t, and the washhand-stand with the riveted
willow-pattern jug, and the faded curtains, and the dull light of
indoors on a wet day. Through the arch showed the gleam of soft green
leaves and white blossoms. They stepped forward quite happily. Even Jane
felt that this did not look like lions, and her hand hardly trembled
at all as she held the charm for the others to go through, and last,
slipped through herself, and hung the charm, now grown small again,
round her neck.

The children found themselves under a white-blossomed, green-leafed
fruit-tree, in what seemed to be an orchard of such trees, all
white-flowered and green-foliaged. Among the long green grass under
their feet grew crocuses and lilies, and strange blue flowers. In the
branches overhead thrushes and blackbirds were singing, and the coo of a
pigeon came softly to them in the green quietness of the orchard.

'Oh, how perfectly lovely!' cried Anthea.

'Why, it's like home exactly--I mean England--only everything's bluer,
and whiter, and greener, and the flowers are bigger.'

The boys owned that it certainly was fairly decent, and even Jane
admitted that it was all very pretty.

'I'm certain there's nothing to be frightened of here,' said Anthea.

'I don't know,' said Jane. 'I suppose the fruit-trees go on just the
same even when people are killing each other. I didn't half like what
the learned gentleman said about the hanging gardens. I suppose they
have gardens on purpose to hang people in. I do hope this isn't one.'

'Of course it isn't,' said Cyril. 'The hanging gardens are just gardens
hung up--_I_ think on chains between houses, don't you know, like trays.
Come on; let's get somewhere.'

They began to walk through the cool grass. As far as they could see was
nothing but trees, and trees and more trees. At the end of their orchard
was another one, only separated from theirs by a little stream of
clear water. They jumped this, and went on. Cyril, who was fond of
gardening--which meant that he liked to watch the gardener at work--was
able to command the respect of the others by telling them the names of
a good many trees. There were nut-trees and almond-trees, and apricots,
and fig-trees with their big five-fingered leaves. And every now and
then the children had to cross another brook.

'It's like between the squares in Through the Looking-glass,' said
Anthea.

At last they came to an orchard which was quite different from the other
orchards.