A COUNTRY LANE 



coloured ships and sail with them to the sardine grounds 

 off the coast of Spain. 



After she had passed, leaving her wide white wake 

 in the still waters, I followed her in my mind, seeing 

 the nets cast and the shimmering silver fish drawn 

 up, and the long loaves of bread eaten, with wine and 

 onions, until the waters round me were quiet again, 

 and I could look once more into my mirror and wonder 

 what it was the flocks of clouds said to my brain. 



It came in a flash. Big Claus said to Little Claus, 

 " After I threw you into the river in the sack, where 

 did you get all those sheep and cattle ? " And Little 

 Claus said, " Out of the river, brother, for there I 

 came upon a man in beautiful meadows, and he was 

 tending the sheep and cattle. There were so many 

 that he gave me a flock of sheep and a herd of cattle 

 for myself, and I drove them out of the river and up 

 here to graze." Now they were looking over the bridge 

 at the time, and the description Little Claus gave of 

 the meadows and the sheep below in the river made 

 the mouth of Big Claus begin to water with greed. As 

 they looked, Little Claus pointed excitedly at the water, 

 and said, " Look, brother, there go a flock of sheep 

 under your very nose." It was, really, nothing but 

 the reflection of the clouds in the water, but Big Claus 

 was too interested to think of this, and he implored 

 his brother to tie him in a sack and push him into the 

 water, that he, too, might get some of these wonderful 

 herds. This Little Claus did, and that was the end of 

 Big Claus. 



How well I remember now — so well that when I 

 looked into the water and saw the fleecy clouds go 

 floating by, the picture changed for me and I saw an 

 English country lane, and a small boy sitting under a 

 hedge out of a summer shower, and he was deep in 



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