The secret garden

1,theIN THE GARDEN 369the laurels and the fountain beds. The fountainwas playing now and was encircled by beds ofbrilliant autumn flowers. He crossed the lawnand turned into the Long Walk by the ivied walls.He did not walk quickly, but slowly, and his eyeswere on the path. He felt as if he were beingdrawn back to the place he had so long forsaken,and he did not know why. As he drew near toit his step became still more slow. He knewwhere the door was even though the ivy hung thickover it but he did not know exactly where itlay that buried key.So he stopped and stood still, looking about hinijand almost the moment after he had paused hastarted and listened asking himself if he werewalking in a dream.The ivy hung thick over the door, the key wasburied under the shrubs, no human being hadpassed that portal for ten lonely years and yetinside the garden there were sounds. They werethe sounds of running scuffling feet seeming tochase round and round under the trees, they werestrange sounds of lowered suppressed voicesexclamations and smothered joyous cries. Itseemed actually like the laughter of young things,uncontrollable laughter of children who weretryingnot to be heard but who in a moment or so*as their excitement mounted would burst