174 NATURE IN DOWNLAND 



apologies for not relieving his wants. "Oh, never 

 mind," he returned, " I'll manage to get to Newhaven. 

 I've just ccma out," he added. " I've been doing 

 time over there;" here he jerked his thumb over 

 his shoulder in the direction of Lewes. Then remark- 

 ing again that it was a splendid day and that he 

 was very glad to be out once more, he bade me a 

 hearty good-bye and went on his way to the coast. 

 I looked after him, almost expecting to hear him 

 burst out singing. He was probably the happiest 

 man in Sussex on that hot morning. And no wonder, 

 since coming out of gaol, whither he had perhaps 

 been sent when the year was young, he had passed 

 directly from the winter of his dim stone cell to 

 summer in the fulness of its glory. He must indeed 

 have been happy and seen all familiar things with 

 a strange magical beauty in them, when he plucked 

 those yellow flags to wear them as a big buttonhole ! 

 It was the only way in which he could express his 

 overflowing joy, and love of life and liberty and of 

 green mother earth ; since he could not, hke the 

 resuscitated serpent, get himself a new shining gar- 

 ment for the occasion, nor like the wild bird sing a 

 new wonderful song. 



But the hottest season is after June — the season 

 when, as I have said, the downs are to me most attrac- 

 tive. At this season my custom on going out on 

 the hills is to carry a wetted pocket-handkerchief or 

 piece of sponge in my hat : by renewing the moisture 



