The Blue Bird for Children Page 8

  CHAPTER V

  THE KINGDOM OF THE FUTURE

  Tyltyl and Mytyl woke up next morning, feeling very gay; with childishcarelessness, they had forgotten their disappointment. Tyltyl was veryproud of the compliments which Light had paid him: she seemed as happyas though he had brought the Blue Bird with him:

  She said, with a smile, as she stroked the lad's dark curls:

  "I am quite satisfied. You are such a good, brave boy that you will soonfind what you are looking for."

  Tyltyl did not understand the deep meaning of her words; but, for allthat, he was very glad to hear them. And, besides, Light had promisedhim that to-day he would have nothing to fear in their new expedition.On the contrary, he would meet millions and millions of littlechildren who would show him the most wonderful toys of which no one onearth had the least idea. She also told him that he and his littlesister would travel alone with her this time and that all the otherswould take a rest while they were gone.

  That is why, at the moment when our chapter opens, they had all met inthe underground vaults of the temple. Light thought it as well to lockup the Elements and Things. She knew that, if they were left to do asthey pleased, they might escape and get into mischief. It was not sovery cruel of her, because the vaults of her temple are even lighterand lovelier than the upper floors of human houses; but you cannot getout without her leave. She alone has the power of widening, with astroke of her wand, a little cleft in an emerald wall at the end ofthe passage, through which you go down a few crystal steps till youcome to a sort of cave, all green and transparent like a forest whenthe sunlight sweeps through its branches.

  Usually, this great hall was quite empty; but now it had sofas in itand a gold table laid with fruits and cakes and creams and deliciouswines, which Light's servants had just finished setting out. Light'sservants were very odd! They always made the Children laugh: withtheir long white satin dresses and their little black caps with aflame at the top, they looked like lighted candles. Their mistresssent them away and then told the Animals and Things to be very goodand asked them if they would like some books and games to play with;they answered, with a laugh, that nothing amused them more thaneating and sleeping and that they were very glad to stay where theywere.

  Light's servants were very odd]

  Tylo, of course, did not share this view. His heart spoke louder thanhis greed or his laziness; and his great dark eyes turned in entreatyon Tyltyl, who would have been only too pleased to take his faithfulcompanion with him, if Light had not absolutely forbidden it:

  "I can't help it," said the boy, giving him a kiss. "It seems thatdogs are not admitted where we are going."

  Suddenly, Tylo sprang up with delight: a great idea had struck him. Hehad not left his real, doggy life long enough to forget any part ofit, especially his troubles. Which was the greatest of these? Was itnot the chain? What melancholy hours Tylo had spent fastened to aniron ring! And what humiliation he endured when the woodcutter used totake him to the village and, with unspeakable silliness, keep him onthe lead in front of everybody, thus depriving him of the pleasure ofgreeting his friends and sniffing the smells provided for his benefitat every street-corner and in every gutter:

  "Well," he said to himself, "I shall have to submit to thathumiliating torture once again, to go with my little god!"

  Faithful to his traditions, he had, in spite of his fine clothes,kept his dog-collar, but not his lead. What was to be done? He wasonce more in despair, when he saw Water lying on a sofa and playing,in an absent-minded sort of way, with her long strings of coral. Heran up to her as prettily as he could and, after paying her a heap ofcompliments, begged her to lend him her biggest necklace. She was in agood temper and not only did what he asked, but was kind enough tofasten the end of the coral string to his collar. Tylo gaily went upto his master, handed him this necklace chain and, kneeling at hisfeet, said:

  "Take me with you like this, my little god! Men never say a word to apoor dog when he is on his chain!"

  "Alas, even like this, you cannot come!" said Light, who was muchtouched by this act of self-sacrifice; and, to cheer him up, she toldhim that fate would soon provide a trial for the Children in which hisassistance would be of great use.

  As she spoke these words, she touched the emerald wall, which openedto let her pass through with the Children.

  Her chariot was waiting outside the entrance to the temple. It was alovely shell of jade, inlaid with gold. They all three took theirseats; and the two great white birds harnessed to it at once flew offthrough the clouds. The chariot travelled very fast; and they were notlong on the road, much to the regret of the Children, who wereenjoying themselves and laughing like anything; but other and evenmore beautiful surprises awaited them.

  The clouds vanished around them; and, suddenly, they found themselvesin a dazzling azure palace. Here, all was blue: the light, theflagstones, the columns, the vaults; everything, down to the smallestobjects, was of an intense and fairy-like blue. There was no seeingthe end of the palace; the eyes were lost in the infinite sapphirevistas.

