"When the priests came to perform the evening services they found her lying at the feet of the goddess, who, with her wicked-looking, jewelled eyes, seemed to be watching over her. Gently they raised her. She felt nothing, saw nothing, her heart was broken, and the mother had compassionately taken her also!"

Mars paused. I quite regretted I had previously formed rather a harsh opinion of him; for his rough manner, and impatient ways, had not prepared me for the fact that he could be so really kind and tender-hearted, and I was very sorry when he said

"Well, young person, the best friends must part, and so I suppose must we. I hope you won't forget to look out for me the next time I come nearest to your Earth. I shall be very pleased to tell you some more stories of what I have seen; you must excuse if you have found me a little bluff-we old soldiers all get a bit crusty at times; but good-bye, young person, good-bye!"

Once more, with his usual abruptness, he had set before he had given me time to thank him.

CHAPTER IX.

THE ASTEROIDS.

VESTA.

T was some time before I again had an opportunity of looking at the stars, for we had, with many regrets, left the "sunny south" of France and returned to our city home.

Though it was bright springtime, the sky looked sadly dim when I again mounted to the leads, compared to that I had lately been examining, so I persuaded my father to get another telescope with a larger and more powerful object glass. This caused some delay, and by the time it arrived and was ready for use, nearly a month had passed. But the first time I looked through it I was well repaid for my waiting, and could but lament that I had not previously possessed this increased power of vision.

It was a calm, warm evening when I first tried my new glass, and attracted by the appearance of a small, pale-yellow star, in colour much resembling the Sun, I turned the telescope towards it, and beheld a little orb of great brilliancy. At the same time a girlish voice reached my ear

"I am glad you have found me out people often think us too insignificant to look for, and thus we get passed over for larger planets, like my father Saturn and others."

"Who speaks to me?" I inquired.

"Vesta, dear! One of the principal gems of that dazzling belt of asteroids or minor planets, which in a network of paths fly round the Sun in unknown numbers, between Mars and Jupiter. Mercury, Venus, Terra, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all large single jewels in the parure of lustre which our Sun wears as a system round him; but I think one of his most splendid ornaments is the girdle of asteroids, a girdle splashed with countless brilliants, which encircles him as well."

"I am sure it must be!" I exclaimed in an

D

enthusiasm of admiration, kindled by Vesta's description; "but how many are there of you?"

"I cannot tell you. Your astronomers have already discovered two hundred and one, and are daily finding more. I get so confused as they pass me that I cannot keep count, with the exception of the principal ones, amongst whom are my sisters, Juno, Ceres, and Pallas. The latter has a larger globe than any of us, much to my sister Ceres' vexation, having always disliked Pallas ever since she took Ascalaphus under her protection."

"How was that?" I asked.

"Have you never heard?" said Vesta. "It happened when we were on your Terra, and Ceres wanted to get back her daughter Proserpine from Pluto, who had run off with her to the infernal regions. Ceres, never very sweet-tempered at the best of times, rushed complaining about it to Jupiter; and he, not caring to be troubled, said, 'Oh yes, you can have her back, provided she has eaten nothing whilst she has been there.'

"On inquiry, it proved that Ascalaphus (who

was Pluto's head-cook) confessed to having that morning served his young mistress with a pomegranate which she had entirely eaten. Hearing this, so perfectly maddened Ceres that she threw some fire-water over him, and turned him into an owl. He was very wretched thus, only venturing abroad at night. This, Pallas noticed, and it occurred to her that he might be utilised to help her sentries to keep watch in darkness: so she took pity on him, and protected him from Ceres' animosity."

"Thank you!" I said, as Vesta ceased talking, "I did not know the story. Do you think I may speak to Ceres if I happen to find her,or would she think me intrusive?"

"No-I don't think she would," replied Vesta rather doubtfully. "Only, if I were you, I should mention nothing about her daughter, it's a tender subject, and might make her more than usually irritable."

Assuring Vesta that I would be exceedingly careful, I asked whether it was the great distance that made her seem so small, or if in reality she was very little?