THE CASTLES IN THE AIR
[Chapter VII]
The Grasshoppers' Hop
TWINKLE now began to fear she wouldn't get home to supper, for the sun started to sink into the big prairie, and in the golden glow it left behind, the girl beheld most beautiful palaces and castles suspended in the air just above the hollow in which she stood. Splendid banners floated from the peaks and spires of these magnificent buildings, and all the windows seemed of silver and all the roofs of gold.
"What city is that?" she asked, standing still, in amazement.
"That isn't any city," replied the grasshopper. "They are only Castles in the Air—very pretty to look at, but out of everybody's reach. Come along, my little friend; we're almost at Hoptown."
So Twinkle walked on, and before long Prince Nimble paused on the stem of a hollyhock and said:
"Now, sit down carefully, right where you are, and you will be able to watch my people. It is the night of our regular hop—if you listen you can hear the orchestra tuning up."
She sat down, as he bade her, and tried to listen, but only heard a low whirr and rattle like the noise of a beetle's wings.