  "How lovely it all is!" said Tyltyl, who could not get over hisastonishment. "Goodness me, how lovely!... Where are we?"

  "We are in the Kingdom of the Future," said Light, "in the midst ofthe children who are not yet born. As the diamond allows us to seeclearly in this region which is hidden from men, we shall perhaps findthe Blue Bird here.... Look! Look at the children running up!"

  From every side came bands of little children dressed from head tofoot in blue; they had beautiful dark or golden hair and they were allexquisitely pretty. They shouted gleefully:

  "Live Children!... Come and look at the little Live Children!"

  "Why do they call us the little Live Children?" asked Tyltyl, ofLight.

  "It is because they themselves are not alive yet. They are awaitingthe hour of their birth, for it is from here that all the childrencome who are born upon our earth. When the fathers and mothers wantchildren, the great doors which you see over there, at the back, areopened; and the little ones go down...."

  "What a lot there are! What a lot there are!" cried Tyltyl.

  "There are many more," said Light. "No one could count them. But go alittle further: you will see other things."

  Tyltyl did as he was told and elbowed his way through; but it wasdifficult for him to move, because a crowd of Blue Children pressedall around them. At last, by mounting on a step, our little friend wasable to look over the throng of inquisitive heads and see what washappening in every part of the hall. It was most extraordinary! Tyltylhad never dreamed of anything like it! He danced with joy; and Mytyl,who was hanging on to him and standing on tip-toe so that she mightsee too, clapped her little hands and gave loud cries of wonder.

  All around were millions of Children in blue, some playing, otherswalking about, others talking or thinking. Many were asleep; many alsowere at work; and their instruments, their tools, the machines whichthey were building, the plants, the flowers and the fruits which theywere growing or gathering were of the same bright and heavenly blue asthe general appearance of the palace. Among the Children moved tallpersons also dressed in blue: they were very beautiful and looked justlike angels. They came up to Light and smiled and gently pushed asidethe Blue Children, who went back quietly to what they were doing,though still watching our friends with astonished eyes.

  One of them, however, remained standing close to Tyltyl. He was quitesmall. From under his long sky-blue silk dress peeped two little pinkand dimpled bare feet. His eyes stared in curiosity at the little LiveBoy; and he went up to him as though in spite of himself.

  "May I talk to him?" asked Tyltyl, who felt half-glad andhalf-frightened.

  "Certainly," said Light. "You must make friends.... I will leave youalone; you will be more at ease by yourselves...."

  So saying, she went away and left the two Children face to face, shylysmiling. Suddenly, they began to talk:

  "How do you do?" said Tyltyl, putting out his hand to
the Child.

  But the Child did not understand what that meant and stood withoutmoving.

  "What's that?" continued Tyltyl, touching the Child's blue dress.

  The Child, who was absorbed in what he was looking at, did not answer,but gravely touched Tyltyl's hat with his finger:

  "And that?" he lisped.

  "That?... That's my hat," said Tyltyl. "Have you no hat?"

  "No; what is it for?" asked the Child.

  "It's to say How-do-you-do with," Tyltyl answered. "And then for whenit's cold...."

  "What does that mean, when it's cold?" asked the Child.

  "When you shiver like this: Brrr! Brrr!" said Tyltyl. "And when you golike this with your arms," vigorously beating his arms across hischest.

  "Is it cold on earth?" asked the Child.

  "Yes, sometimes, in winter, when there is no fire."

  "Why is there no fire?..."

  "Because it's expensive; and it costs money to buy wood...."

  The Child looked at Tyltyl again as though he did not understand aword that Tyltyl was saying; and Tyltyl in his turn looked amazed:

  "It's quite clear that he knows nothing of the most everyday things,"thought our hero, while the child stared with no small respect at "thelittle Live Boy" who knew everything.

  Then he asked Tyltyl what money was.

  "Why, it's what you pay with!" said Tyltyl, scorning to give anyfurther explanation.

  "Oh!" said the Child, seriously.

  Of course, he did not understand. How _could_ he know, a little boylike that, who lived in a paradise where his least wishes were grantedbefore he had learned to put them into words?

  "How old are you?" asked Tyltyl, continuing the conversation.

  "I am going to be born soon," said the Child. "I shall be born intwelve years.... Is it nice to be born?"

