prisoner, but a good and loyal citizen and everyone
is glad that he is now strong enough to resist doing wrong. You see, it
is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our
prisoners."

Ojo thought this over very carefully. "I had an idea," said he, "that
prisoners were always treated harshly, to punish them."

"That would be dreadful!" cried Tollydiggle. "Isn't one punished enough
in knowing he has done wrong? Don't you wish, Ojo, with all your heart,
that you had not been disobedien