When rain fell it must fall very gently . Past the roses one saw a green lawn , sprinkled over now with the white ghosts of dandelions , and dotted with ornamental trees . The trees grew so thickly that they almost hid the house to which the garden pertained . It was a large one of grey-black stone , with stacks of huge chimneys . Jims had no idea who lived there . He had asked Aunt Augusta and Aunt Augusta had frowned and told him it did not matter who lived there and that he must never , on any account , mention the next house or its occupant to Uncle Walter . Jims would never have thought of mentioning them to Uncle Walter . But the prohibition filled him with an unholy and unsubduable curiosity . He was devoured by the desire to find out who the folks in that tabooed house were . And he longed to have the freedom of that garden . Jims loved gardens . There had been a garden at the little house but there was none here -- nothing but an old lawn that had been fine once but was now badly run to seed . Jims had heard Uncle Walter say that he was going to have it attended to but nothing had been done yet . And meanwhile here was a beautiful garden over the wall which looked as if it should be full of children . But no children were ever in it -- or anybody else apparently . And so , in spite of its beauty , it had a lonely look that hurt Jims . He wanted his Garden of Spices to be full of laughter . He pictured himself running in it with imaginary playmates -- and there was a mother in it -- or a big sister -- or , at the least , a whole aunt who would let you hug her and would never dream of shutting you up in chilly , shadowy , horrible blue rooms . `` It seems to me , '' said Jims , flattening his nose against the pane , `` that I must get into that garden or bust . '' Aunt Augusta would have said icily , `` We do not use such expressions , James , '' but Aunt Augusta was not there to hear .
`` I 'm afraid the Very Handsome Cat is n't coming to-day , '' sighed XXXXX .
James Jims Spices Walter children dandelions fall ghosts house pane