mind if you tried," said the Queen.

Kathleen had been to visit Ellen. She was on her way home through the
Park, and she had meant to get there before dark, but it was a little
later than she had thought, and she saw the red in the sky before her
getting darker and duller every minute. As she walked along she saw
two other girls of about her own age, whom she knew, in front of her.
She overtook them and the three walked on together, though the others
could scarcely keep up, Kathleen hurried so.

When they were nearly through the Park they came to the little basin
where the water ran down out of the rock. Though she wanted to get
home so quickly, she could not pass this place without going up the
bank and looking into the water, because she felt so sure that if she
did not the water would miss her and feel hurt. She ran up the bank
and looked into the still little pool. The other girls went on, and
she heard one of them call after her: "Thought you were in a hurry!"

Kathleen did not mind them, but only looked into the water, which was
almost black, it was getting so dark all around. She had not seen the
water look so dark in a long time. She looked up over her head and she
saw that it was because the little new leaves had begun to come out on
the trees and were beginning to hide the sky. She saw one or two of
the brightest stars, that had already come out in the sky, and she
looked back into the water and tried to see them there, but she could
not find them. There was nothing but the little, still, black pool.

She went back to the path and ran on after the other girls. She saw
them walking on slowly, only a little way ahead of her. Just as she
had nearly come up with them she stood still to look at a wonderful
sight. She just thought dimly that it was strange that the other girls
were not watching it, too, but the sight itself excited her so that
she had not much time to think of that. On the grass, close beside the
path, there were ever so many boys and girls--at least she thought at
first that they were boys and girls--dancing. The grass in that place
sloped upward from the path, and the ground was a little hollowed, in
a sort of shell shape. All around the place, except where the path
was, trees and bushes hung over the grass. The buds were just opening
here, too, and the air was full of the smell of the new spring grass
and leaves, which always grows stronger in the evening.

Kathleen stood gazing at the boys