only pleasure he had in existence, save eating; for he
was then allowed, for a brief spell at all events, to use his own legs
instead of being carried about in baby fashion.

One day at the beginning of May, when the birds were gaily singing in
the branches of the trees overhead, through which an occasional peep of
blue sky could be had, the grass below being yellow with buttercups or
patched in white with daisies, Jupp and Mary were grouped with the
children beneath a spreading elm in the centre of a sort of fairy ring
in the wood, a favourite halting-place with them all.

The porter for once in a way had a whole holiday, and had spent the
morning helping Joe the gardener in mowing the lawn and putting out
plants in the flower-beds in front of the vicarage; so after their early
dinner, the children under Mary's care came out with him for a regular
picnic tea in the woods, carrying a kettle with them to make a fire,
with plenty of milk and cakes and bread and butter, for it was intended
to have quite a feast in honour of "papa's birthday," the vicar having
promised to come and join them as soon as he had finished his parish
work.

The little ones had been romping with Jupp all the way to the wood under
the downs, running races with him and making detours here and there in
search of wild anemones and meadow-sweet, or else chasing butterflies
and the low-flying swallows that heralded the advent of summer, so they
were rather tired and glad to lie down on the grass and rest when they
reached their old elm-tree; albeit, on Jupp setting to work to pick up
sticks for the fire that was to boil the kettle, first one and then
another jumped up to help, for, really, they could not be quiet very
long.

The sticks being collected and Jupp having slung the camp-kettle over
them by the means of two forked props, in campaigning fashion, as he
well knew how to do as an old sailor, a match was quickly applied, and
there was soon a pleasant crackling sound of burning wood, accompanied
with showers of sparks like fireworks as the wind blew the blaze aside.

Soon, too, a nice thick column of smoke arose that reminded Conny of
what she had read of Indian encampments, although Jupp told her that if
he were abroad and near any of such dark-skinned gentry he would take
precious good care when making a fire to have as little smoke as
possible.

"Why?" asked Conny, always anxious for information in order to improve
her mind.

"Because