Here singing tree with light
Chapter six Pig and Pepper in the House
Four a mintue or two she and he stood looking at the house and undering what to do next.
when suddenly a man wear blue clothes dark blue cape and greek sandals in livery came running out of the wood she and he considered him to be a man because he was in livery otherwise judging by his face only she and he would have called him Orian-and rapped loudly at the door with his knockles it was opened by another Orian in livery with round face and eyes like man name Centenia wear dark yellow clothes yellow cape and greek sandals she and he felt very curious to know what it was all about and crapt a little way out of the wood to listen
Orian hegan by producing from under his arm a great letter, nearly as large as himself and this he handed over to the others saying in a solemn tone.
''For the Mistress an invitation from the Empress to play croquet'' Centenia in the same solemn tone. only changing the order of the words a little
''from the Empress an invitation for the Mistress to play croquet'' said Centenia
''an invitation to play croquet from the Empress for the Mistress said Orian
''i've got the gist'' said Centenia
''are you sure'' said Orian
''yes it's an invitation from the Empress for the Mistress to play croquet'' said Centenia
worldn't put it quite like that but it'll have to do i suppose. Lily and Jesus laughed so much at this. that she and him had to run back into wood for fear of their hearing her and when she and he next peeped out Centenia was gone and the other was sitting on the ground hear the door.
start stupildy up into door and knocked. ''it's no good you knocking like that'' said Centenia
''why not'' Lily said
''and that for two reasons first because i'm on the same side of the door as you; said Centenia ''oh yes two. they're making so much noise inside. no-one can hear you''
''but how we going to get inside'' said Jesus ''that is the question''
''the problem. added Centenia ''you might even say' the coundrum or riddle yes. 'i might there 'd be some sense in you knockinng if we had a door between us''
''i could go and get a spare door but that world take too long'' said Lily ''on other hand''
''if you the house you could knock. and i could let you out'' Centenia walk slow and stop walk ''knock knock this way out young man''
''but we don't want go out'' added Lily ''we want go in''
''of course'' said Centenia ''but if you did to go out it'd be much easier meanwhile i'm going sit here whti tomorrow'' at this moment the door of the house opened, and a large plate came skimming out straight at Centenia: it just grazed his nose. and broke to piecces against one of the trees behind him
''-or the next day perhaps''
''but how we supposed to get inside'' added Jesus ''we need to ask them question''
will you should be asking i'm going sit here for day thinking about it and singing coming through the rye''
Centenia going to sing
''Dee da dada dar dee dar da dar dee dar dee dar dum''
it's no use talking to you! added Lily herself ''we'll just have ourself''
''that the spirit''! said Centenia to sing
And she opened the door and went in the door led right into large kitchen. which was full of smoke from one end to the other: the Mistress name Venus was sitting on the three-legged stool in the middle nursing a baby:
the Cook woman was leaning over the fire. stirring a large cauldron which seemed to be full of soup.
there was certainly too much of it in the air: evan Venus sheezed occasionally: and as for the baby it was sheezing and howling alterhately without a moment's pause:
The only things in the kitchen that did sheeze, were the Cook woman.
and a young man name Jeremiah
which was sitting on the chair was wear orange clothes with the roman hat with greek sandals
''please could you tell us why you boy is grinning at us like that'' ask Lily
''he a Jeremiah'' said Venus
''Jeremiah always grin isn't that so piggy''
she said the last word with such sudden violence that Lily and Jesus quite jumped: but she and he saw in another moment that is was addressed to the baby and not to her.
So she took courage, and went on again they know Jeremiah always grined: ''they all can'' said Venus ''and most of em do''
''we don't know of any that do'' Lily said very politely feeling quite ''pleased to have got into conversation''
''well you don't know very much then do you'' added Venus
''are you really Venus the Mistress'' said Lily
''every inen'' said Venus
Lily and Jesus did not at all like the tone of this remark and thought it would be as well to introduce some other subject of conversation.
while she was trying to fix on one. the Cook woman took cauldron of soup off the fire and at once set to work thouing everything within her reach at Venus and the baby-the fire-irons came
first: then followed a shower of plates Venus took no notice of them even when they hit her and the baby was howling: so much already that it was quite imppossible to say whet her the blows hunt or not
''Be careful'' Cried Lily jumping up and down ''in a agony of terror hit his poor little nose''
''nonsense'' said Venus ''he can already play blind the mice on his nose-flute what do you want Little Lily and Jesus''
''we want to know how to get into the garden'' added Lily
''oh-how your'e talking'' said Venus
''but i prefer singing to talking don't you let have song''
and she start sing
''Speak rougnly to your little boy
And beat him when he sneezes
He only does it to arnoy
Beca he know it teases
Baby: ''Wow wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow!
