knowit
all
,
Angela
dear
—
at
least
,
perhaps
not
quite
all
.
I
should
like
to
tell
you
—
because
you
said
that
about
the
splendour
of
being
the
mother
of
Rrchud
...
.
"
Pinehurst
—
my
husband
,
he
is
a
doctor
,
you
know
—
had
that
same
passion
for
seeing
further
.
He
was
often
ill
in
London
.
I
said
it
was
asthma
,
but
he
said
it
was
not
being
able
to
see
far
enough
.
We
were
in
America
for
Rrchud
's
birth
,
and
Pinehurst
insisted
on
going
West
.
I
took
the
precaution
of
having
a
good
nurse
with
me
.
Pinehurst
said
the
East
was
full
of
little
obstacles
,
and
people
's
eyes
had
sucked
all
the
secrets
out
of
the
horizon
,
he
said
.
I
like
Cape
Cod
,
but
he
said
there
was
always
a
wall
of
sea
round
those
flat
wet
places
.
We
stayed
in
a
blacksmith
's
spare
room
on
the
desert
of
Wyoming
,
but
even
that
horizon
seemed
a
little
higher
than
we
,
and
one
clear
day
,
in
a
pink
sunrise
,
we
saw
something
that
might
have
been
a
dream
,
my
dears
,
and
might
have
been
the
Rockies
.
Pinehurst
could
n't
stand
that
,
we
pushed
west
—
so
tahsome
.
We
climbed
a
little
narrow
track
up
a
mountain
,
in
a
light
buggy
that
a
goldminer
lent
us
.
Oh
,
of
course
,
you
'll
think
us
mad
,
Meta
,
but
,
do
you
know
,
we
actually
found
the
world
's
edge
,
a
place
with
no
horizon
;
we
looked
between
ragged
pine
trees
,
and
saw
over
the
shoulders
of
great
old
violet
mountains
—
we
saw
right
down
into
the
stars
for
ever
...
.
There
was
a
tower
of
rocks
—
rose-red
rocks
in
sloping
layers
—
sunny
hot
by
day
,
my
dears
,
and
a
great
shelter
by
night
.
You
know
,
the
little
dark
clouds
walk
alone
upon
the
mountain
tops
at
sunset
—
as
you
said
,
Angela
—
they
are
like
trees
,
and
sometimes
like
faces
,
and
sometimes
like
the
shadows
of
little
bent
gipsies
...
.
I
used
to
look
at
the
mountains
and
think
:
'
What
am
I
about
,
to
be
so
worried
and
so
small
,
in
sight
of
such
an
enormous
storm
of
mountains
under
a
gold
sky
?
'
I
think
of
those
rocks
often
at
night
,
standing
just
as
we
left
them
,
all
by
themselves
,
under
that
unnatural
moon
,
—
it
was
an
unnatural
moon
on
the
edge
of
the
world
there
,
—
all
by
themselves
,
with
no
watching
eyes
to
spoil
them
,
as
Pinehurst
used
to
say
,
not
even
one
's
own
eyes
...
.
You
'll
say
that
adventure
—
my
one
adventure
—
was
impossible
,
Meta
.
Yes
,
it
was
.
Rrchud
was
an
impossible
boy
,
born
on
an
impossible
day
,
in
an
impossible
place
.
Ah
,
my
poor
Rrchud
...
.
My
dears
,
I
am
talking
dretful
nonsense
.
We
were
mad
.
You
'd
have
to
know
Pinehurst
,
really
,
to
understand
it
.
Ah
,
we
can
never
find
our
mountain
again
.
I
can
never
forgive
Pinehurst
...
.
"
"
You
can
never
repay
Pinehurst
,
"
said
the
witch
.
Lady
Arabel
did
not
seem
to
hear
.
For
a
long
time
there
was
nothing
to
be
heard
but
Sarah
Brown
,
murmuring
to
her
Dog
David
.
You
must
excuse
her
,
and
remember
that
she
lived
most
utterly
alone
.
She
was
locked
inside
herself
,
and
the
solitary
barred
window
in
her
prison
wall
commanded
only
a
view
of
the
Dog
David
.
Rrchud
's
mother
said
at
last
:
"
I
really
came
to
tell
you
that
Rrchud
came
back
on
leave
unexpectedly
last
night
.
Of
course
you
must
meet
him
—
"
"
Rrchud
home
!
"
exclaimed
Miss
Ford
.
"
How
odd
!
I
was
just
telling
Miss
Watkins
about
his
Power
,
and
how
strongly
she
reminded
me
of
him
.
Do
tell
him
to
keep
Wednesday
afternoon
free
.
"
Lady
Arabel
,
ignoring
Miss
Ford
by
mistake
,
said
to
the
witch
:
"
Will
you
come
on
Tuesday
to
tea
or
supper
?
"
"
Supper
,
please
,
"
said
the
witch
instantly
.
Tact
,
I
repeat
,
was
a
stranger
to
her
,
so
she
added
:
"
I
will
bring
Sarah
Brown
too
.
I
bet
you
twopence
she
has
n't
had
a
decent
meal
for
days
.
"
And
then
the
Mayor
arrived
.
The
witch
saw
at
once
that
there
was
some
secret
understanding
between
him
and
her
that
she
did
not
understand
.
Her
magic
escapades
often
left
her
in
this
position
.
However
,
she
winked
back
hopefully
.
But
she
was
not
a
skilled
winker
.
Everybody
—
even
the
Dog
David
—
saw
her
doing
it
,
and
Miss
Ford
looked
a
little
offended
.
CHAPTER
III
THE
EVERLASTING
BOY
Mitten
Island
is
a
place
of
fine
weather
,
its
air
is
always
like
stained
glass
between
you
and
perfection
.
Always
you
will
find
in
the
happy
ways
of
Mitten
Island
a
confidence
that
the
worst
is
left
behind
,
and
that
even
the
worst
was
not
so
very
bad
.
You
can
afford
to
remember
the
winter
,
for
even
the
winter
was
beautiful
;
you
can
smile
in
the
sun
and
think
of
the
grey
flush
that
used
to
overspread
the
island
under
its
urgent
crises
of
snow
,
and
it
seems
that
always
there
was
joy
running
quickly
behind
the
storms
,
joy
looking
with
the
sun
through
a
tall
window
in
a
cloud
.
Even
the
most
dreadful
curtain
of
a
winter
's
day
was
always
drawn
up
at
sunset
;
its
straight
edge
rose
slowly
,
disclosing
flaming
space
,
and
the
dramatic
figures
of
the
two
island
churches
,
exulting
and
undying
martyrs
in
the
midst
of
flames
.
It
is
a
place
of
fine
weather
,
and
this
is
a
book
of
fine
weather
,
a
book
written
in
Spring
.
I
will
not
remember
the
winter
and
the
rain
.
It
was
the
Spring
that
brought
Sarah
Brown
to
Mitten
Island
,
and
the
Spring
that
first
showed
her
magic
.
It
was
the
Spring
that
awoke
her
on
her
first
morning
in
the
House
of
Living
Alone
.
She
awoke
because
it
was
so
beautiful
outside
,
and
because
there
was
a
beautiful
day
coming
.
You
could
see
the
day
secretly
making
preparations
behind
a
shining
mist
.
She
heard
a
sound
of
breathless
singing
,
and
the
whipping
of
stirred
grass
in
the
garden
,
the
sound
of
some
one
unbearably
happy
,
dancing
.
Now
there
is
hardly
anything
but
magic
abroad
before
seven
o'clock
in
the
morning
.
Only
the
disciples
of
magic
like
getting
their
feet
wet
,
and
being
furiously
happy
on
an
empty
stomach
.
Sarah
Brown
went
to
her
window
.
The
newborn
trembling
slants
of
smoke
went
up
from
the
houses
of
the
island
.
