The day had begun wet, dull and gloomy. So Peter had decided to explore the old country house. On the ground floor he went through one room after another, finding out all sorts of interesting things, like clocks, vases and ornaments. He went upstairs and looked in more rooms. He went down two steps, then up five more. A door was in front of him, ajar. He walked past and found himself in a large, spacious, rectangular room. All the furniture, except a wardrobe, was covered with white dust sheets, so it was the wardrobe which stood out. Peter looked at it. It was a tall, squat, wooden wardrobe. It had panels in its doors and a large mirror on one large panel. Peter tried the door. It opened and the wardrobe was full of fur coats. Peter stepped inside.
He pushed his way past the coats to feel the back. But soon they ended and Peter found himself a staring out on a bright, gigantic world from the top of the hill. There was a large forest to his left above which strange birds swooped and wheeled. To his right was a broad valley, crossed by babbling brooks and streams. Behind him were tall, formidable looking, snowcapped mountains. In front was a wide plain, a wood, some tall hills, and then the blue green sea, dotted with islands and crests of waves.
Peter noticed that there was a stone staircase leading down the hill, across the plane, over the streams on stone bridges, and behind the hills. It was covered by pictures of dragons and other monsters, as well as unicorns and creatures like fauns and dryads.
Peter went down the road, across the daisy covered plain, and over the bridges, until he reached a crossroads. He stood in the middle and looks down each road. The first one, he knew, lead to the hill and the wardrobe, but he did not know where the other three lead – they were surrounded in mystery. Peter wondered for a while and then chose the right hand road. He walked down it, gazing all the time at the paving, the butterflies, birds and flowers. The road turned and led towards the hills by the wood. Now Peter saw that the road lead to a rocky cave. By the cave sitting on a large boulder in the sunshine was a faun.
The faun had an iced drink by his side, but when he saw Peter he jumped into the air, nearly upsetting his drink. "Hello!" he said. "Hello!" replied Peter. There was a silence. Then the faun said: " Would you like to come down the mine?" "Yes, please", said Peter. So they went down into the mine. All the way the faun was explaining that the road ran through the hills and to the palace by the ocean, and that they would see something that Peter would like. By now Peter had noticed that there was a strange radiance coming from ahead. Then, as they turned a corner, Peter saw the reason and gasped.
The cave they were standing in was enormous, and looks more like a pleasant grove than a cave. There were trees laden with bunches of diamonds, rubies and other precious and semi-precious stones, and it was these that caused the radiance. While Peter was contemplating the site, the faun had taken two chests and was now putting diamonds into them. He gave one to Peter. Then they walked around the cave and looked at the jewels on the trees, until they came back to the place where they had started from.
Peter said he must go, taking with him his chest of jewels. He thanked the faun and they walk together back to the wardrobe. "Come agin to Belletonda", said the faun. Peter said he would, said "Goodbye", and stepped inside. He pushed his way through the fur coats and stepped into the room. Next time he came he would meet the faun and go down the other roads in Belletonda - The land on the other side of the wardrobe door.
