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all there。    We'll take that christening off察and call it Uncle William。             And 

you can save up the curate for the next litter ─

     And   the   motion   being   agreed   to   without   a   division察  the   House   went 

into Committee of Supply。 



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        ALARUMS AND EXCURSIONS 



     ;Let's     pretend察─    suggested     Harold察     that    we're    Cavaliers     and 

Roundheads察and YOU be a Roundhead ─

     ;O bother察─I replied drowsily察 we pretended that yesterday察and it's 

not my turn to be a Roundhead察anyhow。;               The fact is察I was lazy察and the 

call   to  arms    fell  on   indifferent    ears。   We     three  younger     ones    were 

stretched   at   length   in   the   orchard。  The   sun   was   hot察  the   season   merry 

June察   and   never    I  thought   had    there  been    such   wealth    and   riot  of 

buttercups throughout the lush grass。            Green´and´gold was the dominant 

key that day。      Instead of active ;pretence; with its shouts and perspiration察

how much betterI heldto lie at ease and pretend to one's self察in green 

and   golden   fancies察  slipping   the   husk   and   passing察  a   careless   lounger察

through a sleepy imaginary world all gold and green                  But the persistent 

Harold was not to be fobbed of。 

     ;Well察   then察─  he  began    afresh察   let's  pretend   we're    Knights    of  the 

Round Table察and with a rush _I'll_ be Lancelot ─

     ;I won't play unless I'm Lancelot察─I said。           I didn't mean it really察but 

the game of Knights always began with this particular contest。 

     ;O   PLEASE察─  implored   Harold。         ;You   know   when   Edward's   here   I 

never     get  a  chance    of   being   Lancelot。     I   haven't   been    Lancelot    for 

weeks ─

     Then I yielded gracefully。        ;All right察─I said。     ;I'll be Tristram。; 

     ;O察but you can't察─cried Harold again。 

     ;Charlotte   has   always   been   Tristram。       She   won't   play   unless   she's 

allowed to be Tristram         Be somebody else this time。; 

     Charlotte said nothing察but breathed hard察looking straight before her。 

The   peerless   hunter   and   harper   was   her   special   hero   of   romance察  and 

rather than   see   the   part in less appreciative   hands察she   would   even have 

returned sadly to the stuffy schoolroom。 

     ;I don't care察─I said此     I'll be anything。     I'll be Sir Kay。     Come on ─

     Then   once   more   in   this   country's   story   the   mail´clad   knights   paced 

through the greenwood shaw察 questing   adventure察redressing   wrong察  and 



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bandits察  five   to   one察  broke   and   fled   discomfited   to   their   caves。      Once 

again were damsels rescued察dragons disembowelled察and giants察in every 

corner   of   the   orchard察  deprived   of   their   already   superfluous   number   of 

heads察  while   Palamides   the   Saracen   waited   for   us   by   the   well察  and   Sir 

Breuse Saunce Pite vanished in craven flight before the skilled spear that 

was his terror and his bane。            Once more the lists were dight in Camelot察

and   all   was   gay   with   shimmer   of   silk   and   gold察  the   earth   shook   with 

thunder of horses察ash´staves flew in splinters察and the firmament rang to 

the   clash    of   sword    on   helm。    The   varying      fortune    of   the  day   swung 

doubtfulnow   on   this   side察  now   on   that察  till   at   last   Lancelot察  grim   and 

great察  thrusting   through   the   press察  unhorsed   Sir   Tristram   an   easy   task察

and bestrode her察threatening doom察while the Cornish knight察forgetting 

hard´ won fame of old察cried piteously察 You're hurting me察I tell you and 

you're   tearing   my   frock ─      Then   it   happed   that   Sir   Kay察  hurtling   to   the 

rescue察stopped short in his stride察catching sight suddenly察through apple´ 

boughs察of a gleam of scarlet afar off察while the confused tramp of many 

horses察mingled with talk and laughter察was borne to our ears。 

     ;What is it拭─inquired Tristram察sitting up and shaking out her curls察

while Lancelot forsook the clanging lists and trotted nimbly to the hedge。 

     I   stood   spell´bound   for   a   moment   longer察  and   then察  with   a   cry   of 

