TWENTY-FIFTH EVENING
"I will now give you a picture from Frankfort，"
said the Moon."I especially noticed one building there.
It was not the house in which Goethe was born，nor the old council house，through whose greated windows peered the horns of the oxen that were roasted and given to the people when the Emperors were crowned.No，it was a pri- vate house，plain in appearance，and paited green.It stood at the corner of the narrow Jews'Street.It was Roth- schild's house.
"I looked through the open door.The staircase was brilliantly lighted：servants carrying wax candles in massive silver candlesticks stood there，and bowed low before an aged woman，who was being brought downstairs in a litter.
The proprietor of the house stood bareheaded，and respect- fully imprinted a kiss on the hand of the old woman.She was his mother.She nodded in a friendly manner to him and to the servants，and they carried her into the dark nar- row street，into a little house that was her dwelling.Here her children had been born，from hence the fortune of the family had arisen.If she deserted the despised street and the little house，fortune would perhaps desert her children.
That was her firm belief."
The Moon told me no more;his visit this evening was far too short.But I thought of the old woman in the narrow despised street.It would have cost her but a word，and a brilliant house would have arisen for her on the banks of the Thames—a word，and a villa would have been pre- pared in the Bay of Naples.
"If I deserted the lowly house，where the fortunes of my sons first began to bloom，fortune would desert them!"
It was a superstition，but a superstition of such a class， that he who knows the story and has seen this picture， need have only two words placed under the picture to make him understand it;and these two words are："A mother."
TWENTY-SIXTH EVENING
"It was yesterday，in the morning twilight"—these are the words the Moon told me—"in the great city no chimney was yet smoking—and it was just at the chimneys that I was looking.Suddenly a little head emerged from one of them，and then half a body，the arms resting on the rim of the chimney-pot.'Hurrah!'cried a voice.I was the little chimney-sweeper，who had for the first time in his life crept through a chimney and stuck out his head at the top.'Hurrah!'Yes，certainly that was a very dif- ferent thing from creeping about in the dark narrow chim- neys!The air blew so fresh，and he could look over the whole city toward the green wood.The sun was just ris- ing.It shone round and great，just in his face，that beamed with with triumph，though it was very prettily blacked with soot.
"' The whole town can see me now，'he exclaimed， 'and the moon can see me now，and the sun too.Hur- rah!'And he flourished his broom in triumph."
TWENTY-SEVENTH EVENING
"Last night I looked down upon a town in China，"
said the Moon."My beams irradiated the naked walls that form the streets there.Now and then，certainly，a door is seen，but it is locked，for what does the China- man care about the outer world?Close wooden shutters covered the windows behind the walls of the houses;but through the windows of the temple a faint light glim- mered.I looked in，and saw the quaint decorations within.From the floor to the ceiling pictures are painted in the most glaring clours and richly gilt—pictures rep- resenting the deeds of the gods here on earth.In each niche statues are placed，but they are almost entirely hidden by the coloured drapery and the banners that hang down.Before each idol(and they are all made of tin)stood a little altar with holy water，with flowers and burning wax lights on it.Above all the rest stood Fu， the chief deity，clad in a garment of yellow silk，for yellow is here the sacred colour.At the foot of the altar sat a living being，a young priest.He appeared to be praying，but in the midst of his prayer he seemed to fall into deep thought，and this must have been wrong， for his cheeks glowed and he held down his head.Poor Soui-hong!Was he，perhaps，dreaming of working in the
little flower-garden behind the high street wall?And did that occupation seem more agreeable to him than watching the wax lights in the temple?Or did he wish to sit at the rich feast，wiping his mouth with silver paper between each course?Or was his sin so great that，if he dared ut- ter it，the Celestial Empire would punish it with death?
Had his thoughts ventured to fly with the ships of the bar- barians，to their homes in far distant England?No，his thoughts did not fly so far，and yet they were sinful，sin- ful as thoughts born of young hearts，sinful here in the temple，in the presence of Fu and other holy gods.
"I know whither his thoughts had strayed.At the farther end of the city，on the flat roof paved with porce- lain，on which stood the handsome vases covered with painted flowers，sat the beauteous Pe，of the little rogu- ish eyes，of the full lips，and of the tiny feet.The tight shoe pained her，but her heart pained her still more.She lifted her graceful round arm，and her satin dress rustled， Before her stood a glass bowl containing four gold-fish.
She stirred the bowl carefully with a slender lacquered stick，very slowly，for she，too，was lost in thought.
Was she thinking，perchance，how the fishes were richly clothed in gold，how tney lived calmly and peacefully in their crystal world，how they were regularly fed，and yet how much happier they might be if they were free?Yes， that she could well understand，the beautiful Pe.Her thoughts wandered away from her home，wandered to the temple，but not for the sake holy things.Poor Pe!
Poor Soui-hong!
"Their earthly thoughts met，but my cold beam lay between the two，like the sword of the cherub."