Meanwhile Diana, holding Orion by the hand, had started running up the long avenue.  The little pair soon reached the lodge gates.  Diana and her brother went out through the postern door which was at the side, and the next moment found themselves on the highroad.  This road led in the direction of the shady woods where Apollo had hidden the bow and arrows a few weeks ago.  It was a pretty road, a couple of miles in length, and well shaded by trees, a kind of outgrowth of the forest itself.  As she was not likely to meet any of the Dolman family on the road, Diana did not wear her sun-bonnet, but kept it hanging on her arm.  “It is nice to be out,” she said, as she tripped along.  “I love hot sun; I love twees; I love blue sky; I love dust.”

“I don’t,” replied Orion; “this road is horrid dusty, and it gets into my shoes.  I have only my house shoes on, you know, Diana.”

“Oh, never mind!” answered Diana.  “If you is a giant, you isn’t going to g’umble.  What is the use of g’umbling?  You be all wight soon.  We’ll be in the wood soon, and we’ll have got the bow and arrows, and then we’ll have to pwactice shooting.  Oh, I say, there’s a turnstile and a path, and I believe the path leads stwaight to the wood.  Let’s leave the woad and go to the wood that way.”

“All right,” replied Orion.  He always did say “all right” to every single thing Diana asked him to do.

The children now found themselves in a shady lane, between high hedgerows.  It was a pretty lane, only very sultry at this time of day; but Diana, seeing butterflies flying about, began to give chase to them.  She also stopped many times to pick flowers.  Orion shouted as he ran, and neither of the little pair minded, for a time at least, the fact that the sun was pouring on their heads, and that their small faces were getting redder and redder.

“I’s stweaming down with hotness,” said Diana, at last.  “I must stop a bit or I’ll melt away.  I don’t want to melt till I has shotted my enemies.  Is you stweaming with hotness, Orion?”

“Yes,” said Orion.

They stood still, took out their handkerchiefs, mopped their faces vigorously, and then continued their walk.  The time seemed to drag all of a sudden; they were both very tired.  How glad they were when they finally reached the friendly shelter of the Super-Ashton woods.  Here it was deliciously cool, and here Diana, thoroughly exhausted, threw herself on her face and hands, and, before Orion could say a word, had dropped off into sound sleep.  He thought she looked very comfortable, and it occurred to him that he could not do better than follow her example.  Accordingly, he also stretched himself on the ground, and, with his head resting on one of Diana’s fat little legs, also visited the land of dreams.  For two hours the children slept.  When they awoke at last they found that the sun was no longer high in the heavens; it was veering rapidly towards the west, and was sending slanting and very beautiful rays of light through the wood.  Diana rubbed her eyes and looked around her.