re's one of nature's own baskets. Now
let's see if there's any strawberries ripe."

I saw that he was noticing me a good deal as we went along another path
towards where the garden was more open, but I kept on in an independent
way, smelling the pinks from time to time, till we came to a great
square bed, all straw, with the great tufts of the dark green strawberry
plants standing out of it in rows. The leaves looked large, and
glistened in the sunshine, and every here and there I could see the
great scarlet berries shining as if they had been varnished, and waiting
to be picked.

"Ah, thief!" shouted my guide, as a blackbird flew out of the bed,
uttering its loud call. "Why, boys, boys, you ought to have caught
him."

This was to the cats, one of which answered by giving itself a rub down
his leg, while he clapped his hand upon my shoulder.

"There you are, my hearty. It isn't so far for you to stoop as it would
be for me. Go and pick 'em."

"Pick them?" I said, looking at him wonderingly.

"To be sure. Go ahead. I'll hold your flowers. Only take the ripe
ones, and see here--do you know how to pick strawberries?"

I felt so amused at such a silly question that I looked up at him and
laughed.

"Oh, you do?" he said.

"Why, anybody could pick strawberries," I replied.

"Really, now! Well, let's see. There's a big flat fellow, pick him."

I handed him the flowers, and stepping between two rows of plants,
stooped down, and picked the great strawberry he pointed out.

"Oh, you call that picking, do you?" he said.

"Yes, sir. Don't you?"

"No: I call it tearing my plants to pieces. Why, look here, if my
pickers were to go to work like that, I should only get half a crop and
my plants would be spoiled."

I looked at him helplessly, and wished he would pick the strawberries
himself.

"Look here," he said, stooping over a plant, and letting a great scarlet
berry specked with golden seeds fall over into his hand. "Now see:
finger nail and thumb nail; turn 'em into scissors; draw one against the
other, and the stalk's through. That's the way to do it, and the rest
of the bunch not hurt. Now then, your back's younger than mine. Go
ahead."

I felt hot and uncomfortable, but I took the rhubarb leaf, stepped in
amongst the clean straw, and, using my nails as he had bid me, found
that the strawberries came off wonderfully well.

"Only the ripe ones, boy; leave the others. Pick away. Poor old