ather awkward, though."

"What is?" I said.

"Being friends with Magglin and Bob Hopley too, because they hate each
other awfully. But then, you see, it means natural history, don't it?"

He looked at me as if he meant me to say it, so I said, "Yes."

"An hour. What shall we do for an hour? 'Tisn't long enough to go to
the hammer pond, nor yet to hunt snakes, because we should get so
interested that we should forget to come back. But, I say, would you
rather go back to the school field, where the other chaps are, or come
back and pick out your garden? We've all got gardens. Or have a game
at rounders, or--"

"No, no no," I said. "I like all this. It's all new to me. I was
never in the country like this before."

"Then you do like it?"

"Of course."

"That's right. Then you will not mind old Rebble's impositions, and the
Doctor being disagreeable, and going at us, nor the boys pitching into
you, as they all do--the big ones--when the Doctor's pitched into them.
Why, you don't look so miserable now as you did."

"Don't I?"

"No. It's awful coming away from home, I know, and I do get so tired of
learning so many things. You do have to try so much to get to know
anything at all. Now, let's see what shall we do for an hour?"

"Go for a walk," I suggested.

"Oh, that's no good, without you're going to do something. I know;
we'll go back and make Magg lend us his ferret, and then we'll try for a
rabbit."

"Very well," I said eagerly.

"No, that wouldn't do, because his ferret's such a beggar."

"Is he?" I said.

"Yes; he goes into a hole in a bank and comes out somewhere else, far
enough off, and you can't find him, or else he goes in and finds a
rabbit, and eats him, and then curls up for a sleep, and you waiting all
the time. That wouldn't do; there isn't time enough. You want all day
for that, and we've only got an hour. Wish I hadn't said we'd go and
see the owls."

"Shall we sit down and wait?" I suggested.

"No, no. I can't wait. I never could. It's horrid having to wait.
Here, I know. It's lunch-time, and we're here. Let's go into Polly
Hopley's and eat cakes and drink ginger-beer till it's time to go."

"Very well," I said, willingly enough, for walking had made me thirsty.

"I haven't got any money, but Polly will trust me."

"I've got some," I ventured to observe.

"Ah, but you mustn't spend that. You've got to help pay for the gun.
Come on.--Here, Polly, two bot