er than
being nungry. It always says so in shipwreck stories. They read us one
at school the other day, and it said so.'

'Eugene, how silly you are!' said Frances, 'as if your feeling a little
hungry and a tiny atom thirsty could compare with dreadful sufferings
like sailors have.'

'And really, Eugene, considering you're past seven, you should try to
speak better,' added Jacinth. 'I hope you don't say "nungry and firsty"
at school. How they must laugh at you!'

'They don't then,' said the little boy, 'and they don't need to. I'm
very pertickler at school, and I always say 'ungry and wursty properly.
But it's a great trouble to remember, and I like a rest from being
pertickler at home. You needn't be so cross. Why, there's a boy at
school, older than me, who calls the sun the "fun"--he does really.'

'Well, I know papa and mamma would like you to speak well,' said
Jacinth, 'so you should try for their sake. "Ungry" is worse than
"nungry"; you mustn't get into the way of dropping your "h's," whatever
you do. That matters more than baby talking; it's _vulgar_.'

'It's very unkind of you to call me vulgar,' said Eugene, in a very
plaintive voice, 'and I'll tell you what, Jass, I'm getting _so_
fir--wursty, I mean, that I just can't go all the way back wifout a
drink.'

Jacinth and Frances looked about them in despair; Eugene was a very good
little fellow generally, but he was rather delicate and nervous, and
notwithstanding the dignity of his seven years, they knew by experience
that once he was fairly started on a fit of crying, it was far from easy
to predict when it would be over. They were now in the long lane known
as Robin Redbreast Lane, or the Redbreast Lane; another quarter of a
mile at most would bring them out on to the high-road, where they were
at no great distance from Thetford.

'I'm afraid it's been too long a walk for him,' said Jacinth. 'It's such
a pity, for it's so good for him to have a nice country walk, now that
he goes to school every day.'

'I'm not tired,' said Eugene, 'I'm only firsty now; I can wait for being
nungry till tea-time, quite well, but I must have somefin to drink.'

'Is there any cottage along this lane, that we could ask for a glass of
water at?' Jacinth inquired of Phebe.

But the girl shook her head.

'There's no cottage nor house of any kind between this and the
high-road, except the Robin Redbreast itself,' said she. 'And that's not
a place where one could ask for