The Garden Without Walls

at it must be something splendid. Of one thing we were quite certain: that at the end of a few days we should have grown tall; we should return to Pope Lane a man a

y, feeling that somehow it was proper. At any rate, Hetty and our ga

carry us. The fear of pursuit was upon us. Pinned to the pillow of each of ou

the other side stood an irregular row of substantial houses, for the most part creeper-covered. No faces appeared in the houses’ windows. No one passed up or down the street. It was as yet too early

flung over it. On her head was a yellow straw poke-bonnet, which made her face look strangely small. She h

just hurried on with a vague idea

t their tails with a pointed stick and started hopping from side to side, barking like a dog. He passed right by us, saying nothing, waving a red flag in his left hand with which he would sometimes mop his forehead. We fol

e be you goin’ and w

rest. I wanted to show Ruthita the unwalle

ou be wery small to be goin’ to the forest. But so be you’re t

rass, imitating his cries to prevent the sheep from scattering. He told us that he had driven them from Epping up to London, but that times wer

hook his-head as though language failed to

little foot and insisted that he should not do it. The man pushed back his battered hat and scratched his forehead, staring at her. He seemed embarrassed and tried to excuse himself. “Humans is humans,

eager for our company. On its banks stood occasional taverns, gaily painted, with wooden tables set before them. The grass about them wa

er, I am. I lost me eye and got lamed in the wars; and

m was evidently too dre

pping her hand into his horny

I walks. It’s woundin’. It ’urts me feelin

the level of the sky-line, so I knew that we were going in the right direction and our guide was to be trusted.

’ else in it. But your h’eye ain’t prejoodiced, and don’t yer never let it git so, young miss and master. I’ve seen lots. I wuz in the Crimea and I wuz in h’Ind

e he played he looked as merry a fellow as one could hope to meet in a day’s march. T

sunrise this mornin’? I never miss it, ’ceptin’ when I’m drunk. I knows the seasons o’ the bloomin’ flowers, Gawd bless ’em, and can h’imitate the birds’ songs and call ’em to me.

and his face gentle. “I ’ad a

about marriage, but he pulled his hat down ov

. Then Ruthita grew tired and, leaning against my shoulder, persuaded me to tell her the story of where we were going. Before the tale was ended, her eyes were close

looked at the sun. “Time we wu

id that she was thirsty, so we entered. The drover spread himself out on a bench and, soliciting my in

from the top in our honor. He explained to all and sundry that we wuz his little nipper and girl wot he had losht. He losht us years ago, so long he could hardly remember. The tavern-girl entered into a discussion with him, sayi

n. I half expected to find my mother in the forest, just as I had hoped to bring her back on the magic carpet. So when Dot-and-Carry-One was so positive, I asked him if he had heard of the Siege of Paris. He was in a mood when he had heard of everything,

d paid for his drinks, we discovered that we had only three shillings and eightpence left of our little stock of money. The tavern-girl sai

ice were forgotten. He told us tales of his wars, painting tremendous and bloody scenes of carnage. He slew whole armies that afternoon, and at the end of each battle he was left alone, wounded but dauntless, with the dead ’uns piled high about him. He went into grisly details of the manner of their dying, and stopped now and t

clasped about his forehead. The forest, like a green silent army, with its flags unfurled marched nearer. The

to walk again, while Dot-and-Carry-One barked and waved his stick to keep the flock from scattering. The night came on and we were hungry. At last Ruthita’s legs gave out and she sat down by the roadsid

ilence became intense; the last of the twilight vanished. I was glad when Ruthita put her arms round my neck

ne of the paths I could see a limping figure approaching. He was shouting and singing and stabbing at his shadow. As he came nearer I could distinctly see that he h

adly. Burrowing under arms and legs we made our way to the front. A great linen sheet was stretched between two trees. Set up on iron rings before it was a line of cocoanuts. On either side flaring naphtha-lamps were burning. About thirty yards away from the sheet a woman was serving out wooden balls. Between the sheet and the

eir faces were dripping with perspiration. The man returned the balls and the woman served them out again mechanically.

n an impatient thrower hurled a ball which went whizzing over me, missed the cocoanuts, and hit the man on the head, splitting his eyebrow. I was terribly afraid that he would topple over and lie still, like Dot-and-Carry-One had told me men did in battle. Instead of that, when I came within reach of him he clutched

u, you young

up, whom I had seen before with the ba

d, speaking gruffly, “

penny. Two shies a penny. Every ball

ked across my shoulder the game was in full swing. The woman was serving out the balls; the crowd was paying its pennies; the man was dodging up and dow