"Now," said the Canary, in a tone more brisk thanbefore, "we may talk together more freely, as Mrs. Yoopcannot hear us. Perhaps we can figure out a way toescape."

"Open!" said Woot the Monkey, still facing the door;but his command had no effect and he slowly rejoinedthe others.

"You cannot open any door or window in this enchantedcastle unless you are wearing the Magic Apron," saidthe Canary.

"What Magic Apron do you mean?" asked the Tin Owl, ina curious voice.

"The lace one, which the Giantess always wears. Ihave been her prisoner, in this cage, for severalweeks, and she hangs my cage in her bedroom everynight, so that she can keep her eye on me," explainedPolychrome the Canary. "Therefore I have discoveredthat it is the Magic Apron that opens the doors andwindows, and nothing else can move them. when she goesto bed, Mrs. Yoop hangs her apron on the bedpost, andone morning she forgot to put it on when she commandedthe door to open, and the door would not move. So thenshe put on the lace apron and the door obeyed her. Thatwas how I learned the magic power of the apron."

"I see -- I see!" said the little Brown Bear, wagginghis stuffed head. "Then, if we could get the apron fromMrs. Yoop, we could open the doors and escape from ourprison."

"That is true, and it is the plan I was about tosuggest," replied Polychrome the Canary-Bird."However, I don't believe the Owl could steal theapron, or even the Bear, but perhaps the Monkey couldhide in her room at night and get the apron while sheis asleep."

"I'll try it!" cried Woot the Monkey. "I'll try itthis very night, if I can manage to steal into herbedroom."

"You mustn't think about it, though," warned thebird, "for she can read your thoughts whenever shecares to do so. And do not forget, before you escape,to take me with you. Once I am out of the power of theGiantess, I may discover a way to save us all."

"We won't forget our fairy friend," promised the boy;"but perhaps you can tell me how to get into thebedroom."

"No," declared Polychrome, "I cannot advise you as tothat. You must watch for a chance, and slip in whenMrs. Yoop isn't looking."

They talked it over for a while longer and then Mrs.Yoop returned. When she entered, the door openedsuddenly, at her command, and closed as soon as herhuge form had passed through the doorway. During thatday she entered her bedroom several times, on oneerrand or another, but always she commanded the door toclose behind her and her prisoners found not theslightest chance to leave the big hall in which theywere confined.

The Green Monkey thought it would be wise to make afriend of the big woman, so as to gain her confidence,so he sat on the back of her chair and chattered to herwhile she mended her stockings and sewed silver buttonson some golden shoes that were as big as row-boats.This pleased the Giantess and she would pause at timesto pat the Monkey's head. The little Brown Bear curledup in a corner and lay still all day. The Owl and theCanary found they could converse together in the birdlanguage, which neither the Giantess nor the Bear northe Monkey could understand; so at times they twitteredaway to each other and passed the long, dreary dayquite cheerfully.

After dinner Mrs. Yoop took a big fiddle from a bigcupboard and played such loud and dreadful music thather prisoners were all thankful when at last shestopped and said she was going to bed.

After cautioning the Monkey and Bear and Owl tobehave themselves during the night, she picked up thecage containing the Canary and, going to the door ofher bedroom, commanded it to open. just then, however,she remembered she had left her fiddle lying upon atable, so she went back for it and put it away in thecupboard, and while her back was turned the GreenMonkey slipped through the open door into her bedroomand hid underneath the bed. The Giantess, being sleepy,did not notice this, and entering her room she made thedoor close behind her and then hung the bird-cage on apeg by the window. Then she began to undress, firsttaking off the lace apron and laying it over thebedpost, where it was within easy reach of her hand.

As soon as Mrs. Yoop was in bed the lights all wentout, and Woot the Monkey crouched under the bed andwaited patiently until he heard the Giantess snoring.Then he crept out and in the dark felt around until hegot hold of the apron, which he at once tied around hisown waist.

Next, Woot tried to find the Canary, and there wasjust enough moonlight showing through the window toenable him to see where the cage hung; but it was outof his reach. At first he was tempted to leavePolychrome and escape with his other friends, butremembering his promise to the Rainbow's Daughter Woottried to think how to save her.

A chair stood near the window, and this -- showingdimly in the moonlight -- gave him an idea. By pushingagainst it with all his might, he found he could movethe giant chair a few inches at a time. So he pushedand pushed until the chair was beneath the bird-cage,and then he sprang noiselessly upon the seat -- for hismonkey form enabled him to jump higher than he could doas a boy -- and from there to the back of the chair,and so managed to reach the cage and take it off thepeg. Then down he sprang to the floor and made his wayto the door. "Open!" he commanded, and at once the doorobeyed and swung open, But his voice wakened Mrs. Yoop,who gave a wild cry and sprang out of bed with onebound. The Green Monkey dashed through the doorway,carrying the cage with him, and before the Giantesscould reach the door it slammed shut and imprisoned herin her own bed-chamber!

The noise she made, pounding upon the door, and heryells of anger and dreadful threats of vengeance,filled all our friends with terror, and Woot the Monkeywas so excited that in the dark he could not find theouter door of the hall. But the Tin Owl could see verynicely in the dark, so he guided his friends to theright place and when all were grouped before the doorWoot commanded it to open. The Magic Apron proved aspowerful as when it had been worn by the Giantess, so amoment later they had rushed through the passage andwere standing in the fresh night air outside thecastle, free to go wherever they willed.