The kiss of innocence , the kiss of passion , were separate and different things .sx She had altered in herself .sx She had changed .sx She had grown older older , yes .sx That was clear as day .sx Life was passing , whether she realized it or not .sx She had felt it coming the loss of her ribbon , the anxiety about her appearance , her vexation that no mirror was to be found .sx " Oh , heavens , " she thought , while her stiff and frozen knees grew straighter , trying to support her body , " I am older I have grown older .sx .. !sx My time is shorter .sx .. !sx " Too late !sx The Apothecary's words blazed dreadfully across her mind , while the sense of panic hurry scattered all her faculties .sx Too late to play .sx .. too late to search .sx .. too late to find .sx .. ah !sx Yet not too late to remember perhaps .sx .. !sx Heavens !sx Why had she dawdled away her precious minutes ?sx Why had she let herself be amused and seduced by all this eating , this fun with the Sailor , the Gentleman , the Tinker and Tailor and Soldier and Ploughboy , this excitement about food , about making love all humbug love at best when there was something of real importance that she had forgotten ?sx Delirious and delicious though it was , it was not real , this fun , this pleasure , it was not genuine .sx The real , the genuine thing was the Pearl of Great Price she was here to find .sx That was the only object worth a moment's thought .sx .. Only what was it ?sx The delightful Fruit Stoners seemed in a conspiracy against her .sx Did they not deliberately combine to bewilder and entice her with their golden fripperies and entanglements ?sx Were their promises of banquets , voyages , picnics , battles , dresses and the rest , all so much lovely gossamer ?sx Did they wish , intend , to keep her here , a prisoner of pleasure and enjoyment ?sx While her left knee straightened , these upsetting thoughts rushed over her in a tumultuous tidal .sx wave .sx That she had grown older was a definite , outstanding fact .sx It made her gasp , it made her ache , it brought a sense of tears into her throat .sx The pity of it !sx The remorselessness !sx The drive and drain of it !sx The futility of resistance , the sense of hopelessness it gave her !sx Older .sx .. and no way of preventing it .sx .. !sx Over her then swept a queer realization suddenly of the many-starred phantasmagoria of the life she had entered .sx If attractive and enticing , it was also meaningless and incoherent .sx It numbed , it stupefied her .sx A doubt even as to its reality disturbed her .sx How real were these exciting Fruit Stoners and their purposes ?sx The confusing roar and rush of their existence were in her blood already ; she shared the joy and adventure of their lives .sx But did it mean anything , this confusing , fatuous , unintelligible jumble that was her life ?sx .sx .. Her left knee had straightened , the right now followed it ; on both legs she stood firm and upright .sx Hardly two seconds had passed since she began to rise .sx She was now up , she was about to speak .sx There was something of great importance she had to say .sx " But , glory be , " said Maria to herself , " what is it ?sx " .sx Her mind had gone blank , as though a sponge had swept it clean .sx She faced the table , the ring of upturned faces , all watching , staring , waiting .sx There was an intense silence .sx And it was at this moment that something happened , something that galvanized her into self-control again , bringing back a measure of realization , even of memory too .sx It seemed a nightmare happening .sx It emerged , surely , from some nightmare world , this tall , swift , passing figure .sx From the shadows at the far end of the great room it issued ; it rushed along , its face looking straight ahead , turning neither right nor left ; it moved with flowing stride , and silently , yet not quite silently , for the ominous Tick tock !sx accompanying it grew louder as it advanced .sx The faint beating that seemed always in her heart became audible now in the very air about the table .sx She saw the sharp , keen face , the sloping shoulders , the black coat with the long tails that flapped like the feathers of an angry , watchful bird , the striped trousers , one leg shorter than the other the nightmare figure of the Man who Wound the Clocks , the .sx Author of her terribly brief Five Minutes .sx And , reaching the spot directly opposite to her , though without stopping his swift passage , he turned his head for an instant , gazing straight into her face .sx He looked hard at her .sx It was a tiger's look .sx There was a tawny touch .sx No sound left the tight , thin lips , but there was another sound that issued , apparently , from his whole body , and it was a slow , hoarse , grinding sound .sx His head turned away again almost instantly , looking straight in front as before ; there was a flash of striped trousers , of flying coat-tails , of something streaked black and yellow , the grinding sound hung in the air .sx Horrors !sx The strike was coming !sx She stood , in that second , as if arrested , petrified .sx Yet there was no strike .sx It was the clear sound of her own ringing voice that drowned that ominous grinding .sx But the shock had galvanized her memory , and the knowledge of what she had to do crashed upon her like a hurtling projectile .sx " I know what I've got on , " she cried out in a panic .sx " I know now .sx I've come here to look for something .sx There's something I must find .sx And you all promised you would help me search .sx I must begin at once !sx Before he strikes !sx " .sx She looked frantically about the room ; she pointed with her outstretched hand .sx The figure glared fixedly at her .sx His lip was curled as in a frozen grin .sx She saw his teeth .sx It was a tiger's grin .sx " That's the man who gave me my five minutes , " she cried breathlessly .sx No answer came , no sign of interest even .sx " And I'm behind-hand already !sx Perhaps too late already !sx Oh !sx Oh !sx He's going to strike !sx " she called out with desperate and passionate impatience .sx