very wisely
proceeded to mark out in his mind the space covered by the foundation
of the rainbow, in order that he might know where to search, should the
rainbow disappear. It was based chiefly upon a bed of moss.

Meantime it had grown quite dark in the wood. The rainbow alone was
visible by its own light. But the moment the moon rose the rainbow
vanished. Nor could any change of place restore the vision to the boy's
eyes. So he threw himself down upon the mossy bed, to wait till the
sunlight would give him a chance of finding the key. There he fell fast
asleep.

When he woke in the morning the sun was looking straight into his eyes.
He turned away from it, and the same moment saw a brilliant little
thing lying on the moss within a foot of his face. It was the golden
key. The pipe of it was of plain gold, as bright as gold could be. The
handle was curiously wrought and set with sapphires. In a terror of
delight he put out his hand and took it, and had it.

He lay for a while, turning it over and over, and feeding his eyes upon
its beauty. Then he jumped to his feet, remembering that the pretty
thing was of no use to him yet. Where was the lock to which the key
belonged? It must be somewhere, for how could anybody be so silly as
make a key for which there was no lock? Where should he go to look for
it? He gazed about him, up into the air, down to the earth, but saw no
keyhole in the clouds, in the grass, or in the trees.

Just as he began to grow disconsolate, however, he saw something
glimmering in the wood. It was a mere glimmer that he saw, but he took
it for a glimmer of rainbow, and went towards it.--And now I will go
back to the borders of the forest.

Not far from the house where the boy had lived there was another house,
the owner of which was a merchant, who was much away from home. He had
lost his wife some years before, and had only one child, a little girl,
whom he left to the charge of two servants, who were very idle and
careless. So she was neglected and left untidy, and was sometimes
ill-used besides.

Now, it is well known that the little creatures commonly called
fairies, though there are many different kinds of fairies in Fairyland,
have an exceeding dislike to untidiness. Indeed, they are quite
spiteful to slovenly people. Being used to all the lovely ways of the
trees and flowers, and to the neatness of the birds and all woodland
creatures, it makes them feel miserable, even in their deep woo