the moss was soft to lie upon,
and strange birds came and went and sang love-songs. But just as he was
almost asleep he was shaken quite roughly, and when he looked up saw a
beautiful Prince.

"Ho! ho!" said the Prince, "I heard you getting ready to snore. A moment
more and I should have been too late."

"How is that?" said Little Boy, "and who are you?"

"Sir, I am Fine Ear, and before things happen I hear them. Do not you
know, Fair Sir" (this is the way fairies speak), "that if you fall
asleep the first day that you are in Fairy-land, it is years before you
wake? Some people don't wake."

Little Boy felt that he was in high society, so he said, politely:

"Gracious Prince, a million thanks; but how can I keep awake?"

"It is only for one night, young sir. Come with me. My sister, Goody
Two-Shoes, lives close by, and she may help us."

So they went along through the twilight and walked far, until Little Boy
was ready to drop. At last Fine Ear said that as he heard his sister
breathing, she could not be more than three miles away. As they climbed
a great hill, it became dark, and Little Boy grew more and more sleepy,
and could not see his way, and tumbled about so much that at last the
Prince stood still and said: "My dear fellow, this won't do; you will be
in Dream-land before I can pinch you." Then he whistled, and a little
silver star--a shining white light--fell out of the fairy sky and rolled
beside them, making all the road as bright as day, and quite waking up
Little Boy.

After this they walked on, and the Prince said he would ask Jack the
Giant-killer to supper. Little Boy replied that he would be proud to
meet him. Just as they came near to the house, which was built of pearls
and rubies, the Prince said: "Alas! here comes that tiresome fool,
Humpty Dumpty." When Little Boy looked, he saw a short man very crooked
in the back, and with a head all to one side, not having been well
mended by the doctors, as you may recall. Also his mouth was very large,
which was a pity, because when he stopped before them and bowed in a
polite way, all of a sudden he opened this great mouth and gaped; and
when poor, sleepy Little Boy saw this, what could he do but gape for
company, and at once fall down sound asleep before the kind Prince could
move?

"Alas! fool," said Fine Ear, "why must you gape at a mortal? You knew
what would happen. It was lucky you did not sneeze."

Meanwhile, there lay Little Boy sound asle