Oh, boys always used to be hungry when I knew them long ago. I
thought they hadn't changed. I shall tell Martha to bring out
something to eat and we'll have it here under this tree. You sit
here--I'll sit there. Jims, it's so long since I talked to a little
boy that I'm not sure that I know how."

"You know how, all right," Jims assured her. "But what am I to call
you, please?"

"My name is Miss Garland," said the lady a little hesitatingly. But
she saw the name meant nothing to Jims. "I would like you to call me
Miss Avery. Avery is my first name and I never hear it nowadays. Now
for a jamboree! I can't offer you a movie--and I'm afraid there isn't
any ice cream either. I could have had some if I'd known you were
coming. But I think Martha will be able to find something good."

A very old woman, who looked at Jims with great amazement, came out to
set the table. Jims thought she must be as old as Methusaleh. But he
did not mind her. He ran races with Black Prince while tea was being
prepared, and rolled the delighted cat over and over in the grass. And
he discovered a fragrant herb-garden in a far corner and was
delighted. Now it was truly a garden of spices.

"Oh, it is so beautiful here," he told Miss Avery, who sat and looked
at his revels with a hungry expression in her lovely eyes. "I wish I
could come often."

"Why can't you?" said Miss Avery.

The two looked at each other with sly intelligence.

"I could come whenever Aunt Augusta shuts me up in the blue room,"
said Jims.

"Yes," said Miss Avery. Then she laughed and held out her arms. Jims
flew into them. He put his arms about her neck and kissed her scarred
face.

"Oh, I wish _you_ were my aunt," he said.

Miss Avery suddenly pushed him away. Jims was horribly afraid he had
offended her. But she took his hand.

"We'll just be chums, Jims," she said. "That's really better than
being relations, after all. Come and have tea."

Over that glorious tea-table they became life-long friends. They had
always known each other and always would. The Black Prince sat between
them and was fed tit-bits. There was such a lot of good things on the
table and nobody to say "You have had enough, James." James ate until
_he_ thought he had enough. Aunt Augusta would have thought he was
doomed, could she have seen him.

"I suppose I must go back," said Jims with a sigh. "It will be our
supper time in half an hour and Aunt Augusta will come to take me
out."

"But