THE MAN OF THE MOON 49 



" Moons are only second-class sort of things, 

 you see, and they have to serve two rulers and 

 turn three ways at once. On their own axles, 

 round their leaders, and along with them at the 

 same time, while the Earth only turns on its own 

 axle and rolls along its path around the Sun." 



"Axle! why, that is the bar a wagon wheel turns 

 on ! I didn't know earths and moons had axles." 



" House People use another word, axis, and ex- 

 plain about its being an imaginary line." 



" I suppose they call it imaginary because they 

 can't see it ; most people say that of things they 

 can't see," said Anne, "for you know, Mooney 

 dear, if it was a real axle there would have to be 

 ends to it sticking out somewhere." 



"And so there are ends, to be sure, though 

 House People will say it is all stuff and nonsense! 

 What else are the North and South Poles ? " 



" Of course, I never thought of that ; but 

 why doesn't some one find them, I wonder ? " 



"Some one is always trying to, but suppose 

 somebody did find them, meddled or tried to 

 dig them up and take them to a museum or sell 

 them for relics ? Suppose some one bent them and 

 sent the earth switching off the track right into 

 the Sun, or maybe against me, to crack my crown ? 



" A pretty mess there would be, to be sure ! 