There
was
a
sky
of
that
quiet
design
which
suffices
half
a
day
unchanged
.
A
garden
of
quite
a
good
many
yards
lay
behind
the
house
;
it
contained
no
potatoes
or
anything
useful
,
only
long
,
very
green
grass
,
and
a
may
tree
,
and
a
witch
dancing
.
The
extraordinary
music
to
which
she
was
dancing
was
partly
the
braying
of
a
neighbouring
donkey
,
and
partly
her
own
erratic
singing
.
She
danced
,
as
you
may
imagine
,
in
a
very
far
from
grown-up
way
,
rather
like
a
baby
that
has
thought
of
a
new
funny
way
of
annoying
its
Nana
;
and
she
sang
,
too
,
like
a
child
that
inadvertently
bursts
into
loud
tuneless
song
,
because
it
is
morning
and
yet
too
early
to
get
up
.
A
little
wandering
of
the
voice
,
a
little
wandering
of
the
feet
...
.
The
may
tree
in
the
middle
of
the
garden
seemed
to
be
her
partner
.
A
small
blot
moved
up
and
down
the
chequered
trunk
of
the
tree
,
and
that
was
the
shadow
of
a
grey
squirrel
,
watching
the
dancing
.
The
squirrel
wore
the
same
fur
as
the
two-and-a-half-guinea
young
lady
wears
,
and
sometimes
it
looked
with
a
tilted
head
at
the
witch
,
and
sometimes
it
buried
its
face
in
its
hands
and
sat
for
a
while
shaken
with
secret
laughter
.
There
was
certainly
something
more
funny
than
beautiful
about
the
witch
's
dancing
.
She
laughed
herself
most
of
the
time
.
She
was
wearing
a
mackintosh
,
which
was
in
itself
rather
funny
,
but
her
feet
were
bare
.
A
voice
broke
in
:
"
Good
for
you
,
cully
.
"
It
was
Sarah
Brown
's
fellow-lodger
leaning
from
her
window
.
The
squirrel
rippled
higher
up
the
may
tree
.
The
pleasure
of
the
thing
broke
like
an
eggshell
.
Sarah
Brown
turned
back
towards
her
bed
.
It
was
too
early
to
get
up
.
It
was
too
late
to
go
to
sleep
again
.
Eunice
,
her
hot-water
bottle
,
she
knew
,
lay
cold
as
a
serpent
to
shock
her
feet
if
she
returned
.
Besides
,
the
Dog
David
was
asleep
on
the
middle
of
the
counterpane
,
and
she
was
too
good
a
mother
to
wake
him
.
There
are
a
good
many
things
to
do
when
you
find
yourself
awake
too
early
.
It
is
said
that
some
people
sit
up
and
darn
their
stockings
,
but
I
refer
now
to
ordinary
people
,
not
to
angels
.
Utterly
resourceless
people
find
themselves
reduced
to
reading
the
penny
stamps
on
yesterday
's
letters
.
There
is
a
good
deal
of
food
for
thought
on
a
penny
stamp
,
but
nothing
really
uplifting
.
Some
people
I
know
employ
this
morning
leisure
in
scrubbing
their
consciences
clean
,
thus
thriftily
making
room
for
the
sins
of
the
coming
day
.
But
Sarah
Brown
's
conscience
was
dreadfully
receptive
,
almost
magnetic
;
little
sins
like
smuts
lay
always
deep
upon
it
.
There
were
a
few
regrettable
seconds
in
every
minute
she
lived
,
I
think
,
though
she
never
enjoyed
the
compensations
attached
to
a
really
considerable
sin
.
Anyway
her
conscience
would
have
been
a
case
for
pumice-stone
,
and
when
she
was
happy
she
always
tried
to
forget
it
.
Yet
she
was
not
without
a
good
many
very
small
and
unessential
resources
for
sleepless
moments
.
Often
she
wrote
vague
comments
on
matters
with
which
she
was
not
familiar
,
in
an
exercise-book
,
always
eventually
mislaid
.
She
would
awake
from
dear
and
unspeakable
dreams
full
of
hope
,
and
tell
herself
stories
about
herself
,
trying
on
various
lives
and
deaths
like
clothes
.
The
result
was
never
likely
enough
even
to
laugh
at
.
To-day
she
had
watched
magic
dancing
in
a
mackintosh
,
and
she
was
at
a
loss
.
There
was
a
knock
upon
her
door
,
and
a
voice
:
"
Hi
,
cocky
,
could
you
oblige
me
with
a
loan
of
a
few
'
alfpence
for
the
milkman
.
I
'
ave
n't
a
bean
in
me
purse
.
"
"
Nor
have
I
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
,
opening
the
door
.
"
But
I
can
pawn
—
"
"
Ow
,
come
awf
it
,
Cuffbut
,
"
said
the
fellow-lodger
.
"
This
is
a
respectable
'
ouse
,
more
or
less
,
and
you
ai
n't
goin
'
out
to
pawn
nothink
in
your
py-jams
.
I
'll
owe
it
to
the
milkman
again
.
Not
but
what
I
'
ad
n't
p'raps
better
pay
'
im
after
all
.
I
got
me
money
paid
yesterday
,
on'y
I
'
ad
thought
to
put
it
away
for
Elbert
.
"
"
Are
you
Peony
,
the
other
lodger
?
"
"
Thet
's
right
,
dearie
.
"
Peony
was
not
in
her
first
youth
,
in
fact
she
was
comfortably
into
her
second
.
Her
voice
was
so
beautiful
that
it
almost
made
one
shy
,
but
her
choice
of
language
,
tending
as
it
did
in
the
other
direction
,
reassured
one
.
She
had
fine
eyes
of
an
absolute
grey
,
and
dark
hair
parted
in
the
middle
and
drawn
down
so
as
to
make
a
triangle
of
a
face
which
,
left
to
itself
,
would
have
been
square
.
Her
teeth
spoilt
her
;
the
gaps
among
them
looked
like
the
front
row
of
the
stalls
during
the
first
scene
of
a
revue
,
or
the
last
scene
of
a
play
by
Shakspere
.
On
the
whole
,
she
looked
like
the
duckling
of
the
story
,
serenely
conscious
of
a
secret
swanhood
.
She
showed
unnatural
energy
even
in
repose
,
and
lived
as
though
she
had
a
taxi
waiting
at
the
door
.
"
Who
's
Elbert
?
"
asked
Sarah
Brown
,
and
then
wished
she
had
not
asked
,
for
even
without
Peony
's
flush
she
should
have
guessed
.
"
'
Arf
a
mo
,
kiddie
,
till
I
get
rid
of
the
milkman
.
Come
an
'
sit
on
the
stairs
,
an
'
I
'll
tell
you
a
tale
.
I
like
no
end
tellin
'
this
tale
.
"
Harold
the
Broomstick
was
desultorily
sweeping
the
stairs
.
He
worked
harder
when
first
conscious
of
being
watched
,
but
seeing
that
they
intended
to
stay
there
,
on
the
top
step
,
he
made
this
the
excuse
to
disappear
indolently
,
leaving
little
heaps
of
dust
on
several
of
the
lower
steps
.
"
I
come
across
Elbert
first
when
I
was
about
eight
an
'
twenty
,
"
said
Peony
,
when
Sarah
Brown
,
in
rather
a
loud
dressing-gown
,
had
taken
her
seat
on
the
stairs
beside
her
.
"
Elbert
was
the
ideel
kid
,
an
'
me
—
nothing
to
speak
of
.
Nothin
'
more
than
a
lump
o
'
mud
,
I
use
to
say
.
All
my
life
,
if
you
'll
believe
me
,
cully
,
I
've
lived
in
mud
—
an
'
kep
'
me
eye
on
the
moon
,
so
to
say
.
