The Golden Age

by the water’s rim, it was easy—if your imagination were in healthy working order—to transport yourself in a trice to the heart of a tropical forest. Overhead the monkeys

nsects that darted to and fro on its surface became sea-monsters dire, the gnats that hung above them swelled to albatrosses, and the pond itself[68] s

resumed her old dimensions, when the sound of Charlotte’s prattle somewhere hard by broke in on my prim?val seclusion. Looking out from the bushes, I saw her trotting towards an open space of lawn the other side the pond, chattering to herse

putation was distinctly bad. Jerome was his proper name, from his supposed likeness to the holy man who hung in a print on the staircase; though a shaven crown was the only thing in common ’twixt Western sai

I scented trouble in store for Charlotte. Rosa I was not so sure about; she sat demurely and upright, and looked far away into the tree-to

, ’cos this is a treat, to have a story told you before you’re put to bed. Well,[70] so the White Rabbit scuttled off down the passage and Alice hoped he’d

ay, and then began to heel over quietly in Rosa’s direction. His

erry,’ she cried piteously, ‘if you’re not going

am,’ he seemed to say, ‘the eternal laws of gravitation, but not a

ut a lot but you won’t care, I’ll tell you some other time—and they were all playing croquet,

r the poor fellow. She straightened him out, wiped his nose, and, after trying him in various positions, to which he refused to adapt himself, she propped him against the shoulder of the (apparently) unconscious Ro

offed with your head; but Alice wasn’t that sort of girl at all. She just said, “I’m not afraid of you, you’re nothing but a pack of cards”—O

osa’s plump form with a look of satisfaction that was simply idiotic; and one arm had disappeared from view—was it rou

bogy in it. But you’d be frightened, and you’d dream of bogies all night. So I’ll tell you one about a Wh

very bad, for her to take on like that. I scrutinised him carefully, while[73] Charlotte ran to comfort the damsel. He appeared to be whistling a tune a

od as gold except when you make her wicked. I’d put you in the corner, only a stump hasn’t got a corner—wonder why that is?

ooed at his elbow; then, overmastered by his passion, he fell sideways across Rosa’s lap. One arm stuck stiffly upwards, as in passionate protestation

7

ss person was too painful to witness; but though I turned my head away the sound of brisk slaps continued to reach my tingling ears. When I dared to look again, Jerry was sitting up as before; his garment, somewhat crumpled, was

heart was exceeding bitter within him. In merely following up his natural impulses he had run his head against convention, and learned how hard a thing it was; and the sunshi

smacking had not been introduced. Why had he ever left it? He would go back to-morrow! And yet there were obstacles: another grievance.

ed away round the pond, upset Charlotte with a boisterous caress, and seizing Jerry by the middle, disappeared with him down the drive. Charlotte panting, raved behind the swift-footed avenger of crime; Rosa lay dishevelled, bereft of consciousness; Jerry[76] himself spread helpless arms to hea