I thought I had lost
forever the world I knew, and now that I was at the back of Go-by
Street again I felt the loss less than when I was standing where
familiar things ought to be; and I turned my mind to what was left me
in the vast Lands of Dream and thought of Saranoora. And when I saw
the cottages again I felt less lonely even at the thought of the cat
though he generally laughed at the things I said. And the first thing
that I saw when I saw the witch was that I had lost the world and was
going back for the rest of my days to the palace of Singanee. And the
first thing that she said was: "Why! You've been through the wrong
door," quite kindly for she saw how unhappy I looked. And I said,
"Yes, but it's all the same street. The whole street's altered and
London's gone and the people I used to know and the houses I used to
rest in, and everything; and I'm tired."
"What did you want to go through the wrong door for?" she said.
"O, that made no difference," I said.
"O, didn't it?" she said in a contradictory way.
"Well I wanted to get to the near end of the street so as to find my
boat quickly by the Embankment. And now my boat, and the Embankment
and--and----."
"Some people are always in such a hurry," said the old black cat. And
I felt too unhappy to be angry and I said nothing more.
And the old witch said, "Now which way do you want to go?" and she was
talking rather like a nurse to a small child.
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