I
worked
in
a
factory
all
day
,
makin
'
mud
,
as
it
were
,
for
muddy
Jews
,
an
'
every
Saturday
night
I
took
'
ome
twelve
shillin's-worth
o
'
mud
to
keep
meself
alive
in
a
city
o
'
mud
until
the
Saturday
after
.
But
o
'
nights
there
was
the
moon
,
or
else
the
stars
,
or
else
the
sunset
,
an
'
anyway
all
the
air
between
to
look
at
.
I
'
ad
a
back
room
,
'
igh
up
,
and
o
'
nights
I
use
to
sit
an
'
breave
there
,
an
'
look
at
the
sky
.
Believe
me
,
dearie
,
I
was
mad
about
breavin
'
—
it
was
me
only
recreation
,
so
to
say
.
By
Gawd
,
it
's
a
fair
wonder
'
ow
the
sky
an
'
the
air
keeps
on
above
the
mud
,
and
'
ow
we
looks
at
it
,
an
'
breaves
it
,
an
'
never
pays
no
rent
for
it
,
when
all
's
said
an
'
done
.
There
ai
n't
never
a
penny
put
in
the
slot
for
the
moonlight
,
when
you
come
to
think
of
it
,
yet
still
it
all
goes
on
.
Well
,
in
those
days
,
I
never
spoke
to
a
soul
,
an
'
'
ated
everybody
,
an
'
I
got
very
queer
,
queerer
nor
many
as
is
locked
up
in
Claybury
this
minute
.
I
got
to
thinkin
'
as
'
ow
there
was
a
debt
'
anging
over
us
all
,
some'ow
the
sky
seemed
like
a
sort
of
upper
floor
to
all
our
'
ouses
,
with
the
stars
an
'
the
moon
for
windows
,
an
'
it
seemed
like
as
if
there
did
oughter
be
some
rent
to
pay
,
though
the
Landlord
was
a
reel
gent
and
never
pressed
for
it
.
There
might
be
people
'
oo
lived
among
flowers
in
the
sunlight
,
an
'
,
so
to
say
,
rented
the
parlour
floor
,
but
not
me
.
I
'
ad
the
upper
floor
,
an
'
breaved
the
light
o
'
the
moon
.
As
for
flowers
—
bless
you
,
I
'd
never
'
ardly
seen
a
flower
stuck
proper
to
the
ground
until
a
year
ago
.
Well
,
dearie
,
I
use
to
make
believe
as
'
ow
we
'd
all
get
a
charnce
,
all
to
ourselves
,
to
pay
what
we
owed
.
Some
people
,
I
thought
,
runs
away
from
the
debt
,
an
'
some
pays
it
in
bad
money
,
but
,
I
ses
to
meself
,
if
ever
my
charnce
come
,
I
'll
pay
it
the
very
best
I
can
.
Lawd
,
'
ow
I
'
ated
everybody
in
those
days
.
It
seemed
like
people
was
all
rotten
,
an
'
as
if
all
the
churches
an
'
all
the
cherities
was
the
rottenest
of
all
the
lot
.
Well
,
then
,
dearie
,
Elbert
blew
in
.
You
know
what
kids
is
mostly
like
in
the
Brown
Borough
,
but
Elbert
—
'
e
never
was
.
Straight
legs
'
e
'
ad
,
an
'
never
a
chilblain
nor
a
sore
,
an
'
a
small
up-lookin
'
face
,
an
'
yallery
'
air
—
what
you
could
see
of
it
,
for
of
course
I
always
made
'
im
keep
it
nicely
cropped
to
the
pink
.
You
never
see
sich
a
clean
boy
,
you
never
see
'
im
but
what
'
e
seemed
to
'
ave
sponged
'
is
collar
that
minute
,
an
'
the
little
seat
to
'
is
breeks
always
patched
in
the
right
colour
,
an
'
all
.
Yet
'
e
was
n't
one
of
them
choir-boy
kinds
,
'
e
could
'
ave
'
is
little
game
with
the
best
of
'
em
,
an
'
often
kicked
up
no
end
of
a
row
when
we
was
playin
'
pretendin
'
games
of
a
wet
Sunday
.
'
E
'
ad
one
little
game
'
e
loved
best
of
all
—
not
marbles
,
it
was
n't
,
nor
peg-tops
—
but
there
,
I
wo
n't
tell
you
what
it
was
,
for
you
'd
laugh
like
the
gal
at
the
shop
did
when
I
spoke
of
it
.
I
do
n't
often
get
talkin
'
,
but
I
'd
'
ad
a
nip
of
brandy
at
the
time
.
Laugh
fit
to
bust
,
she
did
—
'
avin
'
'
ad
a
nip
of
the
same
'
erself
—
an
'
as't
if
Elbert
was
n't
blind
as
well
,
an
'
if
'
e
wore
any
clothes
besides
wings
...
.
The
funny
thing
was
thet
Elbert
did
'
ave
bad
sight
,
it
always
seemed
odd
to
me
thet
with
'
is
weak
eyes
'
e
should
choose
to
play
the
little
game
'
e
did
.
I
use
to
take
'
im
to
the
'
Eath
of
a
summer
Sunday
,
an
'
'
e
use
to
stand
on
them
little
ridges
below
the
Spaniards
Road
,
with
'
is
eyes
shut
against
the
sun
,
never
botherin
'
to
take
no
aim
.
I
can
see
'
im
now
,
a-pulling
of
the
string
of
'
is
bow
—
it
'
ad
an
'
igh
note
,
like
the
beginnin
'
of
a
bit
o
'
music
—
an
'
then
awf
'
e
'd
go
like
a
rebbit
,
to
see
where
the
arrer
fell
.
It
was
always
a
marvel
to
me
'
e
did
n't
put
somebody
's
eye
out
,
but
I
did
n't
mind
—
I
'
ated
everybody
.
'
E
did
n't
live
with
me
,
'
e
just
came
in
an
'
out
.
'
E
never
tol
'
me
'
is
name
was
Elbert
—
I
just
called
'
im
thet
,
the
prettiest
name
I
knew
.
'
E
never
tol
'
me
'
oo
'
is
people
were
;
I
should
n't
think
they
could
'
ave
bin
Brown
Borough
people
,
for
Elbert
seemed
to
'
ave
bin
about
a
lot
,
seen
mountains
an
'
oceans
an
'
sichlike
,
an
'
come
acrost
a
lot
of
furriners
—
even
Germans
.
'
E
talked
a
lot
about
people
—
as
good
as
a
novelette
'
is
stories
was
,
but
bloody
'
igh-flavoured
.
Children
knows
a
lot
in
the
Brown
Borough
.
'
Ow
'
e
'd
noticed
the
things
'
e
'
ad
with
them
blindish
eyes
of
'
is
,
I
do
n't
know
.
I
got
to
count
on
that
boy
no
end
.
Fair
drunk
with
satisfaction
,
I
use
to
feel
.
Call
me
a
fool
if
you
like
,
cully
,
but
it
was
three
or
four
year
before
I
got
the
idee
that
there
was
anythink
funny
about
Elbert
.
It
was
when
it
begun
to
look
as
if
the
War
'
ad
come
to
stop
,
an
'
one
could
n't
look
at
any
boy
without
countin
'
up
to
see
'
ow
long
'
e
'
ad
before
the
Army
copped
'
im
.
An
'
then
I
calc'lated
that
Elbert
should
be
rising
fourteen
now
,
an
'
I
saw
then
thet
'
e
'
ad
n't
grown
an
inch
since
I
first
see
'
im
,
nor
'
e
had
n't
changed
'
is
ways
,
but
still
'
e
run
about
laughin
'
,
playin
'
'
is
little
kiddy-game
,
with
'
is
face
to
the
sun
.
