I heard the trailing garments of the night
Sweep through her marble halls,
I saw her sable skirts all fringed with light
From the celestial walls.
--Longfellow.
Winter had come with its cold north winds and frosty air. The stars
glittered like gems against the dark velvet sky, and seemed reflected
in the mantle of pure white snow that covered the earth. Mary had asked
Harry's nurse to move his couch into her room so that he might see the
stars from the windows, one looking south, the other east. Impatiently
Harry now awaited his sister, who had promised to take him on another
trip to starland. The room was in total darkness, and nurse had raised
the curtains. Looking right into one window was the mighty giant Orion,
while the Twins peeped into another.