114 A GARDEN DIARY 
convulsed by the ludicrous figure cut by little 
Red-coat; all distorting jaws—wide enough by 
nature—into grimaces expressive of appreciation 
at his ridiculous position. 
Since the original of this piece of tapestry 
was painted over three hundred years ago by 
a painter named Teniers, it is not at all likely 
that it was meant to represent our Boers of 
to-day, nor that the ridiculous little manikin in 
the red coat could be meant for an unfortunate 
Rooinek! In spite of that fact I have been 
unable for months to endure to look at this side 
of my harmless little fire-screen. Every morning 
on entering my sitting-room my first act has 
been to push it up through its sliding groove, 
until only a pair of prodigiously stout calves, 
and one infant’s shoe remain to be seen. To- 
day—and I write the fact down as a sign of 
changed times—my fire-screen remains un- 
touched! More than this, I have found a 
malignant satisfaction in sitting down before it, 
and, as I warmed my feet—damp with garden- 
ing operations—surveying the row of grinning 
faces, with the little red manikin still performing 
his degrading antics in their midst. 
“Laugh away, my friends!” I remarked. 
“Laugh away! Make the most of your time. 
Don’t disturb yourselves pray on my account. 
The unfortunate Roozmek is no doubt, as you 
say, a very ridiculous and helpless sort of 
