work, filling her basket with the fine, ruddy
clusters. "How beautiful they are!" she thought, holding up a bunch so
that the sunlight shone through it. "And these pale, pinky golden ones,
which show all the delicate veins inside. Really, I _must_ eat this fat
bunch; they are like fairy grapes! The butler fay comes and picks a
cluster every evening, and carries it on a lily-leaf platter to the
queen as she sits supping on honey-cakes and dew under the damask
rose-bush."

While fingers and fancy were thus busily employed, Hilda was startled by
the sound of a voice which seemed to come from beyond the
currant-bushes, very near her. She stood quite still and listened.

"A-g, ag," said the voice; "g-l-o-m, glom,--agglom; e-r er,--agglomer;
a-t-e, ate,--agglomerate." There was a pause, and then it began again:
"A-g, ag; g-l-o-m, glom," etc.

Hilda's curiosity was now thoroughly aroused; and laying down her
basket, she cautiously parted the leaves and peeped through. She hardly
knew what she expected to see. What she did see was a boy about ten
years old, in a flannel shirt and a pair of ragged breeches, busily
weeding a row of carrots; for this was the vegetable garden, which lay
behind the currant-bushes. On one side of the boy was a huge heap of
weeds; on the other lay a tattered book, at which he glanced from time
to time, though without leaving his work. "A-n, an," he was now saying;
"t-i, ti,--anti; c-i-p, cip,--anticip; a-t-e, ate,--anti_cip_ate. 'To
expect.' Well! that _is_ a good un. Why can't they _say_ expect, 'stead
o' breakin' their jawsen with a word like that? Anti_cip_-ate! Well, I
swan! I hope he enjoyed eatin' it. Sh'd think 't'd ha giv' him the
dyspepsy, anyhow."

At this Hilda could contain herself no longer, but burst into a merry
peal of laughter; and as the boy started up with staring eyes and open
mouth, she pushed the bushes aside and came towards him. "I am sorry I
laughed," she said, not unkindly. "You said that so funnily, I couldn't
help it. You did not pronounce the word quite right, either. It is
an_ti_cipate, not antic_ip_-ate."

[Illustration: "SHE PUSHED THE BUSHES ASIDE AND CAME TOWARDS HIM"]

The boy looked half bewildered and half grateful. "An_ti_cipate!" he
repeated, slowly. "Thanky, miss! it's a onreasonable sort o' word,
'pears ter me." And he bent over his carrots again.

But Hilda did not return to her currant-picking. She was interested in
this freckled, tow-headed boy, wres