PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To
MISS MABEL DAVISON
MY WAR-TIME GODMOTHER
with the
HOMAGE
and
GRATEFUL AFFECTION
of
H·B·B·
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
| PAGE | |
| [THE BELL OF THE EARTH AND THE BELL OF THE SEA] | |
| Long and hard fought Thyrza, and presently a great gust of the gale swepther against the Bell of the Sea | Frontispiece |
| [THE BRAVE GRENADIER] | |
| Suddenly the soldier’s foot dislodged a piece of clattering stone, and thehippodrac awoke | 13 |
| [THE PALACE OF THE NIGHT] | |
| The image in the mirror stood still | 35 |
| [THE ENCHANTED BABY] | |
| Over hill, over dale, in a long straight line, fled the Master Thief with thegolden perambulator | 57 |
| [THE TWO MILLERS] | |
| He lifted a moistened finger to the air. Good heavens, there wasn’t abreath of wind! | 85 |
| [THE ADAMANT DOOR] | |
| Summoning up all his courage, Hugh threw open the adamant door | 105 |
| [THE CITY OF THE WINTER SLEEP] | |
| The runaway Princess stepped forth into the dark street and, taper inhand, hurried to the gate of the city wall | 117 |
| [AILEEL AND AILINDA] | |
| And now, all at once, there were cries and shouts of alarm. “Run! Run,everybody! The bird! Oh, see the bird!” | 149 |
| [THE WONDERFUL TUNE] | |
| “No, I do not agree with you,” shouted the Lord Organist | 171 |
| [THE MAN OF THE WILDWOOD] | |
| Before him stood the Man of the Wildwood | 187 |
| [THE MAIDEN OF THE MOUNTAIN] | |
| For a long moment Leoline, awed yet unafraid, gazed at the Giant of theMountain | 203 |
| [THE BELL OF THE EARTH AND THE BELL OF THE SEA] | |
| And stowing the Bell of the Earth in the hold of his ship, the young Captainsailed eastward and southward through the sea | 229 |
| [THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD] | |
| Fidelia knelt at the edge of the pool, and filled her golden cup with thewaters of memory | 257 |
THE STARLIGHT WONDER BOOK
THE BRAVE GRENADIER
Once upon a time, during a great battle which was fought through the night in a tempest of lightning and rain, a brave young grenadier came upon one of the enemy lying sorely wounded on the field. Taking pity upon his foeman, the soldier bound up his wounds and carried him from the battle to the shelter of a little wood. Scarce had the wounded youth opened his eyes, when amid a blinding flash of lightning and a peal of tumbling thunder, a green chariot drawn by green dragons rushed downward through the hurrying clouds and sank to earth at the soldier’s side. Bidding the dragons be still, a tall, dark, and stately man wearing a long green mantle descended from the chariot, took the wounded lad in his arms, and thus addressed the grenadier:—