pails and revealed that one was full of rich new milk with
cream on the top of it, and that the other held cottage-made currant
buns folded in a clean blue and white napkin, buns so carefully tucked
in that they were still hot, there was a riot of surprised joyfulness.
What a wonderful thing for Mrs. Sowerby to think of! What a kind, clever
woman she must be! How good the buns were! And what delicious fresh
milk!

"Magic is in her just as it is in Dickon," said Colin. "It makes her
think of ways to do things--nice things. She is a Magic person. Tell her
we are grateful, Dickon--extremely grateful."

He was given to using rather grown-up phrases at times. He enjoyed them.
He liked this so much that he improved upon it.

"Tell her she has been most bounteous and our gratitude is extreme."

And then forgetting his grandeur he fell to and stuffed himself with
buns and drank milk out of the pail in copious draughts in the manner of
any hungry little boy who had been taking unusual exercise and breathing
in moorland air and whose breakfast was more than two hours behind him.

This was the beginning of many agreeable incidents of the same kind.
They actually awoke to the fact that as Mrs. Sowerby had fourteen people
to provide food for she might not have enough to satisfy two extra
appetites every day. So they asked her to let them send some of their
shillings to buy things.

Dickon made the stimulating discovery that in the wood in the park
outside the garden where Mary had first found him piping to the wild
creatures there was a deep little hollow where you could build a sort of
tiny oven with stones and roast potatoes and eggs in it. Roasted eggs
were a previously unknown luxury and very hot potatoes with salt and
fresh butter in them were fit for a woodland king--besides being
deliciously satisfying. You could buy both potatoes and eggs and eat as
many as you liked without feeling as if you were taking food out of the
mouths of fourteen people.

Every beautiful morning the Magic was worked by the mystic circle under
the plum-tree which provided a canopy of thickening green leaves after
its brief blossom-time was ended. After the ceremony Colin always took
his walking exercise and throughout the day he exercised his newly found
power at intervals. Each day he grew stronger and could walk more
steadily and cover more ground. And each day his belief in the Magic
grew stronger--as well it might. He tried one experiment