THE MAN OF THE MOON 51 



" 1 don't know," said the Moon, hesitating a 

 moment ; " I've never inquired and I've never 

 looked; we may not gape and stare, for the 

 third rule in Skyland is c eyes front,' for if one 

 of us fell out of step the whole procession might 

 be boggled up and we would all go flying about 

 hither and thither like those homeless gas bags 

 of comets with the fiery tails, that make us stay- 

 at-home bodies so nervous when they come prowl- 

 ing about." 



" Won't you please go back to the beginning ? " 

 prompted Anne. 



"To the beginning? To the time when this 

 earth and the other planets were like fiery eggs 

 given off by their Sun parent?" 



"That will do, if you don't remember any 

 further ; but I'd rather you would begin with 

 only the Sun." 



" Well then, there was that great ball of light 

 and heat that you call the Sun, and the First Heart 

 made the Plan to have a colony of planets about it. 



" Now the Sun is not all pure liquid fire, as it 

 seems to be. In the very inside there is a solid 

 dark core surrounded by the blazing, burning 

 atmosphere, that even I can't face without wink- 

 ing, but that you House People may not even 

 peep at unless through smoked glasses." 



