ght, however, something happened that brought it back more keenly than
ever.

He had been out flying alone, but had not gone far when he noticed that
an easterly wind had begun to rise and was blowing steadily behind him.
With the recent instructions fresh in his head, he thought it wiser to
turn homewards rather than fight his way back later against a really
strong wind from this quarter. Flying low along the surface of the
fields so as to avoid its full force, he suddenly rose up with a good
sweep and settled on the top of the wall enclosing the yard.

The moonlight lay bright over everything. His approach had been very
quiet. He was just about to sail across to the window when something
caught his eye, and he hesitated a moment, and stared.

Something was moving at the other end of the courtyard.

It seemed to him that the moonlight suddenly grew pale and ghastly; the
night air turned chilly; shivers began to run up and down his back.

He folded his wings and watched.

At the end of the yard he saw several figures moving busily to and fro
in the shadow of the wall. They were very small; but close beside them
all the time stood a much larger figure which seemed to be directing
their movements. There was no need to look twice; it was impossible to
mistake these terrible little people and their hideous overseer. Horror
rushed over the boy, and a wild scream was out in the night before he
could possibly prevent it. At the same moment a cloud passed over the
face of the moon and the yard was shrouded in darkness.

A minute later the cloud passed off; but while it was still too dark to
see clearly, Jimbo was conscious of a rushing, whispering sound in the
air, and something went past him at a tremendous pace into the sky. The
wind stirred his hair as it passed, and a moment later he heard voices
far away in the distance--up in the sky or within the house he could
not tell--singing mournfully the song he now knew so well:--

We dance with phantoms and with shadows play.

But when he looked down at the yard he saw that it was deserted, and the
corner by the little upright stones lay in the clear moonlight, empty of
figures, large or small.

Shivering with fright, he flew across to the window ledge, and almost
tumbled into the arms of the governess who was standing close inside.

"What's the matter, child?" she asked in a voice that trembled a little.

And, still shuddering, he told her how he thought he had see