Homer is thought much of; now, his heroes are always eating. They eat all through the Iliad, they eat at Patroclus' tomb; Ulysses eats a good deal in the Odyssey: Jupiter eats. They only did at Coombe-Oaks as was done on Olympus. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER XXXIV. AMARYLLIS went outside the court, and waited; Amadis rose and followed her. "Come a little way into the Brook-Field," she said. They left the apple-bloom behind them, and going down the gravel-path passed the plum trees--the daffodils there were over now--by the strawberry patch which Iden had planted under the parlour window; by the great box-hedge where a thrush sat on her nest undisturbed, though Amaryllis's dress brushed the branches; by the espalier apple, to the little orchard-gate. The parlour-window--there are no parlours now, except in old country houses; there were parlours in the days of Queen Anne; in the modern villas they have drawing-rooms. The parlour-window hung over with pear-tree branches, planted beneath with strawberry; white blossom above, white flower beneath; birds' nests in the branches of the pear--that was Iden. They opened the little orchard-gate which pushed heavily against the tall meadow-grass growing between the bars. The path was almost gone--grown out with grass, and as they moved they left a broad trail behind them. Bill Nye the mower, had he seen, would have muttered to himself; they were trespassing on his mowing-grass, trampling it, and making it more difficult to cut. Her dress swept over the bennets and shook the thick-stemmed butter-cups--branched like the golden candlestick, and with flowers of golden flame. For the burnished petals reflect the sun, and throw light back into the air. Amadis began to drag behind--he could not walk much farther; they sat down together on the trunk of an oak that had been felled by a gateway close to the horse-chestnut trees Iden had planted. Even with his back leaning against a limb of the oak, Amadis had to partly support himself with his hands. What was the use of such a man?--He had nothing but his absurdly romantic name from Don Quixote to recommend him. That was the very thought that gnawed at poor Amadis's heart as he sat by her side. What use to care for him? Iden's flag-basket of tools lay by the gate, it was a new gate, and he had been fitting it before he went in to lunch. His basket was of flag because the substance of the flag is soft, and the tools, chisels, and so on, laid pleasant in it; he must have everything right. The new gate was of solid oak, no "sappy" stuff, real heart of oak, well-seasoned, without a split, fine, close-grained timber, cut on the farm, and kept till it was thoroughly fit, genuine English oak. If you would only consider Iden's gate you might see there the man.