“I didn’t go that day at all.  The next day was a half holiday, and that may have weighed with me.  Perhaps, too, my state of inattention brought down impositions upon me and docked the margin of time necessary for the detour.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that in the meantime the enchanted garden was so much upon my mind that I could not keep it to myself.

“I told—­What was his name?—­a ferrety-looking youngster we used to call Squiff.”

“Young Hopkins,” said I.

“Hopkins it was.  I did not like telling him, I had a feeling that in some way it was against the rules to tell him, but I did.  He was walking part of the way home with me; he was talkative, and if we had not talked about the enchanted garden we should have talked of something else, and it was intolerable to me to think about any other subject.  So I blabbed.

“Well, he told my secret.  The next day in the play interval I found myself surrounded by half a dozen bigger boys, half teasing and wholly curious to hear more of the enchanted garden.  There was that big Fawcett—­you remember him?—­and Carnaby and Morley Reynolds.  You weren’t there by any chance?  No, I think I should have remembered if you were . . . . .

“A boy is a creature of odd feelings.  I was, I really believe, in spite of my secret self-disgust, a little flattered to have the attention of these big fellows.  I remember particularly a moment of pleasure caused by the praise of Crawshaw—­you remember Crawshaw major, the son of Crawshaw the composer?—­who said it was the best lie he had ever heard.  But at the same time there was a really painful undertow of shame at telling what I felt was indeed a sacred secret.  That beast Fawcett made a joke about the girl in green—.”

Wallace’s voice sank with the keen memory of that shame.  “I pretended not to hear,” he said.  “Well, then Carnaby suddenly called me a young liar and disputed with me when I said the thing was true.  I said I knew where to find the green door, could lead them all there in ten minutes.  Carnaby became outrageously virtuous, and said I’d have to—­and bear out my words or suffer.  Did you ever have Carnaby twist your arm?  Then perhaps you’ll understand how it went with me.  I swore my story was true.  There was nobody in the school then to save a chap from Carnaby though Crawshaw put in a word or so.  Carnaby had got his game.  I grew excited and red-eared, and a little frightened, I behaved altogether like a silly little chap, and the outcome of it all was that instead of starting alone for my enchanted garden, I led the way presently—­cheeks flushed, ears hot, eyes smarting, and my soul one burning misery and shame—­for a party of six mocking, curious and threatening school-fellows.

“We never found the white wall and the green door . . .”

“You mean?—­”

“I mean I couldn’t find it.  I would have found it if I could.