  "Oh, yes," cried Tyltyl, without thinking. "It's great fun!"

  But he was very much at a loss when the little boy asked him "how hemanaged." His pride did not allow him to be ignorant of anything inanother child's presence; and it was quite droll to see him with hishands in his breeches-pockets, his legs wide apart, his face upturnedand his whole attitude that of a man who is in no hurry to reply. Atlast, he answered, with a shrug of the shoulders:

  "Upon my word, I can't remember! It's so long ago!"

  "They say it's lovely, the earth and the Live People!" remarked theChild.

  "Yes, it's not bad," said Tyltyl. "There are birds and cakes andtoys.... Some have them all; but those who have none can look at theothers!"

  This reflection shows us the whole character of our little friend. Hewas proud and inclined to be rather high-and-mighty; but he was neverenvious and his generous nature made up to him for his poverty byallowing him to enjoy the good fortune of others.

  Other Blue Children opened great big books]

  The two Children talked a good deal more; but it would take too longto tell you all they said, because what they said was sometimes onlyinteresting to themselves. After a while, Light, who was watching themfrom a distance, hurried up to them a little anxiously: Tyltyl wascrying! Big tears came rolling down his cheeks and falling on hissmart coat. She understood that he was talking of his grandmother andthat he could not keep back his tears at the thought of the love whichhe had lost. He was turning away his head, to hide his feelings;but the inquisitive Child kept asking him questions:

  "Do the grannies die?... What does that mean, dying?"

  "They go away one evening and do not come back."

  "Has yours gone?"

  "Yes," said Tyltyl. "She was very kind to me."

  And, at these words, the poor little fellow began to cry again.

  The Blue Child had never seen any one cry. He lived in a world wheregrief did not exist. His surprise was great; and he exclaimed:

  "What's the matter with your eyes?... Are they making pearls?"

  To him those tears were wonderful things.

  "No, it's not pearls," said Tyltyl, sheepishly.

  "What is it then?"

  But our poor friend would not admit what he looked upon as a weakness.He rubbed his eyes awkwardly and put everything down to the dazzlingblue of the palace.

  The puzzled Child insisted:

  "What's that falling down?"

  "Nothing; it's a little water," said Tyltyl, impatiently, hoping tocut short the explanation.

  But that was out of the question. The Child was very obstinate,touched Tyltyl's cheeks with his finger and asked, in a tone ofcuriosity:

  "Does it come from the eyes?..."

  "Yes, sometimes, when one cries."

  "What does that mean, crying?" asked the Child.

  "I have not been crying," said Tyltyl proudly. "It's the fault of thatblue!... But, if I had cried, it would be the same thing...."

  "Do you often cry on earth?..."

  "Not little boys, but little girls do.... Don't you cry here?"

  "No, I don't know how...."

  "Well, you will learn...."

  At that moment, a great breath of wind made him turn his head and hesaw, at a few steps away from him, a large piece of machinery which hehad not noticed at first, as he was taken up with his interest in thelittle Child. It was a grand and magnificent thing, but I cannot tellyou its name, because the inventions of the Kingdom of the Future willnot be christened by Man until they reach the earth. I can only saythat Tyltyl, when he looked at it, thought that the enormous azurewings that whizzed so swiftly before his eyes were like the windmillsin his part of the world and that, if he ever found the Blue Bird,its wings would certainly be no more delicate, dainty or dazzling.Full of admiration, he asked his new acquaintance what they were.

  "Those?" said the Child. "That's for the invention which I shall makeon earth."

  And, seeing Tyltyl stare with wide-open eyes, he added:

  "When I am on earth, I shall have to invent the thing that giveshappiness.... Would you like to see it?... It is over there, betweenthose two columns...."

  Tyltyl turned round to look; but all the Children at once rushed athim, shouting:

  "No, no, come and see mine!..."

  "No, mine is much finer!..."

  "Mine is a wonderful invention!..."

  "Mine is made of sugar!..."

  "His is no good!..."

  "I'm bringing a light which nobody knows of!..."

  And, so saying, the last Child lit himself up entirely with a mostextraordinary flame.

  Amid these joyous exclamations, the Live Children were dragged towardsthe blue workshops, where each of the little inventors set his machinegoing. It was a great blue whirl of disks and pulleys and straps andfly-wheels and driving-wheels and cog-wheels and all kinds of wheels,which sent every sort of machine skimming over the ground or shootingup to the ceiling. Other Blue Children unfolded maps and plans, oropened great big books, or uncovered azure statues, or broughtenormous flowers and gigantic fruits that seemed made of sapphires andturquoises.

