ad here--up as
far as that corner--you know it 's a horrid dull bit of road. I'm always
having to go up and down it, and I know it so well, and I'm so sick of
it. So whenever I get to that corner, I just--well, I go right off to
another place!"

"What sort of a place?" she asked, looking round her gravely.

"Of course it's just a place I imagine," I went on hurriedly and rather
shamefacedly: "but it's an awfully nice place--the nicest place you ever
saw. And I always go off there in church, or during joggraphy lessons."

"I'm sure it's not nicer than my home," she cried patriotically. "Oh,
you ought to see my home--it 's lovely! We've got--"

"Yes it is, ever so much nicer," I interrupted. "I mean"--I went on
apologetically--"of course I know your home's beautiful and all that.
But this must be nicer, 'cos if you want anything at all, you've only
got to want it, and you can have it!"

"That sounds jolly," she murmured. "Tell me more about it, please. Tell
me how you get there, first."

"I--don't--quite--know--exactly," replied. "I just go. But generally
it begins by--well, you're going up a broad, clear river in a sort of
a boat. You're not rowing or anything--you're just moving along. And
there's beautiful grass meadows on both sides, and the river's very
full, quite up to the level of the grass. And you glide along by the
edge. And the people are haymaking there, and playing games, and walking
about; and they shout to you, and you shout back to them, and they bring
you things to eat out of their baskets, and let you drink out of their
bottles; and some of 'em are the nice people you read about in books.
And so at last you come to the Palace steps--great broad marble steps,
reaching right down to the water. And there at the steps you find every
sort of boat you can imagine--schooners, and punts, and row-boats, and
little men-of-war. And you have any sort of boating you want to--rowing,
or sailing, or shoving about in a punt!"

"I'd go sailing," she said decidedly: "and I 'd steer. No, you'd have to
steer, and I'd sit about on the deck. No, I wouldn't though; I'd row--at
least I'd make you row, and I'd steer. And then we'd--Oh, no! I'll tell
you what we do! We'd just sit in a punt and dabble!"

"Of course we'll do just what you like," I said hospitably; but already
I was beginning to feel my liberty of action somewhat curtailed by this
exigent visitor I had so rashly admitted into my sanctum.

"I don't think w