The Open Air 



The wheat-ears were thin and small, and looked as if 

 there was nothing but chaff. But this place being 

 open was full of flowers, such lovely azure cornflowers 

 which the people call bluebottles. 



Guido took two; they were curious flowers with 

 knobs surrounded with little blue flowers like a lady's 

 bonnet. They were a beautiful blue, not like any 

 other blue, not like the violets in the garden, or the 

 sky over the trees, or the geranium in the grass, or 

 the bird's-eyes by the path. He loved them and held 

 them tight in his hand, and went on, leaving the 

 red pimpernel wide open to the dry air behind him, 

 but the May-weed was everywhere. The May-weed 

 had white flowers like a moon-daisy, but not so large, 

 and leaves like moss. He could not walk without 

 stepping on these mossy tufts, though he did not want 

 to hurt them. So he stooped and stroked the moss- 

 like leaves and said, " I do not want to hurt you, but 

 you grow so thick I cannot help it." In a minute 

 afterwards as he was walking he heard a quick rush, 

 and saw the wheat-ears sway this way and that as if 

 a puff of wind had struck them. 



Guido stood still and his eyes opened very wide, he 

 had forgotten to cut a stick to fight with : he watched 

 the wheat-ears sway, and could see them move for some 

 distance, and he did not know what it was. Perhaps 

 it was a wild boar or a yellow lion, or some creature 

 no one had ever seen ; he would not go back, but he 

 wished he had cut a nice stick. Just then a swallow 

 swooped down and came flying over the wheat so 

 close that Guido almost felt the flutter of his wings, 

 and as he passed he whispered to Guido that it was 

 only a hare. " Then why did he run away? " said 

 Guido; " I should not have hurt him/' But the 

 swallow had gone up high into the sky again, and did 



8 