  Our little friends stood with their mouths wide open and their handsclasped together: they thought themselves in paradise. Mytyl bent overto look at a huge flower and laughed into its cup, which covered upher head like a hood of blue silk. A pretty Child, with dark hair andthoughtful eyes, held it by the stalk and said, proudly:

  "The flowers will all grow like that, when I am on earth!"

  "When will that be?" asked Tyltyl.

  "In fifty-three years, four months and nine days."

  Next came two Blue Children bending under the weight of a pole fromwhich was slung a bunch of grapes each larger than a pear.

  "A bunch of pears!" cried Tyltyl.

  "No, they are grapes," said the Child. "They will all be like thatwhen I am thirty: I have found the way...."

  Tyltyl would have loved to taste them, but another Child came alongalmost hidden under a basket which one of the tall persons was helpinghim to carry. His fair-haired, rosy face smiled through the leavesthat hung over the wicker-work.

  O
ther Blue Children unfolded maps and plans, or broughtenormous flowers]

  "Look!" he said. "Look at my apples...."

  "But those are melons!" said Tyltyl.

  "No, no!" said the Child. "They are my apples! They will all be alikewhen I am alive! I have discovered the process!..."

  I should never finish if I were to try and describe to my littlereaders all the wonderful and incredible things that appeared beforeour hero's eyes. But, suddenly, a loud burst of laughter rang throughthe hall. A Child had spoken of the King of the Nine Planets; andTyltyl, very much puzzled and perplexed, looked on every side. All thefaces, bright with laughter, were turned to some spot which Tyltylcould not see; every finger pointed in the same direction; but ourfriend looked in vain. They had spoken of a king! He was looking for athrone with a tall, dignified personage on it, wielding a goldensceptre.

  "Over there ... over there ... lower down ... behind you!" said athousand little voices together.

  "But where is the King?" Tyltyl and Mytyl repeated, greatlyinterested.

  Then, suddenly, a louder and more serious voice sounded above thesilvery murmur of the others:

  "Here I am!" it said proudly.

  And, at the same time, Tyltyl discovered a chubby baby which he hadnot yet remarked, for it was the smallest and had kept out of the waytill then, sitting at the foot of a column in an attitude ofindifference, seemingly rapt in contemplation. The little King was theonly one who had taken no notice of the "Live Children." Hisbeautiful, liquid eyes, eyes as blue as the palace, were pursuingendless dreams; his right hand supported his head, which was alreadyheavy with thought; his short tunic showed his dimpled knees; and agolden crown rested on his yellow locks. When he cried, "Here I am!"the baby rose from the step on which he was sitting and tried to climbon to it at one stride; but he was still so awkward that he lost hisbalance and fell upon his nose. He at once picked himself up with somuch dignity that nobody dared make fun of him; and, this time, hescrambled up on all fours and then, putting his legs wide apart, stoodand eyed Tyltyl from top to toe.

  "You're not very big!" said Tyltyl, doing his best to keep fromlaughing.

  "I shall do great things when I am!" retorted the King, in a tone thatadmitted of no reply.

  "And what will you do?" asked Tyltyl.

  "I shall found the General Confederation of the Solar Planets," saidthe King, in a very pompous voice.

  Our friend was so much impressed that he could not find a word to say;and the King continued:

  "All the Planets will belong to it, except Uranus, Saturn and Neptune,which are too ridiculously far away."

  Thereupon, he toddled off the step again and resumed his firstattitude, showing that he had said all that he meant to say.

  Tyltyl left him to his meditations; he was eager to know as many moreof the Children as he could. He was introduced to the discoverer of anew sun, to the inventor of a new joy, to the hero who was to wipe outinjustice from the earth and to the wiseacre who was to conquerDeath.... There were such lots and lots of them that it would takedays and days to name them all. Our friend was rather tired and wasbeginning to feel bored, when his attention was suddenly aroused byhearing a Child's voice calling him:

  "Tyltyl!... Tyltyl!... How are you, Tyltyl, how are you?..."

  A little Blue Child came running up from the back of the hall, pushinghis way through the crowd. He was fair and slim and bright-eyed andhad a great look of Mytyl.

  "How do you know my name?" asked Tyltyl.

  "It's not surprising," said the Blue Child, "considering that I shallbe your brother!"

