“Yes!” he screamed.
“All right,” said Wag; “stand still! stand still, you bat! How can I get 'em back if you don't?” Wag was back to me and I couldn't see what he did, but Wisp sat down on the carpet free of sparks, and wiped his face and neck with his handkerchief for some time, while the rest gradually recovered from their laughter. “You can come up again now,” said Wag; and so he did, though he was slow and shy about it.
“Why didn't he send sparks at Wag?” said I to Slim.
“He hasn't got 'em to send,” was the answer. “It's only the Captain of the moon.”
“Well now, what about a little peace and quiet?” I said. “And, you know, I've never been introduced to you all properly. Wouldn't it be a good idea to do that, before the bell goes?”
“Very well,” said Wag. “We'll do it properly. You bring 'em up one at a time, Slim, and” (to me) “you put your sun-hand out on the table.”
(I: “Sun-hand?”
Wag: “Yes, sun-hand; don't you know?” He held up his right hand, then his left: “Sun-hand, Moon-hand, Day-hand, Night-hand, Star-hand, Cloud-hand, and so on.”
I: “Thank you.”)
This was done, and meanwhile Slim formed the troop into a queue and beckoned them up one by one. Wag stood on a book on the right and proclaimed the name of each. First he had made me arrange my right hand edgeways on the table, with the forefinger out. Then “Gold!” said Wag. Gold stepped forward and made a lovely bow, which I returned with an inclination of my head, then took as much of my forefinger top joint in his right hand as he could manage, bent over it and shook it or tried to, and then took up a position on the left and watched the next comer. The ceremony was the same for everyone, but not all the bows were equally elegant; some of the boys were jocular, and shook my finger with both hands and a great display of effort. These were frowned upon by Wag. The names (I need not set them all down now) were all of the same kind as you have heard; there was Red, Wise, Dart, Sprat, and so on. After Wisp, who came last and was rather humble, Wag called out Slim, and, after him, descended and presented himself in the same form.