Sylvie discreetly changed the subject. "And did you plant all these flowers?" she said.
"What a lovely. garden you've made! Do you know, I'd like to live here always!"
"In the winter-nights----" the Gardener was beginning.
"But I'd nearly forgotten what we came about!" Sylvie interrupted. "Would you please let us through into
the road? There's a poor old beggar just gone out----and he's very hungry----and Bruno wants to give
him his cake, you know!"
"It's as much as my place is worth!', the Gardener muttered, taking a key from his pocket, and beginning
to unlock a door in the garden-wall.
"How much are it wurf? "Bruno innocently enquired.
But the Gardener only grinned. "That's a secret!" he said. "Mind you come back quick!" he called after
the children, as they passed out into the road. I had just time to follow them, before he shut the door
again.
We hurried down the road, and very soon caught sight of the old Beggar, about a quarter of a mile ahead
of us, and the children at once set off running to overtake him.
Lightly and swiftly they skimmed over the ground, and I could not in the least understand how it was I
kept up with them so easily. But the unsolved problem did not worry me so much as at another time it
might have done, there were so many other things to attend to.
The old Beggar must have been very deaf, as he paid no attention whatever to Bruno's eager shouting,
but trudged wearily on, never pausing until the child got in front of him and held up the slice of cake.
The poor little fellow was quite out of breath, and could only utter the one word "Cake!" not with the gloomy
decision with which Her Excellency had so lately pronounced it, but with a sweet childish timidity, looking
up into the old man's face with eyes that loved 'all things both great and small.'
The old man snatched it from him, and devoured it greedily, as some hungry wild beast might have done,
but never a word of thanks did he give his little benefactor----only growled "More, more!" and glared at
the half-frightened children.
"There is no more!", Sylvie said with tears in her eyes. "I'd eaten mine. It was a shame to let you be
turned away like that. I'm very sorry----"
I lost the rest of the sentence, for my mind had recurred, with a great shock of surprise, to Lady Muriel
Orme, who had so lately uttered these very words of Sylvie's----yes, and in Sylvie's own voice, and with
Sylvie's gentle pleading eyes!
"Follow me!" were the next words I heard, as the old man waved his hand, with a dignified grace that
ill suited his ragged dress, over a bush, that stood by the road side, which began instantly to sink into
the earth. At another time I might have doubted the evidence of my eyes, or at least have felt some
astonishment: but, in this strange scene, my whole being seemed absorbed in strong curiosity as to
what would happen next.
When the bush had sunk quite out of our sight, marble steps were seen, leading downwards into darkness.
The old man led the way, and we eagerly followed.
The staircase was so dark, at first, that I could only just see the forms of the children, as, hand-in-hand,
they groped their way down after their guide: but it got lighter every moment, with a strange silvery brightness,
that seemed to exist in the air, as there were no lamps visible; and, when at last we reached a level floor,
the room, in which we found ourselves, was almost as light as day.