  This time, the Live Children were absolutely amazed. What anextraordinary meeting! They must certainly tell Mummy as soon as theygot back! How astonished they would be at home!

  While they were making these reflections, the Child went on toexplain:

  "I am coming to you next year, on Palm Sunday," he said.

  And he put a thousand questions to his big brother: was it comfortableat home? Was the food good? Was Daddy very severe? And Mummy?

  "Oh, Mummy is so kind!" said the little ones.

  And they asked him questions in their turn: what was he going to do onearth? What was he bringing?

  "I am bringing three illnesses," said the little brother. "Scarlatina,whooping-cough and measles...."

  "Oh, that's all, is it?" cried Tyltyl.

  He shook his head, with evident disappointment, while the othercontinued:

  "After that, I shall leave you!"

  "It will hardly be worth while coming!" said Tyltyl, feeling rathervexed.

  "We can't pick and choose!" said the little brother, pettishly.

  They would perhaps have quarrelled, without waiting till they were onearth, if they had not suddenly been parted by a swarm of BlueChildren who were hurrying to meet somebody. At the same time, therewas a great noise, as if thousands of invisible doors were beingopened at the end of the galleries.

  "What's the matter?" asked Tyltyl.

  "It's Time," said one of the Blue Children. "He's going to open thedoors."

  And the excitement increased on every side. The Children left theirmachines and their labours; those who were asleep woke up; and everyeye was eagerly and anxiously turned to the great opal doors at theback, while every mouth repeated the same name. The word, "Time!Time!" was heard all around; and the great mysterious noise kept on.Tyltyl was dying to know what it meant. At last, he caught a littleChild by the skirt of his dress and asked him.

  "Let me be," said the Child, very uneasily. "I'm in a hurry: it may bemy turn to-day.... It is the Dawn rising. This is the hour when theChildren who are to be born to-day go down to earth.... You shallsee.... Time is drawing the bolts...."

  "Who is Time?" asked Tyltyl.

  "An old man who comes to call those who are going," said anotherChild. "He is not so bad; but he won't listen or hear. Beg as theymay, if it's not their turn, he pushes back all those who try togo.... Let me be! It may be my turn now!"

  Light now hastened towards our little friends in a great state ofalarm:

  "I was looking for you," she said. "Come quick: it will never do forTime to discover you."

  As she spoke these words, she threw her gold cloak around the Childrenand dragged them to a corner of the hall, where they could seeeverything, without being seen.

  Tyltyl was very glad to be so well protected. He now knew that he whowas about to appear possessed so great and tremendous a power that nohuman strength was capable of resisting him. He was at the same time adeity and an ogre; he bestowed life and he devoured it; he spedthrough the world so fast that you had no time to see him; he ate andate, without stopping; he took whatever he touched. In Tyltyl'sfamily, he had already taken Grandad and Granny, the little brothers,the little sisters and the old blackbird! He did not mind what hetook: joys and sorrows, winters and summers, all was fish that came tohis net!...

  Knowing this, our friend was astonished to see everybody in theKingdom of the Future running so fast to meet him:

  "I suppose he doesn't eat anything here," he thought.

  There he was! The great doors turned slowly on their hinges. There wasa distant music: it was the sounds of the earth. A red and green lightpenetrated into the hall; and Time appeared on the threshold. He was atall and very thin old man, so old that his wrinkled face was allgrey, like dust. His white beard came down to his knees. In one hand,he carried an enormous scythe; in the other, an hour-glass. Behindhim, some way out, on a sea the colour of the Dawn, was a magnificentgold galley, with white sails.

  "Are they ready whose hour has struck?" asked Time. At the sound ofthat voice, solemn and deep as a bronze gong, thousands of brightchildren's voices, like little silver bells, answered:

  "Here we are!... Here we are!... Here we are!..."

  And, in a moment, the Blue Children were crowding round the tall oldman, who pushed them all back and, in a gruff voice, said:

  "One at a time!... Once again, there are many more of you than arewanted!..
. You can't deceive me!"

  Brandishing his scythe in one hand and holding out his cloak with theother, he barred the way to the rash Children who tried to slip byhim. Not one of them escaped the horrid old man's watchful eye:

  "It's not your turn!" he said to one. "You're to be born to-morrow!...Nor yours either, you've got ten years to wait.... A thirteenthshepherd?... There are only twelve wanted; there is no need formore.... More doctors?... There are too many already; they aregrumbling about it on earth.... And where are the engineers?... Theywant an honest man; only one, as a wonderful being."

