ore,
which will perhaps equally surprise you."

They then returned to the house, and Mr Barlow, who had prepared
everything for his intended exhibition, led Tommy into a room, where he
observed nothing but a lantern upon the floor, and a white sheet hung up
against the wall. Tommy laughed, and said he did not see anything very
curious in all that. "Well," said Mr Barlow, "perhaps I may surprise you
yet, before I have done; let us at least light up the lantern, that you
may see a little clearer."

Mr Barlow then lighted a lamp which was within the lantern, and
extinguished all the other candles; and Tommy was instantly struck with
astonishment to see a gigantic figure of a man, leading along a large
bear, appear upon the wall, and glide slowly along the sheet. As he was
admiring this wonderful sight, a large monkey, dressed up in the habit
of a man, appeared and followed the bear; after him came an old woman
trundling a barrow of fruit, and then two boys (who, however, were as
big as men) that seemed to be fighting as they passed.

Tommy could hardly find words to express his pleasure and admiration,
and he entreated Mr Barlow in the most earnest manner to explain to him
the reason of all these wonderful sights. "At present," said Mr Barlow,
"you are not sufficiently advanced to comprehend the explanation.
However, thus much I will inform you, that both the wonderful tube which
showed you the moon so much larger than you ever saw it before, and this
curious exhibition of to-night, and a variety of others, which I will
hereafter show you, if you desire it, depend entirely upon such a little
bit of glass as this." Mr Barlow then put into his hand a small round
piece of glass, which resembled the figure of a globe on both sides. "It
is by looking through such pieces of glass as this," said he, "and by
arranging them in a particular manner, that we are enabled to perform
all these wonders." "Well," said Tommy, "I never could have believed,
that simply looking through a bit of glass could have made such a
difference in the appearance of things." "And yet," said Mr Barlow,
"looking at a thing through water alone, is capable of producing the
greatest change, as I will immediately prove to you." Mr Barlow then
took a small earthen basin, and, putting a half-crown at the bottom,
desired Tommy gradually to go back, still looking at the basin, till he
could distinguish the piece of money no longer. Tommy accordingly
retired, and