A paper lantern lies on its side in the frosty grass, still attached to a long wooden carrying stick. Its warm light reveals the thin paper panels and the curved framework inside. Behind it, four children run towards the dark openings of a yew maze in moth, scarecrow, black cat and pumpkin costumes. Their movement carries the eye away from the quiet foreground object and into the narrow garden passages.

Large clipped birds rise from the hedge tops, their blunt beaks facing across the entrance as though watching the arrivals. Dense foliage connects each rounded body to the straight walls below. On the left, a butler waits on the stone steps with a tray of toffee apples. Lanterns, pumpkins and urns filled with chrysanthemums brighten the terrace around him. A full moon hangs over the garden, adding cool blue light to the frost and gravel. The scene brings together rough yew, soft costume fabric and translucent paper, with the fallen lantern forming a small pool of warmth beside the maze.