The roof of the cave seemed gone; and Daisy beheld the stars, not far off and still, as they had always seemed, but close about her, whirling, waltzing, chasing each other in circles, with such tremendous speed that it made one dizzy to watch.
And they were no longer little points of light, but worlds like ours—many of them larger than our earth, which was whirling too, and seemed so small that Daisy hardly noticed it amidst the beaming suns.
There were no handles, no fastenings, no beams, or ropes, or anchors to those flying worlds, that dashed along at such mad speed; she wondered they did not strike against each other, and shatter, and fall.
"O, no," said the dame; "the Hand which made these worlds can keep them in their places. But how many stars do you suppose there are?"
"O, I could not count them in a week."
"No, nor in a lifetime. It takes more than that to count one million; and there are more than twenty million worlds."
"There will be no use in telling that to Maud," thought Daisy; "she'll never believe me."
And again the fairy saw into her heart, and answered, "Only the pure in heart can see God, and believe in him. Maud thinks there is no truth, because her weak mind cannot grasp it.
"Now, Daisy, think that all these worlds are God's—made, and watched, and loved by him. You see in many of them mountains such as the piece of stone you looked into; you see rivers, earth, and sky; and I tell you the truth when I say, that all of these are crowded, fuller than you can dream, with creatures He has made. And cannot He who made the lightning govern it? So, do not fear the howling of the storm again; it is your Father's voice."