e a big
family..." after the manner of the ungrateful people of this world, who
are so much occupied in envying the possessions of others that they have
no time left in which to be thankful for their own!

The woods lay not a hundred yards from the ferry itself--real, natural,
untrammelled woods, with grand old trunks standing up tall and straight
like the columns of a cathedral, and dear old gnarled roots which ran
along the ground, covered with lichens and soft green moss. To young
people who spent their lives in one red-brick terrace looking out on
another red-brick terrace across the road, it was like a voyage into
fairyland to step within the cool, green shadow of the woods, to smell
the sweet, sharp smell of the earth, and watch the dapplings of sunlight
through the leaves overhead. Even the boys succumbed to the spell, and
for the first half-hour asked nothing better than to roll about on the
grass, poke in the roots of trees, and speculate concerning rabbit-holes
and nests; but the half-hour over, one and all were convinced that
watches were wrong and they were right in deciding that it was beyond
all manner of doubt full time for lunch; so the cloth was spread on a
level piece of turf, and the good things were consumed with the
lingering enjoyment which they deserved.

Every one felt that, as lunch marked what was perhaps the most enjoyable
epoch of the whole day, it was his or her bounden duty to eat slowly and
to go on demanding helpings so long as the supply endured; and a certain
feeling of blankness descended when there was no longer any excuse for
lingering, inasmuch as nothing remained to be eaten but a dozen jam
puffs, which, as mother said, had been _meant_ to be very nice, but had
somehow failed to achieve success! The paste, hard enough on top, was
inside of a damp and doughy consistence, and cook had used gooseberry
jam for the filling, thereby taking a mean advantage of absence from
home, when she _knew_ that the family detested gooseberry in tarts, and
steadily plumped for apricot instead.

"We'll give them to the little boy at the ferry. _He_ won't be so
particular!" Mrs Garnett said as she laid the rejected dainties on one
side and proceeded to pack the oddments which had been required for the
meal in one small basket, placing layers of paper in those left empty.
The young people looked at each other with raised eyebrows as they
watched these proceedings, the meaning of which they knew on