Only a few moments had passed since the child awoke, when a low, musical chime rang through the forest. It died away and then returned; and then came again and again, in tones so marvellously sweet that Eva, who had just taken the little figure into her hands, dropped him into her lap, and pushed her long golden curls away from her face, the better to listen to the melody. Once more it came, and once more died away into silence. And then there was a low, rushing sound, and, far in the distance, Eva saw arise, as it were from out of the earth, among the trees, the tiny silver crescent of a young new moon,--and as she looked at it, it rose higher and higher, and faster and faster, till it reached, in a few minutes, the very centre of the sky, the child’s blue eyes still following it; and when once there it paused, and floated among the strange, gleaming clouds, which surrounded it, like a little shining boat. With a sudden impulse Eva bent down and kissed the little figure lying in her lap; and then she looked up at the crescent of the moon, as upon the face of an old friend; and she would have sat there longer watching it, but that all at once a little, weak voice said: “I am awake again, and there is my home.” [Illustration: “--taking off the plumed hat which he wore, he made her a very low bow.” Page 33.] Then there came a hurried exclamation of surprise, and Eva looked down from the moon’s crescent to see that the little figure which she had taken from the crest of the fountain had suddenly, as it were, been gifted by her kiss, with life, motion, and speech, and that he was now standing in her lap, evidently as much astonished at seeing her as she was at the change which had come over him. But their mutual surprise did not last; for the little mannikin began to laugh as Eva’s blue eyes grew larger and rounder, and when at last she asked, “Who are you?” he put his head to one side, in the most comical manner, and, taking off the plumed cap which he wore, he made her a very low bow. “I know now who you are,” he said. “You are Eva, and you will have to take care of me,--that is all you were sent here for.” Eva laughed. “Suppose I should not want to take care of such a little thing as you are?” “You will not have any choice in the matter,--you cannot help yourself.” “Why?” “Because THEY have said it.” “I may not choose to do it.” “What is the use of talking,” the boy went on, “when you know that you will?” And such were the answers that he persisted in giving to all her inquiries. “You said you knew who I was,” Eva went on; “but how did you know it?” “THEY told me.” “Who are THEY?” “THEY led you here to me, and for me. You must not ask so many questions.” “May I not even ask your name?” “You ought to know that without my telling you. But, as you don’t, I will answer you. It is Aster.” “Aster? Aster?” Eva slowly repeated; “it seems to me that I have heard that name before.”