The ring of faces that stared so fixedly at her turned somewhat listlessly in the direction where she pointed , then turned idly back again .sx There was no figure visible ; the Man who Wound the Clocks had vanished , and the awful grinding sound , the audible Tick tock !sx too , vanished with him .sx Only the faint beating in her heart went on as before , though evidently none could hear it but herself .sx A collective smile , she saw , spread over the faces that now gazed up again into her own .sx " There was no strike , was there ?sx You didn't hear anything , did you ?sx " Her voice was shrill with almost feverish anxiety .sx The collective smile grew broader , the faces almost beamed , the eyes were twinkling more and more .sx They knew no anxiety evidently , no hurry either , these leisurely Fruit Stoners .sx But why , oh why , couldn't they say something ?sx " You saw him , didn't you ?sx You heard him ?sx " her voice rang out , to which the only answer was a collective shaking of the smiling heads .sx " He went like a flash , but he was there , " she repeated , " the Man who Winds the Clocks and gave me my five minutes .sx " " Man who Winds the Clocks .sx .. five minutes .sx .. " they began whispering among themselves , turning to one another as if in amused surprise and question .sx " You've given him the slip again anyhow , " laughed the Sailor gaily , sweeping the room with his telescope .sx " He'll never strike in 'ere , " exclaimed the Tinker , sharpening his knife idly with a merry grin .sx " Not while you're with us , Maria , " chuckled the Tailor , and snapped his big shears .sx " Not while we're with you , Maria , " agreed the Ploughboy , wiping his eyes , though his lips were set for a guffaw .sx " Maria " but how wrong that sounded .sx " Maria " was a child's name .sx And she was no longer a child .sx Maria , indeed !sx Marigold , they should have said , Miss Marigold even !sx It was not impertinence , she knew , but it was rather careless just the same .sx This flashed across her mind as she heard it .sx " Maria , Marigold , Marigold , Maria .sx Miss Mari-gold .sx .. " beat rhythmically through her head , keeping time with the Tick tock !sx in her heart .sx The Gentleman , she realized , was on his feet .sx " Oh , my Gent " she began , when his voice drowned her own .sx The Soldier , she noticed , had .sx just whispered something in his ear , making his report perhaps .sx Whatever happens , she thought swiftly , I must remember my search .sx She held on .sx to that with tooth and nail , so to speak .sx Slowly , she sat down again and listened .sx " It was I , Miss Marigold , " began the Gentleman in his suave , musical voice , raising his hat with consummate grace , " who sent the Army to inquire what your intentions might be .sx .. " and his voice trailed away into a long , beautifully modulated series of wordy phrases that she hardly followed , for she found her attention wandering again as his voice meandered on and on .sx What a lovely voice , what a lovely man !sx " Miss Marigold " !sx Why not the intimate and affectionate " Maria " ?sx This hung in the forefront of her mind , while behind it she still gripped with tooth and nail to her urgent decision to begin her search the search for the Pearl of Great Price she had come to find .sx There .sx .. at last his lovely sentences were running down , were coming to their end , and she must get up and reply .sx " What I've got on , what I want to do ?sx " A moment ago , she realized , her reply would have been , " I want to play , I would like some sort of game , a romp , " but now , suddenly , it was no longer play she wanted .sx " I'm too old for play , too grown up .sx It's too late for play !sx " And this realization brought a shock with it .sx All in a moment , it seemed , the change had come .sx His voice at last ran downhill and buried itself in his coloured waistcoat somewhere , inaudible , the last words murmured in a whisper , while he bowed , swept his hat across his heart , then sat down andscrewed his eyeglass in more tightly .sx The faces of the Company turned towards herself , all moving together as though a swivel worked .sx She rose to her feet at once .sx " I must tell them I've got to begin my search , begin my search , begin my search , " whirled in her brain as she got up .sx " They must help me look , help me look , help me to remember , help me to remember .sx That's what I've got to tell them .sx That's all I want to say .sx " A rather good opening sentence thanking the Gentleman for his charming words , left her mind completely .sx She used instead the words that came to her naturally , pouring them out spontaneously .sx " Tinker , Tailor , Soldier , Sailor , Gentleman , Ploughboy , Apothecary , Thief , " her clear young voice rang out through the great room , " I've got this on :sx I want to look for something .sx I've come here to find something something of extreme , of ultimate importance .sx And my time is short , frighteningly short .sx I must begin my search at once , without a second's delay .sx And you've already promised to help me .sx I claim your help .sx " Staring hard into the ring of upturned faces , she was in the act of sitting down again , when another sentence came rushing up and out :sx " I've already looked in the Big House and the Little House , so that leaves only the Pig Stye and the Barn .sx And we'll begin , please , with the Barn .sx " Plump , she was sitting down again .sx Her reply was made .sx " The Barn , " she added finally with a sort of shout .sx For an instant a deep silence reigned , but for an instant only .sx The chorus then broke out , and it was a bewildering chorus , whirling like a storm about her .sx Everybody spoke at once .sx There seemed not merely eight Fruit Stoners , but a score , a hundred .sx It was difficult , impossible almost , to disentangle the separate voices .sx All , too , had sprung to their feet , gesticulating , waving their arms like a forest of branches in a wind , while moving from chair to chair round the table , giving the impression of a ring that turned and spun .sx