tle yellow man. "You need not make
such as fuss about it. Why, I go round the world once every day with
the sunset. You have only to go a bit faster so as to do it in a few
minutes, and with the Cloud Horse to help you that's easily managed.
Don't you worry about the Cloud Horse. He has got to do just whatever I
tell him. Now, excuse me for one moment and I'll give you full
directions."

With that the wee yellow man went behind a pink cloud and came
back with a beautiful blue flower in his hand.

"This," he said, handing the flower to Neville, "is a Sky Flower. It
is made entirely out of a genuine piece of sky, and it is a
talisman--that's a longer word for charm, you know--which takes you
free round the world. The one thing you have to remember is that you
mustn't, on any account, lose that flower until you get home again.
Now, just exactly what you have to do is to travel West and race round
the world until you catch up with this evening again. It is quite
simple."

"Simple!" cried Neville. "Why I don't understand it at all."

"Dear me!" said the wee yellow man rather impatiently, "you are very
dense. Now listen carefully. The world, you know, turns round from
West to East, and that makes it seem as if the sun is going round the
world from East to West. Very well. So what you have to do is to ride
West upon the Cloud horse much faster than the sun appears to travel,
and catch him up again before he gets well away from here. The Cloud
horse is in good condition, and you should easily do it in a few
minutes."

"A few minutes!" gasped Neville.

"Keep quiet and listen," snapped the wee yellow man. "A few miles West
from here you will come into broad daylight. That will be afternoon.
After that you will meet mid-day, and, passing that, you will reach
the place where it is only dawn. That's about half-way round the
earth. Show the Sky Flower to the porter of the Dawn, and he will let
you through. Then you get to the half of the world where it is night,
and you must race round that till you reach the place where it is only
evening. That will be THIS evening, somewhere about here, for you will
have taken only a few minutes altogether. And when you see your own
home or the bald hill again, grasp the Sky Flower tightly in your
hand, jump off the Cloud horse, and you will float gracefully down to
the earth. It won't hurt you. Then you can go home, and I hope you
will not be late for dinner."

"But," began Neville, "I c