Here was a well-known face at last- a round,friendly countenance, the face of a good friend I had known at home.In, fact, it was the MOON that looked in upon me. He was quiteunchanged, the dear old Moon, and had the same face exactly that heused to show when he peered down upon me through the willow trees onthe moor. I kissed my hand to him over and over again, as he shone farinto my little room; and he, for his part, promised me that everyevening, when he came abroad, he would look in upon me for a fewmoments. This promise he has faithfully kept. It is a pity that he canonly stay such a short time when he comes. Whenever he appears, hetells me of one thing or another that he has seen on the previousnight, or on that same evening. "Just paint the scenes I describe toyou"- this is what he said to me- "and you will have a very prettypicture-book." I have followed his injunction for many evenings. Icould make up a new "Thousand and One Nights," in my own way, out ofthese pictures, but the number might be too great, after all. Thepictures I have here given have not been chosen at random, butfollow in their proper order, just as they were described to me.Some great gifted painter, or some poet or musician, may makesomething more of them if he likes; what I have given here are onlyhasty sketches, hurriedly put upon the paper, with some of my ownthoughts, interspersed; for the Moon did not come to me every evening-a cloud sometimes hid his face from me.
  FIRST EVENING
  "Last night"- I am quoting the Moon's own words- "last night I wasgliding through the cloudless Indian sky. My face was mirrored inthe waters of the Ganges, and my beams strove to pierce through thethick intertwining boughs of the bananas, arching beneath me likethe tortoise's shell. Forth from the thicket tripped a Hindoo maid,light as a gazelle, beautiful as Eve. Airy and etherial as a vision,and yet sharply defined amid the surrounding shadows, stood thisdaughter of Hindostan: I could read on her delicate brow the thoughtthat had brought her hither. The thorny creeping plants tore hersandals, but for all that she came rapidly forward. The deer thathad come down to the river to quench her thirst, sprang by with astartled bound, for in her hand the maiden bore a lighted lamp. Icould see the blood in her delicate finger tips, as she spread themfor a screen before the dancing flame. She came down to the stream,and set the lamp upon the water, and let it float away. The flameflickered to and fro, and seemed ready to expire; but still the lampburned on, and the girl's black sparkling eyes, half veiled behindtheir long silken lashes, followed it with a gaze of earnestintensity. She knew that if the lamp continued to burn so long asshe could keep it in sight, her betrothed was still alive; but ifthe lamp was suddenly extinguished, he was dead. And the lamp burnedbravely on, and she fell on her knees, and prayed. Near her in thegrass lay a speckled snake, but she heeded it not- she thought only ofBramah and of her betrothed. 'He lives!' she shouted joyfully, 'helives!' And from the mountains the echo came back upon her, 'helives!"
  SECOND EVENING
  "Yesterday," said the Moon to me, "I looked down upon a smallcourtyard surrounded on all sides by houses. In the courtyard sat aclucking hen with eleven chickens; and a pretty little girl wasrunning and jumping around them. The hen was frightened, and screamed,and spread out her wings over the little brood. Then the girl's fathercame out and scolded her; and I glided away and thought no more of thematter.
  "But this evening, only a few minutes ago, I looked down intothe same courtyard. Everything was quiet. But presently the littlegirl came forth again, crept quietly to the hen-house, pushed back thebolt, and slipped into the apartment of the hen and chickens. Theycried out loudly, and came fluttering down from their perches, and ranabout in dismay, and the little girl ran after them. I saw it quiteplainly, for I looked through a hole in the hen-house wall. I wasangry with the willful child, and felt glad when her father came outand scolded her more violently than yesterday, holding her roughlyby the arm; she held down her head, and her blue eyes were full oflarge tears. 'What are you about here?