Monica, trembling all over with excitement, hastened away with her precious burden, the difference in weight being scarcely perceptible. She ran quickly towards the spot where she had left the airship, quickly placed her treasure and herself inside, and had just touched the "drop spring" when the Man in the Moon appeared, approaching slowly. His face was turned fully towards her, and looked quite different from what it had been before, calm and expressionless. But she did not trust it, and was thankful when she pushed off and felt the airship was moving away. Feeling safe at last, Monica smiled in triumph; with one hand she raised her bandbox on high, with the other she waved a farewell. Then the Man, as if in protest, lifted his arm so that his face once more was hidden in gloom. And Monica felt herself dropping, dropping rapidly into the blackness of the icy cold night. * * * * * She was thinking: "My book says that no one on earth has ever seen the other side of the moon, so no one knows what on earth is on the other side of it. That's why Grandnurse couldn't answer my questions properly--and the Man wouldn't. Perhaps even he has never seen the Garden of Babies, as he was far too tall to enter that small cave. How lucky I found it all out for myself!"--when, with a great start she came to earth and confusedly recognised the lighted windows of her home. How she got the airship back into its shed and how she entered the nursery window she never quite remembered. Throwing back the heavy curtain from the window seat, without noticing Grandnurse, who was in the room, Monica took off her coat and cap, hurriedly placed them in the night-nursery, ran back, and peeped eagerly under the lid of the bandbox on the table. It was empty!! "Goodness gracious me, Missie!" cried Grandnurse. "Not put yourself to bed yet!" [Illustration: _The Man lifted his arm so that his face was once more hidden in gloom_] "Oh, Grandnurse, what _have_ you done with the new baby?" asked Monica piteously, great tears brimming over her eyes. "They must always be unpacked at once, you know, without a moment's delay. Come and see, my Poppets, for I'm sure you won't rest without," added the kind old woman, leading her away. And there, in a dressing-room, in a bassinette, already cosily asleep but still sucking its thumb, Monica beheld with rapture the tiny Rose baby she had chosen in that lovely garden high up in the moon--in Cloudland far away. THE END Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. Edinburgh & London