An
'
then
I
remembered
'
ow
often
'
e
'd
tol
'
me
things
thet
seemed
too
'
istorical
for
sich
as
'
im
to
come
by
honest
,
tales
about
blokes
in
'
istory
—
nanecdotes
'
e
'd
use
to
pass
acrost
about
Admiral
Nelson
,
or
Queen
Bess
—
she
use
to
make
'
im
chuckle
,
she
did
—
an
'
a
chap
called
Shilly
or
Shally
,
'
oo
was
drownded
.
An
'
I
got
struck
all
of
an
'
eap
,
to
think
'
e
was
some
sort
of
an
everlasting
boy
,
an
'
p'raps
'
e
was
a
devil
,
I
thought
,
an
'
p'raps
I
'd
sold
me
soul
without
knowin
'
it
.
I
never
took
much
stock
of
me
soul
,
but
I
always
'
ad
that
debt
o
'
mine
in
me
mind
,
an
'
I
wanted
to
pay
it
clean
.
For
them
London
mists
agin
the
sky
in
the
Spring
,
an
'
for
the
moonlight
,
an
'
for
the
sky
just
before
a
thunderstorm
—
all
them
things
seemed
to
'
ave
come
out
of
the
same
box
,
like
,
an
'
I
did
n't
like
feelin
'
as
'
ow
they
was
all
jest
charity
...
.
'
Owever
,
I
got
this
idee
about
Elbert
,
an
'
I
did
n't
sleep
a
wink
thet
night
,
an
'
could
n't
enjoy
me
starlight
.
In
the
mornin
'
'
e
come
as
usual
,
with
'
is
pretty
blind
smile
,
an
'
I
ses
to
'
im
:
'
Elbert
,
'
I
ses
,
'
You
ai
n't
a
crool
boy
,
are
you
?
You
would
n't
do
anythink
to
'
urt
me
?
'
Lookin
'
at
'
im
,
I
could
n't
believe
it
.
'
'
Urt
you
?
'
'
e
ses
quite
'
appily
;
'
an
'
why
would
n't
I
'
urt
you
?
I
'd
as
lief
send
you
to
the
Devil
as
not
,
'
'
e
ses
.
Well
,
cocky
,
I
do
n't
mind
tellin
'
you
I
lost
me
'
ead
at
that
.
I
run
awiy
—
run
awiy
from
my
Elbert
—
Oh
,
Gosh
!
I
bin
an
'
give
up
me
bits
o
'
sticks
to
a
neighbour
,
an
'
got
a
place
,
an
'
went
into
service
.
I
sneaked
out
one
night
,
when
Elbert
'
ad
gone
'
ome
.
I
got
a
place
up
Kilburn
way
,
an
ol
'
couple
,
retired
from
the
pawnbrokin
'
line
.
The
ol
'
man
'
ad
softening
in
'
is
brain
,
an
'
said
one
thing
all
the
blessed
time
,
murmurin
'
like
a
bee
.
The
ol
'
woman
never
spoke
,
never
did
no
work
,
lef
'
it
all
to
me
.
She
was
always
a-readin
'
of
'
er
postcard
album
,
shiftin
'
the
cards
about
—
she
'
ad
thousands
,
besides
one
'
ole
book
full
of
seaside
comics
.
A
beautiful
collection
.
Well
,
I
was
dishin
'
up
the
tea
one
night
in
the
kitchen
,
an
'
I
'
eard
a
laugh
—
Elbert
's
laugh
,
like
three
little
bells
—
an
'
there
was
Elbert
lookin
'
in
at
the
window
.
I
run
after
'
im
—
there
was
n't
nobody
there
.
When
I
come
back
the
tripe
was
burnt
an
'
I
lef
'
it
on
the
fire
an
'
run
away
,
thet
minute
.
They
owed
me
wages
,
but
I
did
n't
stop
for
nothink
.
I
was
frightened
.
I
got
a
place
afterwards
up
Islington
,
three
ol
'
sisters
,
kep
'
a
fancy
shop
,
fought
with
each
other
every
minute
of
their
lives
.
I
'
ad
n't
bin
there
two
days
before
Elbert
walked
in
,
jest
as
laughin
'
an
'
lovin
'
as
ever
.
I
see
then
it
was
no
use
,
good
or
bad
'
e
'd
got
me
.
I
let
'
im
sit
in
my
kitchen
,
an
'
give
'
im
some
sugar-bread
.
An
'
one
of
the
ol
'
cat-sisters
come
in
.
'
'
Oo
's
this
?
'
she
ses
.
'
A
young
friend
o
'
mine
,
'
I
ses
.
'
You
're
a
liar
,
'
she
ses
,
'
I
seed
from
the
first
minute
as
you
was
n't
no
respectable
gal
,
'
she
ses
,
'
an
'
now
per'aps
me
sisters
'll
believe
me
.
So
out
I
'
ad
to
go
,
an
'
I
was
n't
sorry
.
It
seemed
like
there
was
n't
nothink
in
the
world
mattered
but
Elbert
,
like
as
if
damnation
was
worth
while
.
'
Ow
,
Elbert
,
'
I
ses
,
'
I
'd
go
to
the
Devil
for
you
,
an
'
smile
all
the
way
.
'
'
E
laughed
an
'
laughed
.
'
Come
on
,
'
'
e
ses
,
'
to-day
's
an
'
oliday
.
'
Though
it
was
n't
,
it
was
a
Tuesday
in
August
.
'
Come
on
,
'
'
e
ses
,
'
get
yer
best
'
at
on
,
'
an
'
'
e
gives
me
a
yaller
rose
,
for
me
button-'ole
.
A
year
ago
come
August
,
thet
was
.
I
follered
Elbert
at
a
run
all
up
the
City
Road
,
an
'
near
the
Angel
we
took
a
taxi
.
'
Tell
'
im
Euston
Station
,
'
ses
Elbert
,
an
'
so
I
did
.
You
know
the
'
uge
top
o
'
thet
station
from
the
'
ill
by
the
Angel
—
well
,
kid
,
I
tell
you
I
saw
a
reel
mountain
for
the
first
time
,
when
I
saw
thet
.
It
was
the
'
eat
mist
,
an
'
a
sort
o
'
pink
light
made
a
reel
'
ighland
landscape
out
of
it
.
I
paid
the
taxi-man
over
'
alf
of
all
the
money
I
'
ad
,
an
'
we
went
to
the
ticket-awfice
.
'
Elbert
,
'
I
ses
,
'
where
shell
we
book
to
,
'
I
ses
,
like
that
,
though
I
'
ad
n't
'
ardly
a
bloody
oat
in
me
purse
.
'
Take
a
platform
ticket
,
'
'
e
ses
,
an
'
so
I
did
.
But
'
e
run
on
to
the
platform
without
no
ticket
,
an
'
begun
dancin
'
up
an
'
down
among
the
people
like
a
mad
thing
,
but
nobody
seemed
to
mind
'
im
.
I
set
down
on
a
seat
to
watch
'
im
.
I
thought
:
'
Blimey
,
'
I
thought
,
'
if
I
ai
n't
under
thet
blinkin
'
mountain
now
,
an
'
all
these
people
,
'
I
ses
,
'
is
the
Little
People
they
tell
of
,
that
lives
inside
'
ills
,
an
'
on'y
comes
out
under
the
moon
.
'
I
remembered
thet
moonlight
debt
o
'
mine
,
an
'
I
thought
—
'
I
'm
done
with
the
mud
now
,
I
'm
comin
'
alive
now
,
'
I
ses
,
'
and
this
'll
be
my
charnce
.
'
Presently
Elbert
come
back
to
me
,
an
'
'
e
was
draggin
'
a
soldier
by
the
'
and
.
'
This
is
a
magic
man
,
'
ses
Elbert
,
'
come
back
from
livin
'
under
the
sky
.
Ca
n't
you
feel
the
magic
?
'
'
e
ses
.
