THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND 



I've ploughed in the Lowlands, and found lost sheep in 

 the Lake Country ; caught moles for a living in Norfolk, 

 and cut Hop-poles in Kent, and Heather in the Highlands. 

 — And I'm not forty, and I'm never ill." 



" It sounds delightful." 

 He rose to his feet and gave me his hand. 



" We shall meet again," he said laughing. " Perhaps 

 in the conventional armour of starched shirts and inky 

 black. For the present — to my work," he pointed over 

 his shoulder. " I'm building hen-coops for a widow. 

 Hasta luego." 



With that he vanished as quietly as he came. Almost 

 as soon as the trees had hidden him from my sight, a 

 blackbird began to whistle, then stopped, and a laugh 

 came out of the woods. 



Altogether a very strange man. 



I found, when he had gone, that he had written 

 something on a piece of paper and had pinned it to the 

 tree with a long thorn. It was this : 



" I think, very likely, you may not know Ben Jonson's 

 ' Gipsy Benediction.' If you don't, accept the offering as 

 a return for my excellent lunch. 



"The faerybeam upon you — 

 The stars to glisten on you — 



A moon of light 



In the noon of night, 

 Till the firedrake hath o'er gone you ! 

 The wheel of fortune guide you ; 

 The boy with the bow beside you j 

 Run aye in the way 

 Till the bird of day, 

 And the luckier lot, betide you." 



He signed, at the foot, " Noakes, Under the Greenwood 

 Tree."— And he seemed to have written some of his 

 dear laughter into it. 



17 o 



