A GARDEN DIARY 117 
this creature, dragging after it a stick with some- 
thing red tied to it, which I entirely failed to 
distinguish as having been even intended for a 
flag. Either it stumbled, or from sheer force 
of circumstances simply sat down in the middle 
of the road, right in front of me. I was de- 
layed an instant, and in that instant out flew 
its mother, and plucked it to its feet again, with 
a sound maternal smack. 
“There ain't no sense in yer being run over, 
is there, ye little fule, not if Ladysmith zs re- 
lieved !” 
“Ladysmith!” I was upon the two of them 
in an instant, and had seized the bigger one by 
the arm, though she was not an acquaintance of 
mine. 
“What did you say ? Zs Ladysmith relieved ?” 
“Lor bless you ma’am, don’t you know? Why 
hours and hours ago! We heard of it a little 
afore eleven we did!” 
“But are you certain? Is there no mistake 
this time ?” 
“Mistake? Bless you, no ma’am, there ain’t 
no mistake! Why it were stuck up at the office 
by Mr. Smith hisself, just gone quarter to the 
hour. I was a-coming along with my husband’s 
second breakfast, for he’s working now for 
Mr. Bellew at the Mills. So as I was passing 
close to the office ‘Whatever is all this about,’ 
thinks I, for there was eight or ten people 
