every page, and the front page was illuminated in the most
brilliant colours. His Aunt Anna had come into the room and taken it
from him.

'That is a most valuable old Italian Bible,' she said. 'You are too
little to be trusted with it. You must wait till you grow bigger.'

Now as he caught sight of it he said to Nobbles very gravely:

'I'm grown bigger now, Nobbles. We'll look at it. That was years ago
when Aunt Anna said that.'

It was a heavy book to lift. He dragged a footstool close to the
bookcase, then placed the Bible very carefully upon it, and sat down on
the carpet in front of it prepared to enjoy himself. First he fingered
the little blue stones in true childish fashion, then he laid his cheek
on the soft leather binding, and told Nobbles it smelt just sweet. And
then with the greatest reverence he opened the clasps and began to look
at the pictures. They were wonderful! But some of them rather
frightened him. The angels with their big wings he loved, but there
was an awful picture of the ark floating over stormy waves through
torrents of rain, and drowning people holding up their arms to be taken
in; and there was one of a boy being tied to a heap of stones and his
old father, with knife uplifted, just going to kill him.

Bobby did not like the look of that at all; and then noticing that,
scattered through the book, were a few very beautifully painted
pictures, he turned over the pages to find them first. At last he came
to one at the very end of the volume that arrested his attention and
held him spellbound.

It was shining with gold and glory, and was the picture of two golden
gates guarded by white angels with glittering golden wings. Inside the
gates was a broad golden road lined with avenues of fruit-laden trees,
and crowds of white-robed people and children were walking along it,
some dancing and singing, some playing harps and blowing trumpets, some
resting under the trees, but nearly all making their way to a big tree
laden with golden fruit that stood on the edge of a flowing river. In
the distance was a beautiful golden city, which seemed to be sending
its rays of light right up to this tree and surrounding it. Every face
was smiling, every person seemed entrancingly happy, and all of them
were dressed in white, and nearly all wore golden crowns on their heads.

Bobby drew a long breath.

'It's Fairyland!' he whispered to Nobbles. 'Oh, I wish me and you
could walk straight