he went on his way back to the little railway-
station beyond the village where Master Teddy had first made his
acquaintance--much to their mutual benefit as things now looked!

CHAPTER FOUR.

IN A SCRAPE AGAIN.

The winter was a long and severe one, covering the range of downs that
encircle Endleigh with a fleecy mantle of white which utterly eclipsed
the colour of the woolly coats of the sheep for which they were famous,
and heaping the valleys with huge drifts that defied locomotion; so that
Master Teddy, being unable to get out of doors much, was prevented from
wandering away from home again, had he been in that way inclined.

It may be added, too, that beyond breaking one of his arms in a tumble
downstairs through riding on the banisters in defiance of all commands
to the contrary, he managed for the next few months to keep pretty free
from scrapes--something surprising in such a long interval.

During all this time Jupp had been a very regular Sunday visitor at the
vicarage, coming up to the house after morning-service and being
entertained at dinner in the kitchen, after which meal he served as a
playfellow for the children until the evening, when he always
accompanied the vicar to church.

He had now come to be looked upon by all as a tried and valued friend,
Mr Vernon being almost as fond of chatting with him about his old sea
life as was Mary, the nurse; while Conny would consult him earnestly on
geographical questions illustrative of those parts of the globe he had
visited.

As for the younger ones, he was their general factotum, Teddy and Cissy
regarding him as a sort of good-natured giant who was their own especial
property and servant.

With all a sailor's ingenuity, he could carve the most wonderful things
out of the least promising and worthless materials that could be
imagined; while, as for making fun out of nothing, or telling thrilling
stories of fairies and pirates and the different folk amongst whom he
had mixed in his travels--some of them, to be sure, rather queer, as
Conny said--why, he hadn't an equal, and could make the dreariest
afternoon pass enjoyably to young and old alike, even Joe the gardener
taking almost as great pleasure in his society as Molly and Mary.

This was while the snow lay on the ground and Jack Frost had bound the
little river running through the village and the large pond in the water
meadow beyond with chains of ice, and life out of doors seemed at a
stand