“It was worth it, to see his eyes shine and the happy dimple come in his cheek. He clasped one arm, tight, around Lady Moon’s neck, and stretched out the other to these new friends, without a trace of fear. Why should he be afraid? Hadn’t he loved the shining sun, and all beautiful things, his whole two years of life? “So he listened to the song Lady Moon sang low to him; and as they passed along, the Star People caught the refrain, and took it up:— “The sorrow is over; Thy Star life’s begun. Hear the golden bees humming For joy at thy coming, Oh, little Bee Baby, Dear child of the Sun! “Listen!” said the Princess. There was a sound, very small and clear and silvery:—One—two—three—four—and _One more!_ And that was a Bewitchment! Everybody must vanish at once! VII LADY MOON’S LANTERN On the terrace there was a Pergola—that was two rows of white columns with criss-cross bars overhead and vines growing over it. There were built-in seats between the columns, but there were always chairs besides. There was no one in it. Down below, in the garden, there were Shapes flitting about in the dusk. They came up out of it, to the Pergola, all together; and they were the Princess and the Others. A large spider was spinning down, with a clear yellow sky behind it, at the far end of the Pergola. They were obliged to watch it. It dropped and sprung, elastic, on the end of its thread—then dropped—and sprung; and then it clawed up again, working its legs. They could see them distinctly against the sky, though it was quite a distance away. Out at their end, the sky was cool, with a white moon in it; so there were two kinds of shadows: large, blurred ones from the last daylight; and in them, moon-shadows of the vines on the long white seats and on the floor and down one side of the Princess’s dress—sitting in a chair. The moon-shadows were very faint, but they were a clear pattern, and the daylight shadows had no edges; soon there would be only moon. It was very interesting. And the slide of Lady Moon’s lantern was about three quarters open. “Wasn’t it lovely she took him?” said Phyllisy. “I’d rather she than anybody else.” “But it stopped short,” said Pat. “That was a proper end of a story, with everybody happy,” said the Princess. “You wouldn’t want any more than that, would you?” “The people weren’t, with the houses and everything spoiled.”