;Soldiers ─     I  was    off  to   the  hedge察    Charlotte    picking     herself   up   and 

scurrying after。 

     Down   the   road      they   came察  two   and   two察  at   an    easy   walk察  scarlet 

flamed in the eye察bits jingled and saddles squeaked delightfully察while the 

men察in a halo of dust察smoked their short clays like the heroes they were。 

In a swirl of intoxicating glory the troop clinked and clattered by察while we 

shouted   and   waved察  jumping   up   and   down察  and   the   big   jolly   horsemen 

acknowledged   the   salute   with   easy   condescension。               The   moment   they 

were past we were through the hedge and after them。                       Soldiers were not 

the   common   stuff   of   everyday   life。        There   had   been   nothing   like   this 

since the winter before last察when on a certain afternoonbare of leaf and 

monochrome   in   its   hue   of   sodden   fallow   and   frost´nipt   copsesuddenly 

the hounds had burst through the fence with their mellow cry察and all the 

paddock was for the minute reverberant of thudding hoof and dotted with 



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glancing   red。     But   this   was   better察  since   it   could   only   mean   that   blows 

and bloodshed were in the air。 

     ;Is there going to be a battle拭─panted Harold察hardly able to keep up 

for excitement。 

     ;Of course there is察─I replied。         ;We're just in time。       Come on ─

     Perhaps I ought to have known better察and yet               The pigs and poultry察

with   whom   we   chiefly   consorted察  could   instruct   us   little   concerning   the 

peace     that   in  these   latter   days   lapped    this   sea´   girt  realm。    In    the 

schoolroom we were just now dallying with the Wars of the Roses察and did 

not    legends    of   the   country´side     inform     us  how     Cavaliers    had    once 

galloped up and down these very lanes from their quarters in the village拭

Here察   now察   were    soldiers   unmistakable察     and   if  their  business    was    not 

fighting察  what   was   it拭   Sniffing   the   joy   of   battle察  we   followed   hard   on 

their tracks。 

     ;Won't Edward be sorry察─puffed Harold察 that he's begun that beastly 

Latin拭─

     It did察indeed察seem hard。          Edward察the most martial spirit of us all察

was   drearily   conjugating AMO   of   all   verbs   between   four   walls察  while 

Selina察  who   ever   thrilled   ecstatic   to   a   red   coat察  was   struggling   with   the 

uncouth German tongue。            ;Age察─I reflected察 carries its penalties。; 

     It was a grievous disappointment to us that the troop passed through 

the village unmolested。          Every cottage察I pointed out to my companions察

ought to have been loopholed察and strongly held。                 But no opposition was 

offered     to   the   soldiers察  who察    indeed察   conducted      themselves      with   a 

recklessness and a want of precaution that seemed simply criminal。 

     At    the  last  cottage    a  transitory   gleam   of    common      sense    flickered 

across me察and察turning on Charlotte察I sternly ordered her back。 

     The small maiden察docile but exceedingly dolorous察dragged reluctant 

feet   homewards察  heavy   at   heart   that   she   was   to   behold   no   stout   fellows 

slain that day察but Harold and I held steadily on察expecting every instant to 

see the environing hedges crackle and spit forth the leaden death。 

     ;Will they be Indians拭─inquired my brother meaning the enemy察 or 

Roundheads察or what拭─

     I reflected。     Harold always required direct察straightforward answers 



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not faltering suppositions。 

     ;They     won't    be  Indians察─   I  replied   at  last察  nor   yet  Roundheads。 

There   haven't   been   any   Roundheads   seen   about   here   for   a   long   time。 

They'll be Frenchmen。; 

     Harold's   face   fell。   ;All   right察─  he   said察   Frenchmen'll   do察  but   I   did 

hope they'd be Indians。; 

     ;If they were going to be Indians察─I expl

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