ng it with clean water we just had to empty it again, because it
was too heavy to lift. So we carried it vacant to the trysting-spot and
left H. O. and Noel to guard it while we went and fetched separate pails
of water; very heavy work, and no one who wasn't really benevolent would
have bothered about it for an instant. Oswald alone carried three pails.
So did Dicky and the Dentist. Then we rolled down some empty barrels and
stood up three of them by the road-side, and put planks on them. This
made a very first-class table, and we covered it with the best
table-cloth we could find in the linen cupboard. We brought out several
glasses and some teacups--not the best ones, Oswald was firm about
that--and the kettle and spirit-lamp and the teapot, in case any weary
tramp-woman fancied a cup of tea instead of Eiffel Tower. H. O. and Noel
had to go down to the shop for tea; they need not have grumbled; they
had not carried any of the water. And their having to go the second time
was only because we forgot to tell them to get some real lemons to put
on the bar to show what the drink would be like when you got it. The man
at the shop kindly gave us tick for the lemons, and we cashed up out of
our next week's pocket-money.

Two or three people passed while we were getting things ready, but no
one said anything except the man who said, "Bloomin' Sunday-school
treat," and as it was too early in the day for any one to be thirsty we
did not stop the wayfarers to tell them their thirst could be slaked
without cost at our Benevolent Bar.

But when everything was quite ready, and our blue rosettes fastened on
our breasts over our benevolent hearts, we stuck up the great placard we
had made with "Benevolent Bar. Free Drinks to all Weary Travellers," in
white wadding on red calico, like Christmas decorations in church. We
had meant to fasten this to the edge of the awning, but we had to pin it
to the front of the table-cloth, because I am sorry to say the awning
went wrong from the first. We could not drive the willow poles into the
road; it was much too hard. And in the ditch it was too soft, besides
being no use. So we had just to cover our benevolent heads with our
hats, and take it in turns to go into the shadow of the tree on the
other side of the road. For we had pitched our table on the sunny side
of the way, of course, relying on our broken-reed-like awning, and
wishing to give it a fair chance.

Everything looked very nice, an