Venus; ''I speak severely to my boy
I beat him when he sweezes
For he can thorughly enjoy
The pepper when he sneezes''
Baby: ''Wow wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow! wow!
''here you nurse'' Vesus said
to Lily flihging the baby at her as she spoke ''I must go and get ready to croquet with the Empress'' and she hurried out of the room
the Cook woman threw a frying-plates after her and him as she and he went out.
but it just missed her. Lily and Jesus caught the baby with some difficulty as it was a queer-sraped little creature and held out its arms and legs in all directions in out side to Centenia sing
''Thought you wanted to go in'' added Centenia
''we've been in-how we coming out'' said Lily
''life is so complicated!'' said Centenia to himself.
As soon as she and he had made out the proper way of nursing it she carried it out into the open air:
''if we don't take this child away with me and my brother'' thought Lily
''they're sure to kill it in a day or two: wouldn't it be murder to leave it behind" she said the last words out loud. and the little thing grunted in reply don't grunt''
said Lily ''that not at all a proper way of expressing yourself''
the baby grunt again Lily and Jesus looked very anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it.
There could be no doubt it and a very turn-up nose. much morse like a shout than also its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby: altog etner Lily and Jesus did like the look of the thing at all
but perhaps it was only sobbing! she thought and look into eyes again to see if there any tears
''if you 're going to turn into a pig my dear'' said Lily seriously'' i'll have nothing more to do with you mind now''
''Lily'' Jesus ask her
''what this is it my brother'' said Lily
''Oh my you have turned into pig i'd best let you go'' this time there could be no mistatake about it: it was neither more nor less than a pig. and she set the little creature down and felt quiet relived to see it trot away quietly into the wood and home
''go on if it had grown up'' she said to smile herself ''it would have made a dreadfully ugly child but it make rather a handsome pig we think''
and she and he began thirking over other children she and he knew who might do very well as pigs, and was just saying to herself ''now which way'' when she and he was little startled by seeing Jeremiah only grinned when it saw Lily and Jesus.
it looked good-hatured. she and he thought: still it had very long legs a great teeth. so Lily and Jesus felt that it ought to be treated
''Jeremiah'' she began rather timidly as she at all know whener it would like the name: however it only grinned
''would you tell us' which way we ougnt go''
''well that depends on where you want to get to'' said Jeremiah
''the garden-'' said Jesus
''why do you want go there it looks safe sometimes thing that'' said Jeremiah
''in that direction lives a Maia and in that Dionysus god of wine visit eitner you like: they're both mad''
''but we don't want to go among mad people'' Lily remarked
''oh, you can't help that!'' said Jeremiah ''we're all mad here mad. you're mad''
''how do you know we not mad'' said Jesus
''You must be'' said Jeremiah ''or wouldn't have come to you play croauet with the Empress to-play''
''we should like it very much'' said Lily ''but we haven't been invied yet''
''you'll see me there! said Jeremiah and vanished
Lily and Jesus was much surpris at this she and he was getting so used to queer things happening white she and he was looking at the place wehre it had been it suddenly appeared again
''Bye-the-bye. what became of the baby'' said Jeremiah ''i'd nearly forgotten to ask''
''it turned into a pig'' Lily quietly said
''in a hatur a way it thought it said Jeremiah and vanished again
Lily and Jesus waited a little half expecting to see it again but it did not appear and after a minute ot two he and she walked on the direction in whien she and he looked up and there a brane of a tree
''did you say pig or fig'' said Jeremiah
''i said pig'' replied Lily ''and we wish you wouldn't keep appearing and vanished so suddenly you make''
''me very dizzy so sorry'' said Jeremiah ''this is better'' and his time it vanished quite slowly beginning with end to ending with the grin which hemained
some time after the rest of the had gone she and he not gone which farther before she and he came in sight of the house of Dionysus but then a tree sing
''Which way shall you go
Which path shall you take if you don't take any you will make a mistake
Which way shall you go
Which path shall you take you have to move on though you themble and quake...''
''Jeremiah is right'' said Lily ''they are having wine we wonder if mind if we joined them''
i was borrow Alice in wonderland 1999 by Richard Hartley Wow Wow Wow Little Pig and Blossom Tree
And now the next Chapter Seven Dionysus Wine Celebration.