It was a dark night, with no moon, for the sky was overcast with dense

clouds. Above these the Cloud Horse flew, and overhead Neville saw the

rushing stars, and below only the blackness of heavy clouds. But more

often the Cloud Horse flew low, and then there was little to be seen.

By the lights of moving ships Neville knew that sometimes he was above

the sea. Sometimes twinkling lights in towns or solitary farms, or the

sudden blaze of a great city told him that the land was beneath him.

Once, through the blackness, he saw a great forest fire upon an

island, and the light of it lit up the sea, and showed the natives

crowded upon the beach and in the shallows, and some making off in

canoes.

Then darkness swallowed the Cloud Horse again, and the blazing island

was left far behind.

After that, Neville began to feel a little drowsy. Perhaps he did

sleep a little, for the next thing he saw was a faint light in the sky

before him, as though the dawn were coming. But he knew it must be the

evening, because he was coming back to the place from which he had

started, and was catching up with the sun. You see, he had only been

gone a few minutes.

The Cloud Horse flew very low now; and rapidly the darkness grew less.

Then, long before he expected it, Neville saw the roof of his own home

below him. He could see the garden in the twilight and his own dog

sniffing about among the trees as though in search of him.

Neville began to think about jumping now, and he was rather nervous.

He might land softly and he might not. He only had the wee yellow

man's word for that.

Then, to his horror, he saw that they had passed his home and were

over the bald hill. There was no time to lose. The Cloud Horse was

taking him into the sunset again, and, if he did, what would the head

scene-shifter say then?

So, grasping the Sky Flower very tightly, Neville closed his eyes and

jumped. He half expected to fall quickly and be dashed to pieces upon

the earth; but, instead, he floated in the air like a feather, swaying

and drifting, and slowly sinking all the time towards the ground. It

was a very pleasant sensation indeed.

The bald hill was beneath him as he came slowly down, down, down.

He could see the Cloud Horse--now little more than a small white

speck--rushing on to catch the sunset. And still he sank down ever so

slowly towards the top of the bald hill.

His little dog had caught sight of him now, and came rushing out the

gate and up the bald hill, barking loudly. And he kept on sinking

nearer to the earth, down, down, nearer and nearer--and then, quite

suddenly, he seemed to forget everything.

The next thing Neville remembered was feeling something wet and warm

upon his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw that the little dog was

licking his face. Sitting up, he looked about him. He was in the grass

on the top of the bald hill; night was very near, and the first star

was just beginning to twinkle.

Then, quite suddenly, Neville remembered the Cloud Horse and the

little yellow man and the little silver man and the head scene-shifter

and the wonderful journey and all the rest of it.

"Well, what a remarkable dream," said Neville, stretching his arms.

And, as he did so, the Sky Flower fell from his hand.

So it was not a dream after all; for, if it was, how could he explain

that Sky Flower? He picked it up and carried it very tenderly, as he

set off home to dinner, his little dog trotting at his heels.

"What a beautiful flower!" said Neville's mother when he got home.

"Where ever did you get it?"

"It is a piece of the genuine sky," said Neville proudly, as he gave

it to her.

His mother smiled at him as she said, "That is a very nice thing to

say, and it certainly does look like a little piece of the sky. But,

of course, it couldn't possibly be a real piece."

Then Neville knew that if he were to tell the story of his wonderful

ride, and tried to explain that he had been right around the world

since he went out to play, his parents would find it very, very

hard to believe. So he said nothing, but ate a very good dinner.

But Neville's mother put the flower in a vase upon the mantel; and to

this day it is still there, as fresh and bright as ever. It will not

fade. Neville's mother thinks that is a very strange and wonderful

thing. And so it is.

Since that day, when Neville goes to the top of the bald hill to watch

a sunset, he is almost sure that, just as the golden light is fading,

he can see a little yellow man by the gateway; and it seems to him

that the little yellow man waves a cheery greeting. But, whether this

is so or not, Neville always waves back; and he feels very happy to 

think that he has a good friend inside the sunset.