oth. And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.
And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmoth-parez--'

"It don't always apply," she explained, breaking off, "but takin' it
straight through, you'd be surprised how often it sends you to sleep
with a bit of comfort."

She read half a dozen verses, closed the book, and recited the Lord's
Prayer--

"' . . . For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever
and ever. Amen.' Now we'll go to sleep, and don't be frightened when
they harness up in an hour or two. We'll be in Stratford before
daybreak. Good night, my dears--you may reach up and give me a kiss
apiece if you 're so minded; and I hope to goodness you don't snore!"

When they awoke, sure enough Mrs. Lobb announced that they had reached
Stratford. In their dreams they had felt the van moving; but now it had
come to a standstill, and, peeping forth, they saw that it stood in a
broad green meadow and but a little way from a river. There were swans
on the river, paddling about or slowly drifting in the pale light; and
across the river they saw many clustered roofs, with a church spire to
the left set among noble elms.

"That's where Shakespeare's buried," said the Fat Lady; "and the great
brick building yonder--to the right, between us and the bridge--that's
the Memorial Theatre where they act his plays. There's his statue, too,
beside the water, and back in the town they keep the house he was born
in. You can't get away from Shakespeare here. If you buy a bottle of
beer, he's on the label; and if you want a tobacco-jar, they'll sell
you his head and shoulders in china, with the bald top fitted for a
cover. It's a queer place, is Stratford."

The boy gazed. To him it was a marvellous place; and somewhere it held
his secret--the secret of the Island.

"Talkin' of beer," said Tilda, "we mustn' forget Sam Bossom. At the
'Red Cow,' he said."

"But that won't be till evening," the Fat Lady warned her.
"And meantime what am I to do with you. You can't hide here all day:
for one reason, I got to get up and dress. And it may be dangerous in
the town for you before nightfall. Luckily, Gavel don't know either one
of you by sight; but there's the chance of this Glasson havin' come
along with him. For all I know, Gavel may have given him a shake-down,
and Gavel's is the next van but one."

The children implored her to let them forth before the rest of the
show-people