第13部分(第5/6 页)

　of　snow　here　was　an　event。　I　was　nearly　as　excited　about　it　this　morning　as　the　children；　whom　I　found　all　peering　through　the　nursery2　window　at　the　magic　outside　and　chattering　as　excitedly　as　if　Christmas　had　suddenly　e　round　again。　The　fact　is；　however；　that　the　snow　was　as　strange　and　enchanting　to　me　as　it　was　to　them。　It　is　the　first　fall　we　have　had　here　this　winter；　and　last　year　I　was　out　of　the　country；　broiling　in　the　tropics；　during　the　snowy　season；　so　that　it　really　does　seem　an　age　since　I　saw　the　ground　so　fantastically　carpeted。　It　was　while　I　was　away　last　year　that　I　met　the　three　young　girls　from　British　Guiana　who　had　just　returned　from　their　first　visit　to　England。　The　two　things　that　had　impressed　them　most　were　the　endless　crowds　of　people　in　the　London　street；　all　strangers　（they　emphasized　this；　for　they　had　spent　all　their　lives　in　a　little　town　where　everybody　knows　everybody）；　and　the　snow…covered　landscape　they　awoke　to；　one　morning　when　they　were　staying　somewhere　in　Somerset。　They　were　so　thrilled　and　delighted　that　they　flung　away　any　pretence　of　being　demure　young　ladies　and　rushed　out　of　the　house　to　run　to　and　fro　across　the　glittering　white　expanses；　happily　scattering　footmarks　on　the　untrodden　surface；　just　as　the　children　did　in　the　garden　this　morning。

The　first　fall　of　snow　is　not　only　an　event　but　it　is　a　magical　event。　You　go　to　bed　in　one　kind　of　world　and　wake　up　to　find　yourself　in　another　quite　different；　and　if　this　is　not　enchantment；　then　where　is　it　to　be　found？　The　very　stealth3；　the　eerie　quietness；　of　the　thing　makes　it　more　magical。　If　all　the　snow　fell　at　once　in　one　shattering　crash；　awakening　us　in　the　middle　of　the　night　the　event　would　be　robbed　of　its　wonder。　But　it　flutters　down；　soundless；　hour　aft