ing; she took off her scarf and gave it to
him. 'In case you should feel cold,' she whispered. Her face was
aglow, but Tony's was very gloomy.

As they turned on the top of the Hump he whispered to her, 'I'm afraid
nurse would see me, so I shan't be able to do it.'

Maimie admired him more than ever for being afraid of nothing but their
ayah, when there were so many unknown terrors to fear, and she said
aloud, 'Tony, I shall race you to the gate,' and in a whisper, 'Then
you can hide,' and off they ran.

Tony could always outdistance her easily, but never had she known him
speed away so quickly as now, and she was sure he hurried that he might
have more time to hide. 'Brave, brave!' her doting eyes were crying
when she got a dreadful shock; instead of hiding, her hero had run out
at the gate! At this bitter sight Maimie stopped blankly, as if all
her lapful of darling treasures were suddenly spilled, and then for
very disdain she could not sob; in a swell of protest against all
puling cowards she ran to St. Govor's Well and hid in Tony's stead.

When the ayah reached the gate and saw Tony far in front she thought
her other charge was with him and passed out. Twilight crept over the
Gardens, and hundreds of people passed out, including the last one, who
always has to run for it, but Maimie saw them not. She had shut her
eyes tight and glued them with passionate tears. When she opened them
something very cold ran up her legs and up her arms and dropped into
her heart. It was the stillness of the Gardens. Then she heard
_clang_, then from another part _clang_, then _clang, clang_ far away.
It was the Closing of the Gates.

Immediately the last clang had died away Maimie distinctly heard a
voice say, 'So that's all right.' It had a wooden sound and seemed to
come from above, and she looked up in time to see an elm-tree
stretching out its arms and yawning.

She was about to say, 'I never knew you could speak!' when a metallic
voice that seemed to come from the ladle at the well remarked to the
elm, 'I suppose it is a bit coldish up there?' and the elm replied,
'Not particularly, but you do get numb standing so long on one leg,'
and he flapped his arms vigorously just as the cab-men do before they
drive off. Maimie was quite surprised to see that a number of other
tall trees were doing the same sort of thing, and she stole away to the
Baby Walk and crouched observantly under a Minorca holly which shrugged
it