THE MUSHROOM BED 49 



for more than five people with their lanterns to 

 enter, we , many of us , stand outside . The tempera- 

 ture within is high, and it is only by choosing little 

 clear spaces in the glass, where steam is not running 

 down, that it is possible to watch exactly what is 

 taking place inside the house . One tomboy student , 

 with her nose considerably flattened against the 

 glass so that nothing shall escape her, exclaims in 

 a barely audible whisper, " I am sure I have put 

 the globe upside down on Miss More's hurricane 

 lantern I " If this mistake has really occurred, it 

 does not seem to affect the movements of those in 

 the greenhouse. Four blue figures and one black 

 one are now, as if in some form of Eastern worship, 

 apparently prostrating themselves upon their knees, 

 to examine the mushroom bed, which a week ago 

 was spawned beneath the stage of the greenhouse. 

 A delighted cry goes up, " The spawn is running 1 " 

 It is echoed at once by those outside, and all the 

 little note-books, with pencils attached, are pulled 

 from coat pockets in order to record the date when 

 this success has occurred and the hints for future 

 treatment that are subsequently given by the 

 lecturer when he again rises to a standing position, 

 after prolonged groping and scratching in various 

 parts of the rich mould. 



Suddenly, the silence of the countryside is broken 

 by the sound of violent explosions, followed by 

 wild shouts from men and boys, and again more 

 noise of crackling ammunition. What is the 

 meaning of it all ? Have the Germans made a 

 raid ? If so, judging by the ringing English cheers 

 that now go up, quickly following one another and 