"
Well
,
dearie
,
take
it
'
ow
you
will
,
thet
's
'
ow
I
met
my
Sherrie
.
A
magic
man
'
e
was
,
for
'
e
'
ad
my
ticket
taken
,
an
'
never
seemed
surprised
.
Ten
days
leave
'
e
'
ad
,
an
'
we
spent
it
at
an
inn
in
a
village
on
a
moor
,
jest
a
mile
out
o
'
sound
of
the
sea
.
The
moor
an
'
the
sea
,
touchin
'
each
other
.
...
Oh
Gawd
!
...
The
sea
was
like
my
sky
at
night
come
nearer
—
come
near
enough
to
know
better
,
like
.
In
between
the
moor
an
'
the
sea
there
was
the
beach
—
it
looked
like
a
blessed
boundary
road
between
two
countries
,
an
'
it
led
away
to
where
you
could
n't
see
nothing
more
except
a
little
white
town
,
sort
of
built
'
igh
upon
a
mist
,
more
like
a
star
...
.
Oh
Gawd
!
...
"
Anyway
,
Cuffbut
,
thet
was
me
charnce
,
an
'
thet
's
'
ow
I
come
to
know
'
ow
my
debt
was
goin
'
to
be
paid
.
Sherrie
understood
all
thet
.
'
E
was
a
magic
man
,
'
e
was
.
At
least
,
'
e
was
mostly
magic
,
but
some
of
'
im
was
nothin
'
but
a
fool
when
all
's
said
an
'
done
—
like
any
other
man
.
I
could
n't
'
ave
done
with
an
all-magic
bloke
.
Ow
,
'
e
was
a
fool
...
.
All
the
things
'
e
might
'
ave
bin
able
to
do
,
like
polishin
'
'
is
equipment
,
or
findin
'
'
is
clean
socks
,
'
e
use
to
forever
be
askin
'
me
to
do
.
I
loved
doin
'
it
.
But
all
the
things
'
e
could
n't
do
at
all
,
like
drawin
'
me
likeness
,
or
cuttin
'
out
a
blouse
for
me
,
'
e
was
forever
tryin
'
to
do
.
"
She
spoke
of
Sherrie
as
a
naturalist
would
speak
of
a
new
animal
,
gradually
finding
out
the
pretty
and
amusing
ways
of
the
creature
.
"
I
called
'
im
Sherrie
because
thet
's
what
'
e
called
me
.
A
French
word
it
was
,
'
e
ses
,
meaning
'
dearie
,
'
as
it
were
.
'
E
was
a
reel
gent
,
was
Sherrie
.
I
as't
'
im
once
why
'
e
took
up
with
a
woman
like
me
,
instead
of
with
a
reel
young
lady
.
'
E
ses
as
'
ow
'
e
'd
never
met
before
anybody
'
oo
seed
themselves
from
outside
an
'
yet
was
fairly
honest
.
I
know
what
'
e
meant
,
for
I
was
always
more
two
people
than
one
,
an
'
I
watch
meself
sometimes
as
if
I
was
a
play
.
I
would
n't
be
tellin
'
you
this
story
,
else
.
Well
,
dearie
,
Elbert
was
always
in
an
'
out
,
an
'
always
a-hollerin
'
an
'
a-laughin
'
an
'
a-playin
'
'
is
game
.
'
E
stayed
with
us
all
them
ten
days
,
an
'
'
e
come
with
me
to
Victoria
,
to
see
Sherrie
off
to
France
.
It
's
Sherrie
's
allotted
money
what
I
fetch
every
week
.
But
I
wo
n't
touch
it
,
I
puts
it
away
for
Elbert
.
I
do
n't
want
to
owe
nothin
'
to
nobody
,
for
I
'm
payin
'
sich
a
big
debt
.
Elbert
,
when
'
e
comes
back
to
me
,
'
e
's
going
to
be
my
payment
to
the
world
,
an
'
it
's
got
to
be
good
money
.
For
Elbert
left
me
after
Sherrie
went
.
'
E
said
as
'
ow
'
e
was
going
'
ome
,
an
'
as
'
ow
'
e
would
come
back
to
me
in
the
Spring
,
an
'
stay
with
me
always
.
It
was
n't
like
partin
'
,
e
'
ses
,
'
im
an
'
me
could
never
do
thet
.
I
know
what
'
e
meant
,
now
...
.
"
"
And
what
about
Sherrie
?
"
asked
Sarah
Brown
.
"
Oh
,
Sherrie
,
'
e
never
writes
to
me
.
But
'
e
promised
too
to
come
back
in
the
Spring
,
an
'
so
'
e
will
,
for
there
ai
n't
no
Boche
bullet
that
can
'
it
a
magic
man
.
"
"
It
's
springtime
now
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
.
"
It
's
springtime
now
,
"
repeated
Peony
.
"
Ow
,
it
's
wonderful
,
seems
like
as
if
I
was
gettin
'
too
much
given
me
,
so
as
I
can
never
repay
.
But
I
'm
keepin
'
count
,
I
'm
not
forgettin
'
.
It
ai
n't
long
now
before
I
'll
pay
my
debt
.
Come
the
middle
o
'
May
...
.
"
CHAPTER
IV
THE
FORBIDDEN
SANDWICH
While
Sarah
Brown
's
unenviable
leisure
was
spent
in
acting
as
slave
to
committees
,
she
had
at
the
same
time
a
half-time
profession
which
,
when
she
was
well
enough
to
follow
it
,
brought
twenty
shillings
a
week
to
her
pocket
.
She
was
in
the
habit
of
sitting
every
morning
in
a
small
office
,
collecting
evidence
from
charitable
spies
about
the
Naughty
Poor
,
and
,
after
wrapping
the
evidence
in
mysterious
ciphers
,
writing
it
down
very
beautifully
upon
little
cards
,
so
that
the
next
spy
might
have
the
benefit
of
all
his
forerunners
'
experience
.
Sarah
Brown
never
thought
about
the
theory
of
this
work
,
because
the
different
coloured
inks
and
the
beautiful
writing
pleased
her
so
.
There
are
people
to
whom
a
ream
of
virgin
paper
is
an
inspiration
,
who
find
the
first
sharpening
of
a
pencil
the
most
lovable
of
all
labours
,
who
see
something
almost
holy
in
the
dedication
of
green
and
red
penholders
to
their
appropriate
inks
,
in
whose
ears
and
before
whose
eyes
the
alphabet
is
like
a
poem
or
a
prayer
.
Touch
on
stationery
and
you
touched
an
insane
spot
in
Sarah
Brown
's
mind
.
Her
dream
of
a
perfect
old
age
was
staged
in
a
stationer
's
shop
in
a
quiet
brown
street
;
there
she
would
spend
twilit
days
in
stroking
thick
blotting-paper
,
in
drawing
dogs
—
all
looking
one
way
—
with
new
pen-nibs
,
in
giving
advice
in
a
hushed
voice
to
connoisseur
customers
,
who
should
come
to
buy
a
diary
or
a
book-plate
or
a
fountain-pen
with
the
same
reverence
as
they
now
show
who
come
to
buy
old
wine
.
Therefore
Sarah
Brown
's
hand
had
found
ideal
employment
on
a
charity
register
.
As
for
her
mind
,
it
usually
shut
its
eye
during
office
hours
.
Her
Dog
David
liked
the
work
too
,
as
the
hearth-rug
was
a
comfortable
one
,
and
Charity
,
though
it
may
suffer
long
in
other
directions
,
is
rather
particular
about
its
firing
.
On
the
Monday
after
her
change
of
home
,
Sarah
Brown
found
that
the
glory
had
gone
out
of
the
varied
inks
,
and
even
a
new
consignment
of
index-cards
,
exquisitely
unspotted
from
the
world
,
failed
to
arouse
her
enthusiasm
.
