"How are we to get near him, then ?" said Leo. "I thought we were going to visit him and have some fun."

"Our only chance," said the first rain-child, "is to watch our opportunity, when he is either sound asleep or away from home. We may manage to catch a glimpse of him, and that will be enough for you, I can tell you; but I should like you to see his palace, and some of our friends who live in it."

At this moment flecks of soft golden haze appeared shimmering across the distance, like a wreath of sunset clouds, containing linked figures in a band moving sweetly and swiftly along the edges of the gray wilderness.

"What is that ?" asked Leo.

"Oh, those are some of our friends the breezes, going off on an expedition," said the second rain-child. "Do you see them kissing hands to us ?"

"I am afraid the old gentleman must be at home," said the first rain-child; "for when he is abroad the breezes generally stay within and amuse themselves."

The breezes disappeared, and Leo and the rain-children travelled on, till the gray desert with the pale paths which Leo disliked so much was left behind, and glittering hills with sharp peaks quivering in light began to rise gradually all around them. Climbing these glassy hills, and winding by slippery ways up into fierce shining mountains, the little party got along, the rain-children helping Leo: pushing him from behind and pulling him in front, when sometimes he could no longer keep his feet on the difficult paths. At last when with great effort they made their way up to a lofty height, a magnificent spectacle suddenly burst on their view.

A splendid palace, built of gigantic crystals, rose upon the mountain, soaring out of it, as if the glittering mountain itself had been shaped into a dwelling for a king. The transparent walls and pillars and domes seemed to possess an extraordinary life of their own; for as Leo gazed at them he saw a continual movement, as of rushing air, going on behind their polished surface. It was like seeing the wind, Leo thought, and he trembled to think of what might happen if some accident were to make never so small a break in the glassy walls, letting all that imprisoned power burst forth.

"I wonder the place doesn't blow up," said Leo, to the rainchildren. "If you shut up steam in a bottle, it will break the bottle in pieces. My papa showed me about that; and I'm sure these walls don't look as strong as a bottle-more like soap-bubbles that I can blow out of a pipe! Why all that storm doesn't split them into bits, I'm sure I can't think-can you ?"

"That isn't Storm at all," said the rain-children. "It is only his breath. Storm himself is the king, as we thought you understood; and all that puffing and rushing of air within the crystals shows that he is at home. Every breath he breathes flies through walls, pillars, and roofs of his palace, just as your blood rushes through your veins from your heart."

"Dear me !" cried Leo. "How very strange !"

"When he goes off on business, of course he takes his breath with him, and then the palace is a beautiful quiet place, quite safe for people like us to explore."

"I wish he had happened to be away from home," said Leo. "Does he often go? I should think he must; for our world is a very stormy place, and ought to keep him pretty busy."

A little drift of the rain-children's laughter broke on Leo's ears at this.

"Do you imagine he does all that work himself?" they said. "No, indeed; he has different sorts of people to do ordinary business for him-gales, and winds, and squalls, and stiff breezes. The gales are tremendous fellows, some of them might pass for the king himself; and he intrusts to them a great deal of his weightiest business.' "Oh yes, indeed!" said Leo. "Now I think of it, I have heard my papa say, when the trees were roaring and bending round our house of an evening, Those are the equi―equi-' oh dear! what was the word, I wonder!"

"We don't know what you mean by equi," said the rain-children. "I have it," cried Leo: "noctial !"

"What is 'noctial,'" said the rain-children.

"Equinoctial gales," said Leo. "They are some of your people,

I suppose. They come about our place now and again."

"You can call them what you like," said the rain-children. don't know anything about that."

"Well, go on," said Leo.

"We

"North

"Then there are lots of winds," said the rain-children. winds, south-winds, east-winds, west-winds: and they also do a great deal that saves trouble to the king. The squalls are exceedingly mischievous, and accomplish more by their tricks than by their strength. Altogether, it is only when some very terrific work is to be done that King Storm himself condescends to come out and do it."

"Well, I must say," said Leo, "it is too hard to arrive here at the very door and not get in. I wish you would try and gain admittance to the palace."

"We may try," said the rain-children; "but I warn you, we shall meet with rough usage."

