ers and
battlements. Directly in front of him, where before there had been only
a few sea-weed banks, the big gate of the wall opened.

The boy probably understood that it was a spectre-play of some sort; but
this was nothing to be afraid of, thought he. It wasn't any dangerous
trolls, or any other evil--such as he always dreaded to encounter at
night. Both the wall and the gate were so beautifully constructed that
he only desired to see what there might be back of them. "I must find
out what this can be," thought he, and went in through the gate.

In the deep archway there were guards, dressed in brocaded and purred
suits, with long-handled spears beside them, who sat and threw dice.
They thought only of the game, and took no notice of the boy who hurried
past them quickly.

Just within the gate he found an open space, paved with large, even
stone blocks. All around this were high and magnificent buildings; and
between these opened long, narrow streets. On the square--facing the
gate--it fairly swarmed with human beings. The men wore long,
fur-trimmed capes over satin suits; plume-bedecked hats sat obliquely on
their heads; on their chests hung superb chains. They were all so
regally gotten up that the whole lot of them might have been kings.

The women went about in high head-dresses and long robes with
tight-fitting sleeves. They, too, were beautifully dressed, but their
splendour was not to be compared with that of the men.

This was exactly like the old story-book which mother took from the
chest--only once--and showed to him. The boy simply couldn't believe his
eyes.

But that which was even more wonderful to look upon than either the men
or the women, was the city itself. Every house was built in such a way
that a gable faced the street. And the gables were so highly ornamented,
that one could believe they wished to compete with each other as to
which one could show the most beautiful decorations.

When one suddenly sees so much that is new, he cannot manage to treasure
it all in his memory. But at least the boy could recall that he had seen
stairway gables on the various landings, which bore images of the Christ
and his Apostles; gables, where there were images in niche after niche
all along the wall; gables that were inlaid with multi-coloured bits of
glass, and gables that were striped and checked with white and black
marble. As the boy admired all this, a sudden sense of haste came over
him. "Anything