This
was
partly
because
the
first
name
in
the
index
that
she
looked
up
was
that
of
Watkins
,
Thelma
Bennett
,
single
,
machinist
.
The
ciphers
informed
the
initiated
that
Watkins
had
called
on
the
War
Association
,
to
ask
for
Help
and
Advice
,
See
Full
Report
.
Sarah
Brown
felt
sad
and
clumsy
,
and
made
two
blots
,
one
in
green
on
the
Watkins
card
,
and
the
other
in
ordinary
Stephens-colour
on
the
card
of
one
Tonk
,
chocolate-box-maker
,
single
,
to
whom
a
certain
charity
was
obstinately
giving
a
half-pint
of
milk
daily
,
regardless
of
the
fact
that
last
month
she
had
received
a
shilling's-worth
of
groceries
from
the
Parish
.
The
air
of
that
office
rang
with
the
name
of
Tonk
that
morning
.
Hardly
had
the
industrious
Sarah
Brown
finished
turning
the
blot
upon
her
card
into
the
silhouette
of
a
dromedary
by
a
few
ingenious
strokes
of
the
pen
,
when
the
lady
representing
the
obstinate
charity
came
in
,
her
lips
shaped
to
the
word
Tonk
.
"
Tonk
,
"
she
said
.
"
Late
of
Mud
Street
.
She
has
changed
her
address
.
I
am
the
Guild
of
Happy
Hearts
.
She
still
comes
to
fetch
her
half-pint
of
milk
daily
,
and
only
yesterday
I
learnt
from
a
neighbour
that
she
had
left
Mud
Street
three
weeks
ago
.
It
really
is
disgraceful
the
way
these
poor
people
conceal
important
facts
from
us
.
Have
you
her
new
address
?
"
"
Our
last
address
for
Tonk
was
12
Mud
Street
,
"
answered
Sarah
Brown
coldly
.
"
But
we
have
already
notified
you
three
times
that
the
woman
is
not
entitled
to
milk
from
the
Happy
Hearts
,
as
she
has
been
having
parish
relief
,
as
well
as
an
allotment
.
"
"
Tonk
is
—
hm
—
hm
,
"
said
the
Happy
Heart
delicately
in
an
undertone
,
so
that
the
blushing
masculine
ear
of
the
Dog
David
might
be
spared
.
"
After
Baby
Week
,
you
know
,
we
feel
bound
to
help
all
hm
—
hm
women
as
far
as
we
can
,
regardless
of
other
considerations
—
"
"
Really
you
ought
n't
to
.
Tonk
is
posing
as
a
single
chocolate-box-maker
.
"
Sarah
Brown
was
rapidly
becoming
exasperated
with
everybody
concerned
,
but
not
least
with
the
evidently
camouflaging
Tonk
.
"
She
has
a
soldier
at
the
Front
,
"
said
the
Happy
Heart
.
"
I
am
sorry
to
say
that
she
will
not
promise
to
marry
him
,
even
if
he
does
come
home
.
But
even
so
—
"
Sarah
Brown
wrote
down
on
Miss
Tonk
's
card
the
small
purple
cipher
that
stood
for
hm
—
hm
.
"
I
will
make
enquiries
about
her
address
,
"
she
said
.
But
that
was
not
the
last
of
Tonk
.
Presently
the
red
face
of
the
Relieving
Officer
loomed
over
the
index
.
"
In
the
case
of
Plummett
—
"
he
began
loudly
.
"
In
the
case
of
Tonk
—
"
interrupted
Sarah
Brown
,
to
whom
,
in
her
present
mood
,
Plummett
could
only
have
been
a
last
straw
.
She
hated
the
Relieving
Officer
unjustly
,
because
he
knew
she
was
deaf
and
raised
his
voice
,
with
the
best
intentions
,
to
such
a
degree
that
the
case
papers
on
the
index
were
occasionally
blown
away
.
"
We
have
already
notified
you
three
times
that
Tonk
is
having
a
half-pint
of
milk
daily
from
the
Happy
Hearts
,
as
well
as
an
allotment
from
a
soldier
.
"
"
We
stopped
the
groceries
,
"
roared
the
Relieving
Officer
.
"
But
in
the
case
of
Plummett
—
"
"
In
the
case
of
Tonk
—
"
persisted
Sarah
Brown
.
"
She
has
moved
from
Mud
Street
,
can
you
tell
me
her
last
address
?
"
"
She
is
living
in
a
sort
of
private
charitable
institution
,
somewhere
on
the
outskirts
of
the
district
—
Mitten
Island
,
I
fancy
.
I
do
n't
know
the
exact
address
,
because
we
have
stopped
the
groceries
,
she
paying
no
rent
now
.
In
the
case
of
Plummett
,
I
thought
you
might
be
interested
to
know
that
she
got
a
month
this
morning
for
assaulting
the
Sanitary
Inspector
—
pulling
his
nose
,
I
hear
.
She
told
the
magistrate
it
struck
her
as
being
a
useless
nose
if
it
did
n't
notice
anything
wrong
with
her
drains
.
The
children
came
into
the
House
this
morning
.
"
"
What
is
Tonk
's
Christian
name
?
"
asked
Sarah
Brown
,
who
had
been
a
changed
woman
since
Mitten
Island
was
mentioned
.
"
I
forget
.
Some
flower
name
,
I
think
.
Probably
Lily
or
Ivy
.
In
the
case
of
M'Clubbin
,
the
woman
is
said
to
have
fallen
through
a
hole
in
the
floor
of
the
room
she
and
her
three
children
slept
in
.
She
was
admitted
into
the
Infirmary
last
night
,
and
her
furniture
will
be
sold
to
pay
her
rent
—
"
"
It
begins
with
P
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
.
"
P.
Tonk
,
unmarried
wife
,
of
Mitten
Island
...
.
"
The
Relieving
Officer
went
away
,
for
it
was
dinner-time
.
Sarah
Brown
absently
unwrapped
the
little
dinner
which
she
had
brought
hanging
by
a
thin
string
from
a
strangled
finger
.
Mustard
sandwiches
with
just
a
flavouring
of
ham
,
and
a
painfully
orthodox
1918-model
bun
,
made
of
stubble
.
Sarah
Brown
almost
always
forgot
the
necessity
of
food
until
she
was
irrevocably
in
the
'
bus
on
her
way
to
work
.
But
this
morning
,
as
she
had
taken
her
seat
with
David
in
the
bouncing
ferry-boat
,
there
had
been
a
panting
rustling
noise
behind
her
,
and
Harold
the
Broomstick
had
swept
a
little
packet
of
sandwiches
into
her
lap
.
He
had
disappeared
before
she
had
been
able
to
do
more
than
turn
over
in
her
mind
the
question
whether
or
no
broomsticks
ever
expect
to
be
tipped
.
Now
I
could
not
say
with
certainty
whether
the
witch
,
in
making
up
this
packet
of
sandwiches
,
had
included
the
contents
of
one
of
her
own
little
packets
of
magic
.
Sarah
Brown
would
have
been
very
susceptible
to
such
a
drug
;
her
mind
was
always
on
the
brink
of
innocent
intoxication
.
Perhaps
she
was
only
half
a
woman
,
so
that
half
a
joy
could
make
her
heart
reel
and
sing
,
and
half
a
sorrow
break
it
.
She
was
defenceless
against
impressions
,
and
too
many
impressions
make
the
heart
very
tired
.
Therefore
,
I
think
,
she
was
a
predestined
victim
of
magic
,
and
it
seems
unlikely
that
the
witch
should
have
missed
such
an
opportunity
to
dispense
spells
.
After
the
first
bite
at
the
first
sandwich
,
Sarah
Brown
was
conscious
of
a
Joke
somewhere
.
This
feeling
in
itself
was
akin
to
delirium
,
for
there
are
no
two
facts
so
remote
as
a
Joke
and
a
Charity
Society
.
