ii 4 A GARDEN DIARY 



convulsed by the ludicrous figure cut by little 

 Red-coat ; all distorting jaws wide enough by 

 nature into grimaces expressive of appreciation 

 at his ridiculous position. 



Since the original of this piece of tapestry 

 was painted over three hundred years ago by 

 a painter named Teniers, it is not at all likely 

 that it was meant to represent our Boers of 

 to-day, nor that the ridiculous little manikin in 

 the red coat could be meant for an unfortunate 

 Rooinek ! In spite of that fact I have been 

 unable for months to endure to look at this side 

 of my harmless little fire-screen. Every morning 

 on entering my sitting-room my first act has 

 been to push it up through its sliding groove, 

 until only a pair of prodigiously stout calves, 

 and one infant's shoe remain to be seen. To- 

 day and I write the fact down as a sign of 

 changed times my fire-screen remains un- 

 touched ! More than this, I have found a 

 malignant satisfaction in sitting down before it, 

 and, as I warmed my feet damp with garden- 

 ing operations surveying the row of grinning 

 faces, with the little red manikin still performing 

 his degrading antics in their midst. 



"Laugh away, my friends!" I remarked. 

 " Laugh away ! Make the most of your time. 

 Don't disturb yourselves pray on my account. 

 The unfortunate Rooinek is no doubt, as you 

 say, a very ridiculous and helpless sort of 