  Thereupon, a poor Child, who had hung back, until then, came forwardtimidly, sucking his thumb. He looked pale and sad and walked withtottering footsteps; he was so wretched that even Time felt a moment'spity:

  "It's you!" he exclaimed. "You seem a very poor specimen!"

  And, in a moment, the Blue Children were crowding roundthe tall old man]

  And, lifting his eyes to the sky, with a look of discouragement, headded:

  "You won't live long!"

  And the movement went on. Each Child, when denied, returned to hisemployment with a downcast air. When one of them was accepted, theothers looked at him with envy. Now and then, something happened, aswhen the hero who was to fight against injustice refused to go. Heclung to his playfellows, who called out to Time:

  "He doesn't want to, Sir!"

  "No, I don't want to go," cried the little fellow, with all his might."I would rather not be born."

  "And quite right too!" thought Tyltyl, who was full of common-senseand who knew what things are like on earth.

  For people always get beatings which they have not deserved; and, whenthey have done wrong, you may be sure that the punishment will fall onone of their innocent friends.

  "I wouldn't care to be in his place," said our friend to himself. "Iwould rather hunt for the Blue Bird, any day!"

  Meanwhile, the little seeker after justice went away sobbing,frightened out of his life by Mr. Time.

  The excitement was now at its height. The Children ran all over thehall: those who were going packed up their inventions; those who werestaying behind had a thousand requests to make:

  "Will you write to me?"

  "They say one can't!"

  "Oh, try, do try!"

  "Announce my idea!"

  "Good-bye, Jean.... Good-bye, Pierre!"

  "Have you forgotten anything?"

  "Don't lose your ideas!"

  "Try to tell us if it's nice!"

  "Enough! Enough!" roared Time, in a huge voice, shaking his big keysand his terrible scythe, "Enough! The anchor's weighed...."

  Then the Children climbed into the gold galley, with the beautifulwhite silk sails. They waved their hands again to the little friendswhom they were leaving behind them; but, on seeing the earth in thedistance, they cried out, gladly:

  "Earth! Earth!... I can see it!..."

  "How bright it is!..."

  "How big it is!..."

  And, at the same time, as though coming from the abyss, a song rose, adistant song of gladness and expectation.

  Light, who was listening with a smile, saw the look of astonishment onTyltyl's face and bent over him:

  "It is the song of the mothers coming out to meet them," she said.

  At that moment, Time, who had shut the doors, saw our friends andrushed at them angrily, shaking his scythe at them.

  "Hurry!" said Light. "Hurry! Take the Blue Bird, Tyltyl, and go infront of me with Mytyl."

  She put into the boy's arms a bird which she held hidden under hercloak and, all radiant, spreading her dazzling veil with her twohands, she ran on, protecting her charges from the onslaught of Time.

  In this way, they passed through several turquoise and sapphiregalleries. It was magnificently beautiful, but they were in theKingdom of the Future, where Time was the great master, and they mustescape from his anger which they had braved.

  Mytyl was terribly frightened and Tyltyl kept nervously turning roundto Light.

  "Don't be afraid," she said. "I am the only person whom Time hasrespected since the world began. Only mind that you take care of theBlue Bird. He's gorgeous! He is quite, quite blue!"

  This thought enraptured the boy. He felt the precious treasurefluttering in his arms; his hands dared not press the prettycreature's soft, warm wings; and his heart beat against its heart.This time, he held the Blue Bird! Nothing could touch it, because itwas given to him by Light herself. What a triumph when he returnedhome!...

  He was so bewildered by his happiness that he hardly knew where he wasgoing; his joy rang a victorious peal in his head that made him feelgiddy; he was mad with pride; and this, worse luck, made him lose hiscoolness and his presence of mind! They were just about to cross thethreshold of the palace, when a gust of wind swept through theentrance-hall, lifting up Light's veil and at last revealing the twoChildren to the eyes of Time, who was still pursuing them. With a roarof rage, he darted his scythe at Tyltyl, who cried out. Light wardedoff the blow; and the door of the palace closed behind them with athud. They were saved!... But alas, Tyltyl, taken by surprise, hadopened his arms and now, through his tears, saw the Bird of the Futuresoaring above their heads, mingling with the azure sky its dream-wingsso blue, so light and so transparent that soon the boy could make outnothing more....