and forwards
with a face of brimming satisfaction.

Neither Richard nor I would have been so mean as to explore on our own
account, when the field was Sandy's discovery, but we tried hard to
persuade him to show us everything.

He had the most provoking way of laughing and holding his tongue, and
he did that now, besides slowly turning all his pockets inside-out
into his hands, and mumbling up the crumbs and odd currants, saying,
"Guess!" between every mouthful.

But when there was not a crumb left in the seams of his pockets, Sandy
turned them back, and jumping up, said--"One can only tell a secret
once. It's a hollow oak. Come along!"

He ran and we ran, to the other side of Our Field. I had read of
hollow oaks, and seen pictures of them, and once I dreamed of one,
with a witch inside, but we had never had one to play in. We were
nearly wild with delight. It looked all solid from the field, but when
we pushed behind, on the hedge side, there was the door, and I crept
in, and it smelt of wood, and delicious damp. There could not be a
more perfect castle, and though there were no windows in the sides,
the light came in from the top, where the polypody hung over like a
fringe. Sandy was quite right. It was the very best thing in Our
Field.

Perronet was as fond of the field as we were. What he liked were the
little birds. At least, I don't know that he liked them, but they were
what he chiefly attended to. I think he knew that it was our field,
and thought he was the watch-dog of it, and whenever a bird settled
down anywhere, he barked at it, and then it flew away, and he ran
barking after it till he lost it; and by that time another had settled
down, and then Perronet flew at him, and so on, all up and down the
hedge. He never caught a bird, and never would let one sit down, if he
could see it.

We had all kinds of games in Our Field. Shops--for there were
quantities of things to sell--and sometimes I was a moss-merchant, for
there were ten different kinds of moss by the brook, and sometimes I
was a jeweller, and sold daisy-chains and pebbles, and coral sets made
of holly berries, and oak-apple necklaces; and sometimes I kept
provisions, like earth-nuts and mallow-cheeses, and mushrooms; and
sometimes I kept a flower-shop, and sold nosegays and wreaths, and
umbrellas made of rushes, I liked that kind of shop, because I am fond
of arranging flowers, and I always make our birthday wreaths. And
sometimes I kept a