The
office
table
confronted
Sarah
Brown
,
and
she
wondered
that
she
could
ever
have
seen
it
as
anything
but
a
butt
.
She
wondered
how
she
had
been
able
to
sit
daily
in
front
of
that
stout
and
earnest
index
without
poking
it
in
the
ribs
and
making
a
fool
of
it
.
The
office
clock
,
alone
among
clocks
,
had
never
played
a
practical
joke
.
The
sad
fire
below
it
,
conscious
of
a
Mission
,
was
overloaded
with
coal
and
responsibility
.
The
second
bite
,
ten
minutes
later
,
caused
Sarah
Brown
to
be
tired
and
distrustful
of
a
room
that
had
no
smile
.
Her
eyes
turned
to
seek
the
hidden
Joke
beyond
the
limits
of
that
lamentable
room
.
There
was
a
spring-coloured
tree
in
the
school-ground
opposite
,
and
above
the
tree
a
rough
blue
and
silver
sky
contradicted
all
the
doctrines
preached
in
offices
.
There
was
in
the
wind
something
of
the
old
raw
simplicity
and
mirth
that
always
haunts
the
sea
,
and
penetrates
inland
only
on
rare
spring
days
.
The
high
white
clouds
crossed
the
sky
like
galleons
,
like
old
stories
out
of
the
innocent
Eden-like
past
of
the
sea
,
before
she
learnt
the
ways
of
steam
and
secret
killing
.
Old
names
of
ships
came
to
Sarah
Brown
's
mind
...
Castle-of-Comfort
...
Cloud-i'-the-Sun
...
.
"
I
am
doing
wrong
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
.
She
took
a
third
bite
.
And
then
she
felt
the
spirit
of
the
Naughty
Poor
in
the
room
;
there
was
laughter
,
as
of
the
registered
,
in
the
ears
of
the
Registrar
.
It
is
not
really
permissible
for
the
Naughty
Poor
to
invade
offices
which
exist
to
do
them
good
.
The
way
of
charity
lies
through
suspicion
,
but
the
suspicion
of
course
must
be
all
on
one
side
.
We
have
to
judge
the
criminal
unheard
;
if
we
called
him
as
a
witness
in
his
case
we
might
become
sentimental
.
The
Charity
Society
may
be
imagined
as
keeping
two
lists
of
crimes
,
a
short
one
for
Registrars
and
Workers
,
and
a
very
long
one
for
the
registered
.
High
on
the
list
of
crimes
possible
to
Registrars
and
Workers
is
Sentimentality
.
It
is
sentimental
to
feel
personal
affection
for
a
Case
,
or
to
give
a
child
of
the
Naughty
Poor
a
penny
without
full
enquiry
,
or
to
say
"
A-goo
"
to
a
grey
pensive
baby
eating
dirt
on
the
pavement
,
or
to
acknowledge
the
right
of
a
Case
to
ask
questions
sometimes
instead
of
answering
them
,
or
to
disapprove
of
spying
and
tale-bearing
,
or
to
believe
any
statement
made
by
any
one
without
an
assured
income
,
or
to
quote
any
part
of
the
New
Testament
,
or
in
fact
to
confuse
in
any
way
the
ideas
of
charity
and
love
.
Christ
,
who
,
by
the
way
,
unfortunately
omitted
to
join
any
reputable
philanthropic
society
,
commanded
seekers
of
salvation
to
be
poor
and
to
despise
themselves
.
But
this
was
sentimental
,
and
the
Charity
Society
decrees
that
only
the
prosperous
and
the
self-respectful
shall
deserve
a
hearing
.
"
I
am
sentimental
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
to
her
Dog
David
in
a
broken
voice
.
She
turned
again
to
her
enchanted
sandwich
.
There
was
increased
laughter
in
the
air
,
and
through
it
she
heard
the
hoarse
and
happy
shouting
of
the
sparrows
in
the
spring-coloured
tree
opposite
.
Sparrows
are
the
ideal
Naughty
Poor
,
the
begging
friars
,
the
gypsies
of
the
air
,
they
claim
alms
as
a
right
and
as
a
seal
of
friendship
;
with
their
mouths
full
of
your
crumbs
they
share
with
you
their
innocent
and
vulgar
wit
,
they
give
you
in
return
no
I.O.U.
,
and
no
particulars
for
your
case-paper
.
When
they
have
got
from
you
all
that
you
will
give
,
they
wink
and
giggle
and
shake
the
dust
of
your
window-sill
from
off
their
feet
.
Sarah
Brown
opened
the
office
window
,
and
the
air
of
the
office
began
at
once
to
dance
with
life
and
the
noise
of
children
and
birds
.
She
thought
perhaps
these
were
magic
noises
,
for
she
heard
them
so
clearly
.
She
broke
her
second
sandwich
upon
the
window-sill
,
and
the
sparrows
crossed
the
street
and
stood
on
the
area
railing
in
a
row
below
her
,
all
speaking
at
once
in
an
effort
to
convey
to
her
the
fact
that
a
retreat
on
her
part
would
be
tactful
.
The
sparrow
obviously
buys
all
his
clothes
ready-made
,
probably
at
Jumble
Sales
,
and
he
always
seems
to
choose
clothes
made
for
a
stouter
bird
.
There
is
no
reason
why
he
should
never
look
chic
;
he
has
a
slimmer
figure
than
the
bullfinch
,
for
instance
,
who
always
manages
to
look
so
well-tailored
.
It
is
just
arrogance
,
pure
Londonism
,
on
the
part
of
the
sparrow
,
just
that
impudent
socialistic
spirit
that
makes
it
so
difficult
for
us
to
reform
the
Naughty
Poor
.
Sarah
Brown
retreated
one
step
.
"
I
'm
not
going
farther
away
.
Either
you
eat
that
sandwich
with
me
looking
on
,
or
you
leave
it
.
"
The
sparrows
whispered
together
for
a
moment
,
saying
to
each
other
,
"
You
go
first
.
"
They
obviously
knew
that
it
was
a
charity
window-sill
,
and
were
afraid
Sarah
Brown
might
intend
to
rebuke
them
for
not
shutting
their
beaks
while
chewing
,
or
for
neglecting
to
put
any
crumbs
into
the
Savings
Bank
.
But
after
a
minute
one
sparrow
moistened
his
beak
and
came
...
.
He
ate
,
they
all
ate
,
and
did
not
seek
to
escape
as
the
door
of
the
office
opened
and
the
witch
came
in
.
She
went
straight
to
the
window
and
picked
up
from
among
the
stooping
sparrows
a
piece
of
the
broken
sandwich
,
and
ate
it
.
The
Dog
David
was
making
sure
that
there
was
no
surviving
crumb
on
the
floor
to
tell
the
tale
of
his
mother
's
sentimental
weakness
.
Almost
instantly
,
therefore
,
that
sandwich
was
but
a
memory
,
a
fading
taste
in
about
twenty
beaks
and
two
mouths
.
But
still
the
window
stood
open
,
and
the
air
danced
,
and
the
white
reflections
of
the
ship-like
clouds
lay
on
the
oilcloth
floor
.
Sarah
Brown
in
the
meanwhile
,
disregarding
the
witch
,
had
returned
to
the
index
,
and
had
taken
from
its
drawer
a
notification
form
.
In
the
space
given
for
Name
of
Case
she
had
written
in
her
irreproachable
printing
hand
:
"
CHARITY
,
Cautionary
Case
,
12
Pan
Street
,
Brown
Borough
.
With
reference
to
the
above
case
,
I
have
to
report
that
it
seems
unsatisfactory
.
There
are
indeed
grave
suspicions
that
the
above
name
is
only
an
alias
,
the
address
being
also
probably
false
,
for
the
genuine
Charity
's
place
of
origin
is
said
to
be
the
home
rather
than
the
office
.
