"Who are these people?" asked Billy. "Gillies," explained His Terics--"Big Gillie, Silly Gillie, and Dottie Gillie." "You don't happen to know whether or no the moon is made of green cheese, do you, boy?" asked Big Gillie. "Of course it's not," said Billy. "Thank you--you're sure I suppose." "Certainly." "My, my, my, the poor man in the moon--I wonder what he eats," and Big Gillie began to weep. "There is no man in the moon," said Billy. "No man in the moon!" cried all the Gillies and all the Aztecs in one breath. "No." "Wicked boy," said His Terics. "We were warned by Nickel Plate that you didn't believe in your Mother Goose, but we didn't think it would be this bad." "What is the harm if I don't believe in such things?" asked Billy. "Why if all the children in the world stopped believing in wicked giants, and Bogie Man, and witches and bad things generally, they would have to go to work and earn an honest living," said His Terics. "What do they do now?" "They all have more business than they can attend to frightening children. It's very easy work, and most amusing to make little children shiver and shake and cry, especially when we all know that there never was one of the wicked ones that could really hurt anyone that is not afraid. But my, my! I'm divulging state secrets--that's what comes of trying to be serious," and His Terics grinned sadly. "What shall we do with the boy?" asked Silly Gillie. "Tie his feet together and make him run himself to death," suggested Dottie Gillie. "How could I run if my feet were tied?" asked Billy. "I don't know," said Dottie, "that's why I suggested it--there is nothing like finding out for certain." "I know," said Her Terics, "make him laugh at your jokes, brother; that will be an awful punishment--he-he-he." "Or yours," said His Terics; "that would be worse. No, we will tie him out here for a year and let him think things over; then if he promises to go straight home we will let him go." "But I'd starve," said Billy. "Don't be obstinate," said Silly Gillie, "or we'll make it two years." "Hand me the rope," said His Terics. "Which one of us has it?" said the Big Gillie; "have you, brother, or you?" "I don't know, have we?" said the other two. "I don't know, I'm sure," said the big one, "maybe I have it." At that each one began to search in the others' pockets for the rope. "Not in your pockets, you Gillies," said Her Terics. "He-he-he, how funny!" said His Terics, "not in your pockets." "Well, it might have been, you never can tell," said Big Gillie. "I don't believe any of us has it; hold this," handing his coil of rope to his brother, "while I hunt in my hat." The other Gillies took the rope and stood looking at their brother while he took his hat off his head and tore the lining out. "There--you two are holding it," said His Terics, almost beside himself. "You, Big Gillie, just handed it to your brother." "So you did--what a coincidence!" said they.