nt flock of sheep, lay
hundreds of clouds on whose misty tops the rising sun poured gold, pale
lavender, and rose. At first, Giles thought them motionless, but as he
gazed intently within the bowl, he saw that the clouds moved and swayed
much like anchored ships in a tide.

This bowl was the weather-bowl. In it the Shepherd of Clouds prepared
the weather for the neighboring countries. One day he would keep the
fair-weather clouds at home and let the rain-clouds sail over the land;
on another day, he would keep all the clouds in and let the sun shine;
on other days he would mix together such frosts, mists, and
snow-flurries as the season required.

Suddenly, ringing infinitely sweet over the mountain-top, rose the clear
music of a silver horn.

"It is the Shepherd!" cried Eye-o and Ear-o.

"The hour is at hand to send the clouds over the earth. Quick, Giles,
unbar the doors!"

So Giles unbound the giant doors, which of their own volition opened
wide. A sound as of thunder heard from far away over the sea beat upon
Giles's ear as the portals turned upon their hinges. In answer to this
sound, the clouds rose and lifted their golden heads, and hastening to
the brazen doors, one by one escaped through them to the sunlit spaces
of the morning sky. There, they formed themselves into a fleet, and
sailed majestically away.

Thus Giles became the servant of the Shepherd of Clouds. It was his task
to unbar the door when the Shepherd had prepared the weather; it was his
to lock the clouds in, once they had returned from the heavens in answer
to the Shepherd's summoning horn. In time he came to know the
rain-clouds from their fair-weather brothers; he learned how frosts were
sent forth; how fogs were made; and he was even allowed to prepare a
small storm. He saw the icy caverns in which the hail-stones lie piled
in monstrous bags, the lightning-bolts in their crystal jars, and even
the prisoned storm-winds. You may be sure that, when he could so arrange
it, Phyllida's garden had quite the finest variety of weather. For Eye-o
and Ear-o would tell him about her.

"Tell me, what is Phyllida doing?" Giles would say again and again.

And Eye-o would answer, "She is out in the garden gathering plums"; or,
"she is in the kitchen making gingerbread."

And then Giles would say to Ear-o, "Tell me, what is Phyllida saying?"

And Ear-o would answer, "'Oh, would that my lad were home!'"

Two years passed, and Giles, who had found no