“Who?” cried Billy. “The Rays--all of them. Don’t you see them hiding in those teardrops? Come, come. No more delay! I’ve important work for you.” As he spoke, there suddenly appeared before him seven lively little chaps, each clad from head to foot in his own prismatic color, and all dancing excitedly about the ground. “Go tell the old man that the Equator has got away,” commanded Nimbus. “And then come back here and make us a searchlight. If he isn’t back here where he belongs by to-morrow there’s no telling what will happen.” Without a word the Rays suddenly united in a brilliant shaft of white light and whisked away over the treetops. As they vanished Billy thought he heard a sob, and glancing about, saw the Evening Star sitting in the branches of a low palm and crying as if her heart would break. “Oh, I’m afraid! I’m afraid!” she wailed. “If the Equator should come back and find me here when you’re gone he’ll turn me into a Comet; I just know he will!” Nimbus’s face grew serious at this. “There is danger of that,” he said. “Yes, he would be just about contemptible enough to do that very thing.” “But how could he?” inquired Billy, his bewilderment steadily increasing. “Easiest thing in the world. He has only to set fire to her hair, and it would stream out behind her in a fan of flame. Then she’d be so frightened that she’d go wandering off through space and become a Comet.” “Then,” said Billy, “I think we had better take Miss Evening Star with us, don’t you? Unless her father, Mr. Sun, can look after her.” Nimbus frowned at Billy impatiently. “My dear boy,” he said, “don’t you know that the Sun never does any night work of any kind? Besides, just now he’s busy on the other side of the world. Yes, we’ll take her with us.” So Nimbus and the Evening Star and Billy went off to the yard where the Meteors off duty and on part time were assembled. The inclosure, which was walled in by four fogs, was full of them, jumping hurdles, playing marbles, or racing around after each other. So busy were they at their sport that it was not until Nimbus had shouted himself hoarse that they paid the slightest attention to him. At last, however, one of them heard him and shot over to see what he wanted. “I don’t believe,” said Nimbus, “that you Meteors could hear the rings of Saturn if they rang all at once. Did you know that the Equator had escaped?” “Goodness, no!” said the Meteor, and instantly shot about among his fellows spreading the dreadful news. They left off playing immediately, and all lined up before Nimbus for orders. “You must go find the Equator,” said the Fairy authoritatively. “The Rays have gone to notify the Sun. Ten of you will come with us. The other six million will scatter about the universe and look for him. Let me know the instant you see him, and stop him if he starts to come back to the Earth.”