The Happy Garden 



boy, and declares that he is out of place in his 

 surroundings, especially as he does not fulfil his 

 functions as a fountain. My rival quarrelled with 

 him when he was in the sunk garden, and did 

 practise his profession, and there, I am bound 

 to say, she was right : but here, in the midst 

 of a river which does not run, above a lake which 

 has no outlet, it seems to me that he is rightly 

 placed. He has a canopy of bamboos, and green 

 arenaria grows about his feet, and he gazes down 

 into the lake, standing on one foot, and leaning 

 slightly forward to try to catch his own reflection 

 in the water : which is sufficient occupation for 

 anybody. He is beautiful enough to be suffered to 

 be idle, though if the river ran he would have to 

 set to and earn his living. . . . But while the 

 water-rate is high, and an extra fee is charged for 

 all water supplied above a certain number of 

 gallons, it is improbable that the river will ever run. 

 Absurd though it is, I am as proud of it as was 

 .Naaman of Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of 

 Damascus. It is easy to sneer at it, but it is, at 

 any rate, deep enough to drown the moon and the 

 stars, as anyone may see who will come and stand 

 on the bridge at night. , It is deep enough for frogs 

 and fish and strange insects. ... In width it 



varies from one foot to three feet. In depth but 



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