WHAT DAISY SAW ONE NIGHT. II5

soon she tucked her little charge into the small white crib and
went away into the next room to sit at her work till Daisy
should fall asleep.

This seemed to take longer than usual—her eyes were so
very large and bright, and wide-awake that night. There was
a rustling among the eaves above Daisy's window, and she
could see a swallow drop from the nest to take one last flight,
for she had asked nurse to draw aside the curtain so that she
might look out at the pretty moon and stars as long as she
could. Fora moment she began to feel sleepy, and the little
star on which her eyes were fixed seemed to be dancing, and
then to go out like a candle. Daisy had a little nap—but that
did not last long. She lay thinking about her poem for
to-morrow's lesson, and wishing that she knew how to be
invited to just such another feast; when, all of a sudden, she
noticed that her bedroom window was open at the top, and
that something was flitting into the room—something which
flew from side to side and round and round so silently that one
could not hear its wings rustling at all, yet so quickly that
one could hardly catch a glimpse of it so as to notice its shape,
it darted so fast just as a shadow does when the light is being
moved from place to place. The thing seemed now here, now
there, and it never settled or rested for an instant.

“Tt isa bird,” thought Daisy, and then, ‘‘ No, it is a big
butterfly!” and then, ‘‘ No, I don’t know what it is!”

She lay watching for a while. “If only it wouldn’t fly so
fast,” she said to herself, ‘‘ I should be able to see it properly.”

Once it swept across her face so close as almost to touch
it—but the next instant it was far at the other end of the
room, never brushing anything with its wings, however near
it‘came, but steering itself always clear of everything.

At last Daisy sat up in bed to watch; and she had hardly