d him, who greeted
him with tears and words of comfort, and cared for his hurts. And he
asked her the reason of his hard usage, but she could tell him nothing,
only saying that it was the master's will, and that he sometimes did
thus, though she thought he was merciful at heart.

The child lay sick many days, his guardian still coming to him and
sitting with him, with gentle talk and tender offices, till the scene
in the garden was like an evil dream; but as his guardian spoke no word
of displeasure to the child, the child still feared to ask him, and
only strove to forget. And then at last he was well enough to go out a
little; but a few days after--he avoided the inner garden now out of a
sort of horror--he was sitting in the sun, near the house, feebly
trying to amuse himself with one of his old games--how poor they seemed
after the fruits of the inner paradise, how he hankered desirously
after the further place, with its hot, sweet, fragrant scents, its rich
juices!--when again his guardian came upon him in a sudden wrath, and
struck him many times, dashing him down to the ground; and again he
crept home, and lay long ill, and again his guardian was unwearyingly
kind; but now a sort of horror of the man grew up in the mind of the
child, and he feared that his strange anger might break out at any
moment in a storm of blows.

And at last he was well again; and had half forgotten, in the constant
kindness, and even merriment, of his guardian, the horror of the two
assaults. He was out and about again; he still shunned the paradise of
fruits, but wearying of the accustomed pleasaunce, he went further and
passed into the wood; how cool and mysterious it was among the great
branching trees! the forest led him onwards; now the sun lay softly
upon it, and a stream bickered through a glade, and now the path lay
through thickets, which hid the further woodland from view; and now
passing out into a more open space, he had a thrill of joy and
excitement; there was a herd of strange living creatures grazing there,
great deer with branching horns; they moved slowly forwards, cropping
the grass, and the child was lost in wonder at the sight. Presently one
of them stopped feeding, began to sniff the air, and then looking
round, espied the child, and began slowly to approach him. The child
had no terror of the great dappled stag, and held out his hand to him,
when the great beast suddenly bent his head down, and was upon him with