162 IDLEHURST: 



of June, to make the great alteration. It was Mrs. 

 Wickens, too, that told my wife the appalling piece 

 of natural history that a year in which lionesses have 

 cubs (no restriction of any latitude either the Zoo 

 or Timbuctoo) was a very unfortunate one for human 

 babies to be born in. The origin of a myth like that 

 is beyond my guessing : it sounds like an aira^ 

 Ayo//vov, a spontaneous generation ; but no one who 

 knows Mrs. Wickens could fancy that possible." 



" It doesn't sound like intentional humour," I said : 

 "not in the usual line of Sussex wit, such as the jokes 

 about going to Bau'combe, and the three true lies, 

 and the Piddinghoe magpies." 



" No," the Rector thinks, " it is a real serious case 

 for the folklore folk. But as to May weddings, I am 

 afraid poor old Blackman must have defied that law 

 more than once. But of course in her young days 

 people were shockingly free and easy." 



"Oh, of course, shockingly," replies Mrs. Kitty, 

 with her mind absorbed in her watch as she rises to 

 go home. 



Gervase stayed on after the others had gone, and 

 we took a few turns round the garden together. In 

 Time's unconscionable accelerando it seems but a 

 day since we were idling so among the fritillaries : 

 now the clear luminous blossoms of the evening 