"Never mind," said Leo, "that will only be fun."

They now began to draw nearer to the palace, and as Leo looked it brought to his mind a scene, described to him by his uncle, of dawn among the Himalaya mountains. The most lovely hues of rose and violet tinged the glittering turrets and pinnacles, and a deep purple shadow lay under the arch of the gigantic drawbridge which sprang like a bridge of glass over a vast gulf of nothingness between the travellers and the palace. Leo led the way boldly across the drawbridge, and blew a silver bugle which hung by the crystal gate.

Four great twisted pillars of crystal guarded the gate, and as Leo heard the piercing music of the silver bugle winding away into the airy distance, he observed how the Storm's breath was rushing through the twisted pillars, so that they seemed to move and palpitate with life. The gate itself seemed nothing but a sheet of glass, and yet

when Leo pushed it he found it strong as iron and impossible to break. The rain-children stood by, and laughed at him while he hammered on it with both his little fists.

Presently a rushing sound was heard, and forth from an inner archway burst a troop of airy creatures with long, streaming hair, and wildly-floating mantles, who dashed down the glittering path to the gate, wrestling with each other, pushing, struggling, tripping each other up, everyone elbowing his neighbour and trying to get first to the gate of clear crystal at which the six dark, heavy-looking rainchildren and the little human rosy-cheeked boy were standing, waiting to get admittance to the palace of King Storm.

"You can't get in! you can't get in !" shrieked the wind-creatures, pushing against the gate. "The king is in a fury, just getting ready to set off with a cyclone."

"A cyclone?" said Leo.

Certainly. Did you never hear of a cyclone?" "Oh yes," said Leo. "I remember now.

It is a terrible hurricane that tears up trees and houses by the roots. My uncle told me about one that happened while he was in India."

"We had better not stand here talking about it much longer," said the_rain-children, "unless we intend to be blown into fragments. Let us lie flat on our faces until the king comes out and goes past."

"That would be wise, indeed," said the wind-creatures, who then separated themselves into two bands, and frolicked about in the air at either side of the crystal gates. Leo and the rain-children, in the meantime, laid themselves flat, much against Leo's will, who would rather have stood bolt upright with his hands in his pockets, and his eyes fixed on the opening through which the great Storm King was to make his appearance. As it was, he contrived to keep a corner of one eye open, and peered upward with it in the best way he could. Suddenly was heard a frightful crash, like near thunder, and Leo, making a great effort to look, caught just one glimpse of a gigantic face, pale and fierce, as if with passion, eyes and nostrils streaming white fire; the next moment a monstrous foot was planted right beside him, and the brave little boy felt a shock which threw him into a swoon. When he recovered his senses, Leo found the rainchildren picking him up, and the wind-creatures frolicking about and holding their sides with laughing, while the crystal gates stood open, that Leo and his companions might enter, with welcome, into the palace. The Storm King was gone, cyclone and all, and his retainers were quite ready to hold a revel in his absence.

The wind-creatures joined hands in a circle round their visitors, and swept them through the crystal gates, and up the sloping, glittering path in under the open archway that led into the palace.

There Leo was struck dumb with amazement at sight of the vast airy halls that spread on every side as he entered. Down from roofs which were so high he could not see them wound light gleaming staircases twining round crystal pillars like those outside, only the pent-up breath of the Storm King no longer kept restlessly rushing

through them. And as Leo strained his gaze upward to the soaring staircases he beheld wonderful figures descending by them, some tall and powerful-looking and like strong warriors, others fair, delicate, and smiling, like playful girls.

"These," said the rain-children, "are King Storm's retainers, who have been away about his affairs, and are returning and coming down here to rest themselves in his absence."

"Dear me !" said Leo; "have they got a hall-door on the roof of the palace? I have heard it said that when flying machines come into fashion all the hall-doors will be made on the tops of the houses. Have they got flying machines up here?-But oh, how silly I amof course they are all flying machines themselves."

"I should think so," said the rain-children, "and besides that they are extremely pleasant creatures. I advise you to join in their dances and amusements, They will like you the better for it, and you will have much more fun."

