n of silvery-gray
spider-web, and the voice seemed to come from it. The hero went toward
it, but he saw nothing, for the spider that was spinning it moved
so fast that no eyes could follow it. Presently it paused up in the
left-hand corner of the web, and then Teddy saw it. It looked very
little to have spun all that curtain of silvery web.

As Teddy stood looking at it, it began to sing again:

"Here in my shining web I sit,
To look about and rest a bit.
I rest myself a bit and then,
Quick as a flash, I begin again."

"Mistress Spinner! Mistress Spinner!" cried Teddy. "Can you tell me
where to find the enchanted princess who lies asleep waiting for me to
come and rescue her?"

The spider sat quite still for a while, and then it said in a voice
as thin as a hair: "You must go through the emerald door; you must go
through the emerald door. What so fit as the emerald door for the hero
who would do great deeds?"

Teddy did not so much as stay to thank the little gray spinner, he
was in such a hurry to find the princess, but turning he sprang to the
emerald door, flung it open, and stepped outside.

He found himself standing on the glass steps, and as his foot touched
the topmost one the whole flight closed up like an umbrella, and in a
moment Teddy was sliding down the smooth glass pane, faster and faster
and faster until he could hardly catch his breath.

The next thing he knew he was standing in the golden garden, and there
was the Counterpane Fairy beside him looking at him sadly. "You should
have known better than to try the emerald door," she said; "and now
shall we break the story?"

"Oh, no, no!" cried Teddy, and he was still the hero. "Let me try once
more, for it may be I can yet save the princess."

Then the Counterpane Fairy smiled. "Very well," she said, "you shall try
again; but remember what I told you, beware of that that is little
and gray, and take this with you, for it may be of use." Stooping, she
picked up a blade of grass from the ground and handed it to him.

The hero took it wondering, and in his hands it was changed to a sword
that shone so brightly that it dazzled his eyes. Then he turned, and
there was the long flight of glass steps leading up to the golden castle
just as before; so thrusting the magic sword into his belt, he ran
nimbly up and up and up, and not until he reached the very topmost step
did he turn and look back to wave farewell to the Counterpane Fair