“Knock on the door, knock on the door!
Here lives the good woman you once met before.”
David walked up to the door and knocked fearlessly. In a moment it opened; and there before him stood the dear little white-haired old woman whom he had met in the woods.
“David!” she cried in delight. “David! why, is it really you? Have you come at last? I have been looking for you this long time. So you did see the Blue Bird after all, and you did follow it. I know that you followed it; else you never could have found your way here. One never reaches this house in any other way, for this, you know, is the Mansion of Happiness. Come in,” she added. “You are welcome!”
“Is this really the Mansion of Happiness?” asked David. “I have heard of it before: we used to play a game called ‘The Mansion of Happiness.’ But I never knew there was a real place of that name.”
“Yes, there is a real place of that name, David, and this is it.”
“Well,” said David, “then I should like to spend the rest of my life right here.”
“No, you wouldn’t, either,” said the old woman. She spoke so abruptly that she almost startled David.
“Why not?” said he.
“Because you would tire of it.”