SECOND EVENING
"Yesterday，" said the Moon to me，"I looked downupon a small courtyard surrounded on all sides by houses.In the courtyard sat a hen with eleven cinckens;and apretty little girl was running and jumping around them.The hen was frightened，and screamed，and spread outher wings over the little brood.Then the girl's fathercame out and scolded her;and I glided away and thoughtno more of the matter.
"But this evening，only a few minutes ago，Ilooked down into the same courtyard.Everything wasquiet.But presently the little girl came forth again，crept quietly to the hen-house，pushed back the bolt，and slipped into the apartment of the hens and chick-ens.They cried out loudly，and came fluttering downfrom their perches，and ran about in dismay，and thelittle girl ran after them.I saw it quite plainly，for Ilooked through a hole in the hen-house wall.I was an-gry with the wilful child，and felt glad when her fathercame out and scolded her more violently than yesterday，holding her roughly by the arm：she held down herhead，and her blue eyes were full of large tears.'Whatare you about here?'he asked.She wept and said，' Iwanted to kiss the hen and beg her pardon for frighten-ing her yesterday;but I was afraid to tell you.'
"And the father kissed the innocent child's foreheadand I kissed her on the mouth and eyes.
THIRD EVENING
"In the narrow street round the corner yonder—it isso narrow that my beams can only glide for minute alongthe walls of the house，but in that minute I see enough tolearn what the world is made of—in that narrow street Isaw a woman.Sixteen years ago that woman was a child，playing in the garden of the old parsonage in the country.The hedges rose bushes were old，and the flowers werefaded.They straggled wild over the paths，and the raggedbranches grew up among the boughs of the apple-trees;here and there were a few roses still in bloom—not so fairas the queen of flowers generally appears，but still they hadcolour and too.The clergyman's little daughter ap-peared to me a far lovelier rose，as she sat on her stool un-der the straggling hedge，hugging and caressing her dollwith the battered pasteboard cheeks.
"Ten years afterwards I saw her again.I beheld herin a splendid ball-room：she was the beautiful bride of arich merchant.I rejoiced at her happiness，and sought heron calm quiet evenings—Ah，nobody thinks of my cleareye and my sure glance!Alas!My rose ran wild，like therose bushes in the garden of the parsonage.There aretragedies in everyday life，and tonight I saw the last act ofone.
"She was lying in bed in a house in that narrowstreet;she was sick unto death，and the cruel landlordcame up，and tore away the thin coverlet，her only protec-tion against the cold.' Get up!'said he;' your face isenough to frighten one.Get up dress yourself.Give memoney，or I'll turn you out into the street!Quick—getup!'She answered，' Alas!Death is gnawing at my heart.Let me rest.'But he forced her to get up and bathe herface，and put a wreath of roses in her hair;and he placedher in a chair at the window，with a candle burning besideher，and went away.
"I looked at her，and she was sitting motionless，withher hands in her lap.The wind caught the open windowand shut it with a crash，so that a pane came clatteringdown in fragments;but still she never moved.The cur-tain fluttered like a flame about her;she was dead.There at the window sat the dead woman，preacthing asermon against sin—my poor faded rose out of the par-sonage garden!"
FOURTH EVENING
"Last evening I saw a German play acted，"said theMoon.
"It was in a little town.A stable had been turnedinto a theatre;that is to say，the stalls had been leftstanding，and had been turned into private boxes，and allthe timber-work had been covered with coloured paper.Alittle iron chandelier hung beneath the ceiling，and that itmight be made to disappear into the ceiling，as it does ingreat theatres，when the ting—ting of the prompter'sbell is heard，a great inverted tub had been placed justabove it.
"' Ting-ting!'And the little iron chandelier sud-denly rose at least half a yard and disappeared in the tub;and that was the sign that the play was going to begin.Ayoung nobleman and his lady，who happened to be pass-ing through the little town，were present at the perfor-mance，and consequently the house was crowded.But un-der the chandelier was a vacant space like a little crater：not a single soul sat there，for the tallow was dropping，drip，drip!I saw everythiing，for it was so warm in therethat every loophole had been opened.The male and fe-male servants stood outside，peeping through the chinks，although the policeman was inside，threatening them witha stick.Close by the orchestra could be seen the nobleyoung couple in two old arm-chairs，which were usuallyoccupied by his worship the mayor and his lady;but theselatter were today obliged to content themselves with wood-en forms，just as if they had been ordinary citizens;andthe lady observed quietly to herself，'One sees，now，that there is rank above rank;'and this incident gave anair of extra festivity to the whole proceedings.The chan-delier gave little leaps，the crowd got their knucklesrapped，and I，the Moon，was present at the performancefrom beginning to end."