poultry are yours, and I will sell them for you as
soon as you please, and buy what you wish with the money," replied
Jacob. "Let Humphrey make all the money he can with his pigs."

"Yes; and the butter belongs to me, if I make it," said Alice.

"No, no," replied Humphrey, "that's not fair; I find cows, and get
nothing for them. We must go halves, Alice."

"Well, I have no objection to that," said Alice, "because you find the
cows and feed them. I made a pound of butter yesterday, just to try
what I could do; but it's not firm, Jacob. How is that?"

"I have seen the women make butter, and know how, Alice; so next time I
will be with you. I suppose you did not wash your butter-milk well out,
nor put any salt in it?"

"I did not put any salt in it."

"But you must, or the butter will not keep."

It was arranged that Edward should stay at home to assist in collecting
the acorns for the pigs, and that Jacob should cross the forest alone to
see after the puppies; and he set off the next morning. He was away two
days, and then returned; said that he had a promise of two puppies, and
that he had chosen them; they were of the same breed as Smoker, but they
were only a fortnight old, and could not be taken from the mother yet
awhile, so that he had arranged to call again when they were three or
four months old, and able to follow him across the forest. Jacob also
said that he was very near being hurt by a stag that had made at him--
for at that season of the year the stags were very dangerous and
fierce--but that he had fired, and struck off one of the animal's horns,
which made it turn.

"You must be careful, Edward, how you go about the forest now."

"I have no wish to go," replied Edward; "as we cannot hunt, it is no
use; but in November we shall begin again."

"Yes," replied Jacob, "that will be soon enough. To-morrow I will help
you with the acorns, and the day afterwards, if I am spared, I will take
Alice's poultry to Lymington for her."

"Yes, and when you come back you will help me to churn, for then I shall
have a good deal of cream."

"And don't forget to buy the kitten, Jacob," said Edith.

"What's the good of a kitten?" said Humphrey, who was very busy making a
bird-cage for Edith, having just finished one for Alice; "she will only
steal your cream and eat up your birds."

"No, she won't; for we'll shut the door fast where the milk and cream
is, and we'll hang the cages so high that Miss Puss