"'But that's not all,' He continued.
"He bent forward and touched her cheeks.
"'For I hereby ordain,' He said, 'that now and for ever every little girl and every little boy shall wear apples in their cheeks in remembrance of what you have done. They shall be known as the brand of Eden—the brand of Eden for little thieves—and their parents must see to it, on pain of My displeasure, that they shall never be allowed to fade away.'
"Then He bent still lower and gave Bella a kiss, and the tall angels led her outside the gate; and that's why it is that the apples in little girls' cheeks are almost the oldest kind in the world."
Uncle Joe lit his pipe. From where they were sitting they could see the country for miles and miles. Down below them the town looked quite small, and the spire of St Peter's Church just like a toy spire. Far behind it, beyond the level cornlands, the sun was dropping into the evening mists. It grew rosier and rosier, until it almost looked like an apple itself. Mr Parker winked at Marian.
"Rough weather," he said, "in the Baltic."
Then he spat in his hands and rubbed them together.
"Well, I must be getting along," he said, "with this here lawn-mowing."
Eden had an apple-tree,
Eve a little daughter,
Tried to do as mother did,
But the Good Lord caught her.
"Wherefore 'tis ordained," He said,
"Here and in all places,
Children shall henceforward wear
Apples in their faces."