The Garden Party And Other Stories - Mansfield ... - Cove Systems

pillows, was the boy. Sound asleep he lay, his
head turned away from his mother. His fine
dark hair looked more like a shadow than like
real hair, but his ear was a bright, deep coral.
Linda clasped her hands above her head and
crossed her feet. It was very pleasant to know
that all these bungalows were empty, that
everybody was down on the beach, out of
sight, out of hearing. She had the garden to
herself; she was alone.
Dazzling white the picotees shone; the
golden-eyed marigold glittered; the
nasturtiums wreathed the veranda poles in
green and gold flame. If only one had time to
look at these flowers long enough, time to get
over the sense of novelty and strangeness,
time to know them! But as soon as one paused
to part the petals, to discover the under-side of
the leaf, along came Life and one was swept
away. And, lying in her cane chair, Linda felt
so light; she felt like a leaf. Along came Life
like a wind and she was seized and shaken;
she had to go. Oh dear, would it always be so?