288 THE GARDEN, YOU, AND I 



a part of the garden in that it was evidently the daily 

 walk of some one who loved nature, and we looked 

 about for a way of retracing our steps. At the same 

 moment two female figures approached the gate from 

 the other side. At the distance at which we were I 

 could only see that one was tall and slender, was 

 dressed all in pure white, and crowned by a mass of 

 hair to match, while the other woman was short and 

 stocky, and the way in which she opened the gate and 

 held it back told that whatever her age might be she 

 was an attendant, though probably an intimate one. 



"In another moment they discovered us, and as 

 Martin alighted from the vehicle to apologize for our 

 intrusion the tall figure immediately retreated to the 

 garden, so quickly and without apparent motion that 

 we were both startled, for the way of moving is pecul- 

 iar to those whose feet do not really tread the earth 

 after the manner of their fellows; and before we had 

 quite recovered ourselves the stout woman had ad- 

 vanced and we saw by the pleasant smile her round 

 face wore that she was not aggrieved at the intrusion 

 but seemed pleased to meet human beings in that 

 out-of-the-way place rather than rabbits, many of 

 which had scampered away as we came down the 

 lane. 



