"Aren't you glad? I'm going to live forever and
ever and ever!"

Mr. Craven put his hands on both the boy's
shoulders and held him still. He knew he dared
not even try to speak for a moment.

"Take me into the garden, my boy," he said at
last. "And tell me all about it."

And so they led him in.

The place was a wilderness of autumn gold and
purple and violet blue and flaming scarlet and
on every side were sheaves of late lilies standing
together -- lilies which were white or white and
ruby. He remembered well when the first of them
had been planted that just at this season of the
year their late glories should reveal themselves.
Late roses climbed and hung and clustered and the
sunshine deepening the hue of the yellowing trees
made one feel that one stood in an embowered
temple of gold. The newcomer stood silent just
as the children had done when they came into its
grayness. He looked round and round.

"I thought it would be dead," he said.

"Mary thought so at first," said Colin. "But
it came alive."

Then they sat down under their tree -- all but
Colin, who wanted to stand while he told the
story.

It was the strangest thing he had ever heard,

[[372]]

p371 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p372w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p373

v?