xi LADY MAUD'S WALK 195 



of the old school, when hard pressed by 

 his obstinate parishioners, " My attitude, 

 gentlemen, is to lie on my back and kick/' 

 Either way of meeting the enemy commands 

 my admiration, and I wish they may occur 

 to me when the moment of trial comes. 



Latet anguls in herba. This garden seems 

 to be alive with snakes. There goes the 

 fourth I have seen to-day. Two of them 

 swam across the river. A swimming snake 

 is a graceful but uncanny sight ; he goes 

 through the water like a corkscrew with 

 his horrid head upraised as though seeking 

 whom he may devour. Fortunately these 

 are only grass-snakes, but as a cautious 

 Londoner I suspect that there are adders 

 about too. A pretty moral tale of my child- 

 hood comes into my mind, which relates 

 how two children clad in shining white 

 robes were put into a garden with instruc- 

 tions to play about as good children should. 

 They were allowed to do anything except 

 dirty their garments and approach a certain 

 old wall. Naturally the bad child not only 

 dirtied its robe hopelessly but also went and 

 climbed about the wall, whereupon it was 

 bitten by an adder. How it all ended I 



