‘This must be the sun we’ve fallen into,’ she thought. ‘But it doesn’t seem very hot.’ Then there was a bump, as if the boat had run into a lump of mud, and then a greasy slide, and then Ernalie fainted.
When she came to herself, she heard voices close to her. One sounded like the voice of an old man, and the other, she was quite sure, was that of Wopole; but she had never heard him so polite before. They had evidently only just met, for Wopole was saying:
‘I am very happy to make your acquaintance, sir. May I trouble you to tell me your name?’
‘It’s a great deal of trouble,’ grumbled the other; ‘but I’ll tell you. I’m the Man.’
‘How strange—I too happen to be a man.’
‘You’re only a man. I’m the Man.’
‘The Man in the Moon, I should think?’ said Wopole.
‘Exactly,’ answered the voice.
‘Why, we must be in the moon,’ thought the Princess; and it was the case, for the ship had run right over the edge of the world on to the moon, which had been hidden behind the clouds.