As the rain-children spoke, Leo saw the halls fill quickly with wind-creatures, gales, winds, stiff breezes and mild breezes-all floating about, laughing and chasing each other, or wreathing themselves in long chains, which the others broke through when they met them. Leo felt himself caught up among them and whirled hither and thither at their will, till his head was so dizzy that he did not know where he was, or what wild thing could be happening to him. Presently they began to dance to a sort of strange, murmuring music which came from the movement of the dancers. It was like the sighing and piping of the wind on a rough evening at home, and Leo tried to think about that, and to make up his mind as to what was the cause of the likeness; but his head was spinning madly, and his breath was taken away, and he even felt as if dying in the struggle and confusion.

I do not know what would have become of him only that a kind young breeze caught him in her arms, and snatched him out of the crowd of the bewildering dancers. She carried him away into an empty hall, where he recovered his breath, and was able to speak to her. She was a charming young creature, with a sweet, rosy face, and a pale gleaming of gold about her dress.

"Oh, thank you!" said Leo, "you are very kind," as she fluttered round him and breathed on his head and his hands. Her breath had the most delicious perfume of violets, and Leo felt pleasantly refreshed as she hovered about and kissed him and petted him.

"Some of our friends here are rather rough," she said, "though they mean no harm. Now if you come with me I will show you some things that may amuse you.'

Leo followed her through the vast halls, till they came to one which was lined with crystal pillars, and between the pillars there seemed to be dim pictures, wide and dim, with lights and colours struggling in them, as if out of a deep and wonderful distance.

"What strange pictures!" said Leo, peering at them; "I cannot make out what they are."

"These are not pictures, but visions," said the breeze. "If you

gaze at them steadily, one after another, you will see a good deal of what is going on at our hands in different parts of the world."

Leo walked slowly round the hall staring at each in turn. At first he could see very little, but after gazing earnestly for some time, he found that each of these seeming pictures was indeed a strange piece of reality laid before his eyes.

After peering attentively into the first for a few moments, Leo clasped his hands and screamed aloud.

"What do you see?" asked the breeze.

"Oh, I see a dreadful dark sea at night!" cried Leo, "and a vessel driven about and going to pieces in the raging storm! The waves are foaming, and people are swallowed up in them. Oh, it is frightful! Cannot we do something to save them ?”

"No," said the breeze, sadly, and drew Leo away to the next pic

ture or vision.

"What do you see now ?" she asked again.

"I see a beautiful bright ocean," said Leo, gladly, "and such a glorious ship with its sails spread, moving so swiftly across the shining waves. People are waving handkerchiefs, and laughing, and clapping their hands. I suppose they are coming safely into port."

Yes, indeed," said the breeze, "and that is pleasanter than the last. The next is very frightful, and you must not take more than a glance at it."

It was terrible, indeed. In the darkness of night a house was on fire, and the wind was blowing the flames wildly and increasing their fury. A red glare shone on upturned faces below, and some of them were full of agony and fear. Leo covered his face with his hand, and the breeze drew him on, leaving the horror behind.

After this there was a forest of gigantic trees, torn and lashed by the tempest; followed by many other pictures of different scenes, peaceful or terrible, in which the winds had an active part. Last of all came a delightful garden, full of the most lovely flowers of every hue, tended by a band of delicate creatures, so like his present kind companion that Leo knew at once that they must be breezes. Over this pleasant vision he lingered a long time, watching the breezes gently picking the dead leaves from the blossoms, fanning the buds open, and taking the scent from the hearts of the flowers upon their breath to scatter it sweetly over the place.

But at last he grew tired even of this, and the breeze said to him: "Should you like to return to the dancers, or is there anything you wish particularly to see and know about ?"

"I should be glad if you would take me up one of your wonderful winding staircases," said Leo. "I would give anything to see what you have got at the top of it."

"Come, then," said the breeze, smiling, and sweeping the little boy on before her, they began to mount a staircase close at hand which twined round one of the crystal pillars.

Up and up they went, the breeze fluttering behind Leo, and wafting him over step after step, so that he had no need to clutch at the glittering balustrade as he had fully intended to do. Higher and