“I must hurry,” said Kitty, setting off at a run. There was a sense of haste in her little heart. Never before had she felt such a sense of hurry.

The star glided over the tree-tops; it seemed to be sailing along the sky. Steadily, steadily, but swiftly it held its even course high above the world, and all its troubles, and naughtiness, and folly, and as Kitty looked at it her feet seemed to move more quickly. Every now and then her guardian child stroked her cheek with his little pink wing, and whispered, “Hurry, Kitty, hurry, that Johnnie may get well on Christmas Day.”

Kitty did not peep round to her left shoulder; she had made up her mind not to give so much as a glance toward the creature crouching there. 169It was very quiet now. Kitty would scarcely have known it was there.

The star ran along in the sky. Kitty ran along on the path; her dress fluttered; her hair streamed behind her. Haste! haste! She must be home by Christmas morning. She must win that Christmas blessing, Johnnie’s health.

The road after awhile began to grow very steep. On—on, Kitty climbed bravely, her eyes fixed on the star, and her guardian child whispered, “Well done, Kitsy! well done, Kitsy!”

She fancied that as the road grew steeper the naughty sprite seemed to be uneasy and on the watch.

All at once the road led through the loneliest, shadiest spot she had ever seen. Green and softly the light came through a curtain of trees that locked their branches into each other. There were mossy dells through which the ivy crept and flowers spread. Red poppies flashed; purple hemlocks rose in clusters; faint-colored blossoms made a track in the grass as if the 170Milky Way had fallen from the sky and stretched there. A stream gurgled drowsily along, and dreamy white lilies rocked softly upon their leafy pillows. There was a drone and bu-zz-zz of insects through the air, and the swish of a distant waterfall that might be seen through the trees like a white curtain swaying softly.

It was just a spot to lie down in and doze, stretched upon the moss, with eyes shut, letting the soft light rest upon the closed eyelids.

Rest! rest! rest! was murmured in the air by the water, by the trees.

Presently Kitty heard a most extraordinary sound that rose slowly, then fell gradually. It filled the wood—it was all around her. She paused to listen. Was it the blowing of a gigantic pair of hidden bellows? No, it could not be. She went on cautiously, holding her head a little on one side. It must be the wind soughing through the branches of the trees; but as not a leaf was stirring, or a twig moving, Kitty came to the conclusion it was not the wind. What could it be? Kitty listened with 171all her ears, and she began to distinguish that there was quite a chorus of sounds. There were impressive rumbles and quick, short pants and deep mutterings as of wild beasts going on together. Just as she made this discovery she gave a jump, for all the noises ended in a snort, as of some fierce and furious animal. In a moment, all around, Kitty perceived the glare of eyes gazing at her. She saw nothing but eyes—no noses or mouths—nothing but eyes. Terribly wide awake, these eyes gazed at her with an aggressive stare. Kitty felt frightened and apologetic. She was about to drop a curtsey, when, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the eyes closed and vanished. The effect was sudden as though a thousand candles had gone out together. Again the panting, puffing sound began around her. “Well, it is a curious place,” she said; “I wonder what it is called.”

“Snore Corner—Sn—ore Corner,” said a voice quite close to her. It seemed like some one talking in sleep, so monotonous was it. Kitty came to a standstill. She peered about her. 172Then she sprang back, for she nearly struck against something that at first she fancied was an immense bat. It was hanging with its head downward from the branch of a neighboring tree. Looking closer Kitty saw it was not a bat, but a dwarf with round, green, blinking eyes, and dressed in a mouse-colored suit. She was not sure whether it was a human creature; but as it was hanging upside down her perplexity was not to be wondered at. It blinked its green eyes and gazed so steadily and vacantly at her that Kitty was not quite sure that it saw her. “Why do you hang down like that?” she timidly asked.
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“One of us must keep awake,” answered the creature in a sleepy voice. “It’s ever so much easier to keep one’s eyes open with one’s head down. Try it.”

“Oh, but I feel no difficulty in keeping my eyes open,” said Kitty briskly, “unless I am very sleepy. But doesn’t it make your head ache?” she added thoughtfully.

“I am in a haze. You feel no ache in a haze!” said the creature, blinking solemnly. “All in a jumble and a haze—nothing like it—try it.”

“Indeed, that is about the very last thing I’d care to be in; in a jumble and a haze,” said Kitty indignantly.

“They would expect nothing of you if you were,” said the hanging-down creature; “for if they asked you a question in history, very likely grammar would come up, and for arithmetic perhaps you’d give them geography. Then they would give up asking you lessons. They would say that the lessons got all in a jumble.”

“I am sure they would give me more lessons,” replied Kitty.

174“Then you would grow more jumbled, more hazy—try it,” said the creature sleepily.

Kitty gave a jerk of her head and began to walk slowly on. “It’s no use talking to such a hazy creature,” she remarked in a mortified tone. “I wonder who he is?”

“Goblin Sloth,” whispered the guardian child. “Take care, take care!”

Kitty felt a drowsiness creep over her. She glanced toward the guardian child; he was standing very erect, looking about, as if on the watch for something to be expected.

“Keep looking at the star! Don’t look round!” he murmured anxiously.

The star was swiftly gliding along above the tree-tops, keeping on straight ahead, over a narrow rising path that went through this charming nook hollowing down on either side. The naughty sprite was rocking itself and singing a lullaby in a very go-to-sleep, purring voice, “Hush a bye, baby, mother is by.”

Kitty ran along, struggling against the sleepy feeling that was stealing over her.

“Why in such a hurry?” said a voice.

175It was a pleasant voice. A voi............