Well, Alice went on and on and on, for ever so long, but she couldn’t seem to find the place where the mud turtle fairy prince lived.  She saw the green rushes hanging over the water’s edge, she saw the bright ripples, just like diamonds that might be in a king’s crown, and she heard the birds singing; but there was no mud hole where the fairy prince lived.

“Oh dear!” exclaimed Alice.  “I’m afraid I’m lost.”

“What?  Lost in this beautiful place?” asked a voice just above her head, and, looking up, Alice saw a dear little yellow bird sitting on a tree over the water.

“Yes,” said Alice, and a tear came into her eye, and ran down her yellow bill.  “I am lost.  I can’t find the fairy prince.”

“Oh, that is too bad,” said the little yellow bird.  “I don’t just know what a fairy prince is, but it must be dreadful not to be able to find one when you want to.  Do not feel badly, however.  I can take you to an enchanted castle, if that will do.”

“Oh, can you?” cried Alice.  “That will be lovely.  I had almost as soon see an enchanted castle as a fairy prince.  Is it a really, truly one?”

“Oh, yes,” answered the bird.  “It certainly is.  It is the most beautiful place in all the world.  Come, and I will show you.”

Then Alice felt delighted, and she walked out of the water, and waddled along on the land.  The bird flew along, going slowly, so as not to get ahead of Alice.  On and on they went, over green fields, and through the woods, until, pretty soon, they came to a place where the bird stopped.

“We are near the enchanted castle,” he said.  “But you must be very careful.”

“Why?” asked Alice.

“Oh, because every once in a while a lot of water spouts up out of the castle, and it might drown you, if you were not careful.”

“Oh, I don’t mind water,” answered Alice.

Then they went on a little farther, and, in a short time, oh, perhaps about as long as it takes you to peel an orange, and put some salt on it, they came to a most beautiful place.  I wish you could have seen it!  At first Alice thought the rainbow had fallen from the sky, there were so many colors.  There was red and green and blue and orange and violet and yellow and pink and purple and even some of that skilligimink color, that once turned Sammie Littletail sky-blue-pink.

Then the little duck girl saw that the colors were all from different flowers that smelled just like mamma’s perfume bottles.  Next, as she walked on a little farther, she saw a great pile of stones high in the air, and, around the bottom of the pile was a big basin of water, not quite as large as the pond at the ducks’ pen, but nearly, Green vines and flowers were growing in and out among the stones, and birds were flying here and there, singing.

“This,” said the little yellow bird, “is the enchanted castle.  I live here all summer, and so do all my friends.  Sometimes we bathe in the water, and sometimes we hide under the flowers.  Then, when the water spouts up out of the top of the castle we all fly away.”