a good while passed before she had another chance of visiting the
garden, she was very patient and did her best. And when a moonlight
night did come again it was all right--the key turned without the least
difficulty. And never had the garden seemed to her more beautiful than
this time, and never had Letty felt more cheered and refreshed by its
sweet air and sunshine and all its lovely sights and sounds. And now,
dears, I must leave off, for it is almost time for me to go home; and
indeed if I went on talking all night I could never tell you a half nor
a quarter of the pleasures of Letty's wonderful garden."

Miss Goldy-hair stopped.

"Didn't her never have nussing to eat in that garden?" said Racey.

Miss Goldy-hair smiled.

"I dare say she did," she said. "You may fancy she did. If you fancy all
the nicest and prettiest things you know, you will not be wrong."

"Oh," said Tom, "that's very nice. We can make plays to ourselves about
Letty's garden. Did she keep going till she was big? Did she never lose
the key?"

"Never," said Miss Goldy-hair. "She never lost the key. And she went not
only when she was big, but when she was old, quite old. Indeed she got
fonder and fonder of it the longer she lived, and it helped her through
a hard and often suffering life. And I don't know but what in quite old
age her visits to the garden were the happiest of all."

"Miss Goldy-hair," I said, "isn't there something to find out like in
the story of Letty?"

Miss Goldy-hair smiled.

"Think about it," she said. "I suspect you will be able to tell me
something if you do."

But the boys didn't care to find out anything else. They thought it was
great fun to play at Letty and the dove, and they pretended to get into
the garden through the door of the cupboard where our cloaks hung. And
the play lasted them for a good while without their getting tired of
it, and Miss Goldy-hair was quite pleased, and said that was one way of
turning the key in the lock, and not a bad way either for such little
boys. Her saying that puzzled me a little at first, but then it came
clearer to me that by the beautiful garden she meant all sweet and
pretty fancies and thoughts which help to brighten our lives, and that
these will come to children and big people too whose hearts and minds
are good and gentle and kind.

The next day Tom was better, and two or three days after that we went at
last to dinner and tea at Miss Goldy-hair's. If I were to te