The
present
registrar
is
at
a
loss
to
identify
with
certainty
this
case
.
It
would
seem
to
be
one
of
the
Habits
that
haunt
the
world
,
collecting
Kudos
under
assumed
names
...
.
"
"
It
puzzles
me
,
"
said
the
witch
,
looking
out
of
the
window
,
"
why
one
never
sees
two
birds
collide
.
If
there
were
as
many
witches
in
the
air
as
there
are
birds
,
I
bet
you
twopence
there
would
be
constant
accidents
.
Do
you
think
they
have
any
sort
of
a
rule
of
the
road
,
or
do
they
indicate
with
their
beaks
—
"
"
Witch
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
,
"
I
have
got
to
say
something
.
"
"
Oh
,
have
you
?
"
said
the
witch
,
a
little
disappointed
at
being
interrupted
.
"
Oh
,
well
,
I
can
sympathise
,
I
know
what
that
feels
like
.
Get
on
and
say
it
.
"
The
Dog
David
,
who
was
really
a
good
and
attentive
son
to
Sarah
Brown
,
came
and
laid
his
chin
,
with
an
exaggerated
look
of
interest
,
on
her
knee-cap
.
"
Is
it
any
use
,
"
said
Sarah
Brown
,
"
fighting
against
the
Habits
in
the
world
,
there
are
so
many
.
Who
set
these
strange
and
senseless
deceivers
at
large
?
Religion
which
has
forgotten
ecstasy
...
.
Law
which
has
forgotten
justice
...
.
Charity
which
has
forgotten
love
...
.
Surely
magic
has
suffered
at
the
stake
for
saner
ideals
than
these
?
"
"
Why
,
of
course
,
"
said
the
witch
impatiently
.
"
Magic
generally
suffered
because
it
was
so
sane
.
I
thought
everybody
knew
that
.
"
"
All
habits
.
All
habits
,
"
chanted
Sarah
Brown
.
"
What
is
this
Charity
,
this
clinking
of
money
between
strangers
,
and
when
did
Charity
cease
to
be
a
comforting
and
secret
thing
between
one
friend
and
another
?
Does
Love
make
her
voice
heard
through
a
committee
,
does
Love
employ
an
almoner
to
convey
her
message
to
her
neighbour
?
"
"
Not
that
I
know
of
,
"
sighed
the
witch
.
"
Sarah
Brown
,
how
long
do
you
want
me
to
keep
quiet
,
while
you
say
things
that
everybody
surely
knows
?
"
But
Sarah
Brown
went
on
.
"
The
real
Love
knows
her
neighbour
face
to
face
,
and
laughs
with
him
and
weeps
with
him
,
and
eats
and
drinks
with
him
,
so
that
at
last
,
when
his
black
day
dawns
,
she
may
share
with
him
,
not
what
she
can
spare
,
but
all
that
she
has
.
"
The
Dog
David
grunted
a
little
,
by
way
of
rather
dubious
applause
.
Sarah
Brown
,
with
her
own
voice
printed
loud
and
stark
upon
the
retina
of
her
hearing
,
felt
a
little
abashed
.
But
presently
she
added
in
a
whisper
:
"
Listen
.
I
am
a
spy
.
I
am
a
lover
of
specially
recommended
neighbours
only
.
I
am
here
to
help
to
give
the
black
cloud
Tyranny
a
rather
dirty
silver
lining
.
I
am
the
False
Steward
,
in
the
interest
of
the
Superfluously
Comfortable
.
My
Masters
sit
upon
the
King
's
Highway
,
taking
toll
in
bitterness
and
humiliation
from
every
traveller
along
that
road
.
For
surely
comfort
is
every
man
's
heritage
,
surely
the
happy
years
should
come
to
every
man
—
not
doled
out
,
not
meanly
dependent
on
his
moral
orthodoxy
,
but
as
his
right
.
The
fat
philanthropist
is
a
debtor
,
but
he
behaves
like
a
creditor
;
he
distributes
obligations
with
his
gold
,
yet
he
has
no
right
to
the
gold
he
gives
.
He
makes
his
brother
beg
upon
his
knees
for
the
life
and
the
health
and
the
dear
opportunity
that
should
have
been
that
brother
's
birthright
.
"
"
You
are
possessed
,
dear
Sarah
Brown
,
"
said
the
witch
.
"
Do
n't
be
frightened
,
it
will
soon
pass
off
.
I
knew
a
girl
who
had
an
attack
very
much
like
this
;
while
she
was
under
its
influence
she
made
up
a
psalm
pretty
nearly
as
good
as
one
of
David
's
.
Her
mother
was
much
alarmed
about
her
.
But
she
recovered
quite
quickly
,
except
that
she
left
her
job
as
typist
in
a
mind-improving
institute
and
went
to
sea
as
a
stewardess
.
"
Sarah
Brown
talked
on
,
louder
and
louder
.
"
Too
long
I
have
been
a
servant
in
the
house
of
this
stranger
,
this
greedy
Charity
;
too
long
have
I
sat
—
a
silly
proxy
for
the
Too-Fortunate
—
in
this
narrow
stiff-backed
judgement-seat
from
ten
till
three
daily
.
There
is
Love
and
April
outside
the
window
,
there
is
too
much
wind
and
laughter
outside
to
allow
of
the
forming
of
Habits
.
I
have
seen
Love
and
the
Spring
only
through
the
glass
of
a
charity
office
window
,
the
rude
voices
of
children
and
sparrows
and
other
inheritors
of
opportunity
have
been
dulled
for
me
by
grey
panes
.
The
white
ships
...
Castle-of-Comfort
...
Cloud-i'-the-Sun
have
sailed
into
port
from
the
open
sky
without
a
cargo
for
me
...
.
"
"
Good
God
!
"
said
Sarah
Brown
,
pushing
David
from
her
.
"
What
has
happened
to
me
?
I
have
become
sentimental
.
"
The
room
seemed
to
her
wild
imagination
to
be
full
of
the
spirits
of
parsons
and
social
workers
with
flaming
swords
,
pointing
at
the
door
.
"
Well
,
that
's
the
end
of
that
job
,
"
said
the
witch
.
"
I
'll
tell
you
what
,
let
's
go
and
sit
on
the
Swing-leg
Seat
on
the
Heath
.
The
air
there
and
the
look
of
Harrow
church
steeple
'll
do
you
good
.
"
"
I
am
damned
.
I
am
a
Cautionary
Case
,
"
cried
Sarah
Brown
,
and
she
slunk
behind
the
witch
through
the
frowning
gate
of
her
Eden
of
fair
inks
and
smooth
white
surfaces
.
She
had
shared
with
David
the
remains
of
her
Sandwich
of
Knowledge
;
she
had
left
on
the
table
her
puny
paper
defiance
.
David
,
except
that
he
had
required
but
little
temptation
,
had
played
Adam
's
part
very
creditably
in
the
affair
.
For
him
Eden
had
been
a
soft
warm
place
,
and
he
was
anxious
to
blame
somebody
—
the
woman
for
choice
—
for
the
loss
of
his
comfort
.
He
followed
her
out
into
the
cold
,
to
become
,
as
you
shall
hear
,
like
Adam
,
a
tiller
of
the
soil
.
CHAPTER
V
AN
AIR
RAID
SEEN
FROM
BELOW
Magic
is
a
disconcerting
travelling
companion
.
While
seldom
actually
conspicuous
,
it
seems
to
have
a
mysterious
and
varying
effect
on
the
surrounding
public
.
I
have
met
travellers
by
Tube
who
tell
of
strange
doings
in
those
regions
,
when
the
conductor
of
one
compartment
fell
suddenly
in
love
with
the
conductress
of
the
next
,
and
they
ran
to
each
other
and
met
in
the
middle
of
the
car
.
As
nobody
