IT seemed to Nella that she was being rocked gently in a vast cradle, which swayed to and fro with a motion at once slow and incredibly gentle.

This sensation continued for some time, and there was added to it the sound of a quick, quiet, muffled beat.

Soft, exhilarating breezes wafted her forward in spite of herself, and yet she remained in a delicious calm.

She wondered if her mother was kneeling by her side, whispering some lullaby in her childish ears.

Then strange colours swam before her eyes, her eyelids wavered, and at last she awoke.