he was, and about his treasure chamber.

"There," he said, "is where I keep my gold. I have gold, and gold,
and gold, great bars and lumps and crusts of gold, all piled up in my
treasure chamber." At last he rose, pushed back his chair, and bade
Teddy follow him and he should see how great and rich he was.

Leading the way across the cave, he unlocked the third door, and
flinging it open stepped back so that Teddy might look in. As he opened
it a very curious smell came out.

Teddy stared and stared about the treasure chamber. "But where is the
gold?" he said.

"There, right before your eyes," said the robber. "Don't you see it?"

"Why, that isn't gold. That's nothing but cheese," cried Teddy.

"Cheese! cheese!" cried the robber-magician, stamping his foot in a
rage; "I tell you it's gold."

"It isn't! it's cheese!" said Teddy. "Look! I have some just like it;
I'll show you," and running to the keg where he had left his trap he
pulled it out and held it up for the robber to see.

As soon as the robber-magician saw the cheese in the trap his fingers
began to work and his mouth to water. "Oh, what a fine rich piece of
gold!" he cried. "How do you get it out?"

"I don't know," said Teddy. "I don't think it comes out."

"There must be some way," cried the robber. "Let me see," and taking the
trap from Teddy he put it down on the floor and began to pick and pry at
the bars, but he could not get the cheese out, and the more he tried the
more eager he grew. "There's one way," he muttered to himself, looking
up at Teddy suspiciously from under his slouch hat.

"How is that?' asked Teddy.

"If one were only a rat one could get at it fast enough," said the
robber-magician.

"Yes, but you're not," said Teddy.

"All the same it might be managed," said the magician. Again he tore and
tore at the bars, and he grew so eager that he seemed to forget about
everything but the cheese. "I'll do it," he cried, "yes, I will." Then
he laid of his great soft hat, and crossing his forefingers he cried:

"Innocent me! Innocent me!
As I was once again I will be."

And now the magician's nose grew longer, his mustache grew thin and
stiff like whiskers, his sword changed to a long tail, and in a minute
he was nothing at all but a great brown rat that ran into the trap.

"Click!" went the trap, and there he was fastened in with the cheese.

It was in vain that he shook the bars and squeaked.

"Quick! quick!" cried th