With shouts of delight, Ann and Peter stooped to gather these, but
Rudolf cried out: "Oh, look, look! Don't let's stop here. It's
prettier yet farther on!" So on they ran, all three of them, over the
yellow ground, over a stretch of green and blue checks, across a
lavender meadow, and found themselves at last in a wonderful pale
blue field scattered all over with bunches of little pink roses.
"This is the prettiest yet," exclaimed Ann, "though of course it is
very old-fashioned. I wonder what it reminds me of? Ruddy, do you
remember that picture of Aunt Jane when she was little in such a funny
dress with low neck and short sleeves--"
The children had been wandering across the field as Ann spoke,
stopping to pull a rose here and there, too busy and too happy to
notice where their feet were taking them. All at once they looked up
and saw that they had come to the end of the pale blue field where it
bordered on a broad brown road. Just ahead of them stood a little
white tent, and from the door of the tent two tin soldiers suddenly
sprang out, shouldered arms, and cried: "Halt!"
Of course the children halted. There was nothing else to do, so
astonished were they to meet any one when they had supposed themselves
to be in quite a wild and uninhabited country. Besides, though these
were small and tinny-looking, yet soldiers are soldiers wherever you
meet them, and have an air about them which makes people feel
respectful.
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