第73章

"No--the moon itself, as big as a little house, and as round as a ball, shining like yellow silver. It stood on the grass--down on the very grass: I could see nothing else for the brightness of it: And as I stared and wondered, a door opened in the side of it, near the ground, and a curious little old man, with a crooked thing over his shoulder, looked out, and said:

'Come along, Nanny; my lady wants you. We're come to fetch you."I wasn't a bit frightened. I went up to the beautiful bright thing, and the old man held down his hand, and I took hold of it, and gave a jump, and he gave me a lift, and I was inside the moon.

And what do you think it was like? It was such a pretty little house, with blue windows and white curtains! At one of the windows sat a beautiful lady, with her head leaning on her hand, looking out.

She seemed rather sad, and I was sorry for her, and stood staring at her.

"`You didn't think I had such a beautiful mistress as that!'

said the queer little man. `No, indeed!' I answered: `who would have thought it?' `Ah! who indeed? But you see you don't know everything.'

The little man closed the door, and began to pull at a rope which hung behind it with a weight at the end. After he had pulled a while, he said--`There, that will do; we're all right now.' Then he took me by the hand and opened a little trap in the floor, and led me down two or three steps, and I saw like a great hole below me.

`Don't be frightened,' said the tittle man. `It's not a hole.

It's only a window. Put your face down and look through.' I did as he told me, and there was the garden and the summer-house, far away, lying at the bottom of the moonlight. `There!' said the little man;`we've brought you off! Do you see the little dog barking at us down there in the garden?' I told him I couldn't see anything so far. `Can you see anything so small and so far off?' I said.

`Bless you, child!' said the little man; `I could pick up a needle out of the grass if I had only a long enough arm. There's one lying by the door of the summer-house now.' I looked at his eyes.

They were very small, but so bright that I think he saw by the light that went out of them. Then he took me up, and up again by a little stair in a corner of the room, and through another trapdoor, and there was one great round window above us, and I saw the blue sky and the clouds, and such lots of stars, all so big and shining as hard as ever they could!""The little girl-angels had been polishing them," said Diamond.

"What nonsense you do talk!" said Nanny.

"But my nonsense is just as good as yours, Nanny. When you have done, I'll tell you my dream. The stars are in it--not the moon, though.

She was away somewhere. Perhaps she was gone to fetch you then.

I don't think that, though, for my dream was longer ago than yours.

She might have been to fetch some one else, though; for we can't fancy it's only us that get such fine things done for them.

But do tell me what came next."

Perhaps one of my child-readers may remember whether the moon came down to fetch him or her the same night that Diamond had his dream.

I cannot tell, of course. I know she did not come to fetch me, though I did think I could make her follow me when I was a boy--not a very tiny one either.

"The little man took me all round the house, and made me look out of every window. Oh, it was beautiful! There we were, all up in the air, in such a nice, clean little house! `Your work will be to keep the windows bright,' said the little man.

`You won't find it very difficult, for there ain't much dust up here.

Only, the frost settles on them sometimes, and the drops of rain leave marks on them.' `I can easily clean them inside,' I said;`but how am I to get the frost and rain off the outside of them?'

`Oh!' he said, `it's quite easy. There are ladders all about.

You've only got to go out at the door, and climb about. There are a great many windows you haven't seen yet, and some of them look into places you don't know anything about. I used to clean them myself, but I'm getting rather old, you see. Ain't I now?' `I can't tell,'

I answered. `You see I never saw you when you were younger.'

`Never saw the man in the moon?' said he. `Not very near,'

I answered, `not to tell how young or how old he looked. I have seen the bundle of sticks on his back.' For Jim had pointed that out to me. Jim was very fond of looking at the man in the moon.

Poor Jim! I wonder he hasn't been to see me. I'm afraid he's ill too.""I'll try to find out," said Diamond, "and let you know.""Thank you," said Nanny. "You and Jim ought to be friends.""But what did the man in the moon say, when you told him you had seen him with the bundle of sticks on his back?""He laughed. But I thought he looked offended too. His little nose turned up sharper, and he drew the corners of his mouth down from the tips of his ears into his neck. But he didn't look cross, you know.""Didn't he say anything?"

"Oh, yes! He said: `That's all nonsense. What you saw was my bundle of dusters. I was going to clean the windows. It takes a good many, you know. Really, what they do say of their superiors down there!'

`It's only because they don't know better,' I ventured to say.

`Of course, of course,' said the little man. `Nobody ever does know better. Well, I forgive them, and that sets it all right, I hope.' `It's very good of you,' I said. `No!' said he, `it's not in the least good of me. I couldn't be comfortable otherwise.'

After this he said nothing for a while, and I laid myself on the floor of his garret, and stared up and around at the great blue beautifulness.

I had forgotten him almost, when at last he said: `Ain't you done yet?'

`Done what?' I asked. `Done saying your prayers,' says he.

'I wasn't saying my prayers,' I answered. `Oh, yes, you were,'

said he, `though you didn't know it! And now I must show you something else.'

"He took my hand and led me down the stair again, and through a narrow passage, and through another, and another, and another.