ay now, and that he was going to be very
happy. He had always thought it hard that he could not have his own way
entirely, and had been unsatisfied with a much greater degree of liberty
than most people wish or have.

He had hitherto led a wandering life, having no home duties, no school
to go to, no trade to work at,--no garden, or other pleasure, to fix him
to one spot. He had gone, with his uncle, from sporting on the moors,
in one season of the year, to sporting in the marshes in another; and,
wild as was this way of life, it made his will so much wilder, that he
was always wishing for more liberty still. When his aunt had desired
him to watch the kettle, as it hung over the fire near the tent, or
asked him to help her in shaking out their bedding, or cleaning their
utensils, he had turned sulky, and wished that he lived alone, where he
need not be plagued about other people's affairs. When his uncle had
ordered him to attend at a certain spot and hour, with nets or a gun, he
had been wont to feel himself seized with a sudden desire to wander in
an opposite direction, or to lie half asleep in the sun, too lazy to
work at all. When he had played truant, and returned late to the tent,
and found nothing better left to eat than a dry crust of bread, or the
cold remains of a mess of fish, he had frequently thought how pleasant
it would be to have the best of everything for himself, and only his dog
to eat up the rest. So this boy had often felt and thought; and so
would many think and feel, perhaps, if there were many as forlorn and
friendless as he, with no one to love and be loved by. Though he had
had an uncle and aunt, he had never had a friend. He knew that they
cared about him only because he could help to keep the tent, and take
the game; and, feeling this, it was irksome to him to be under their
orders.

The time was now come for which he had so often longed. He was his own
master completely. There was nobody near who could order or compel him
to do anything; while he, on his part, had an obedient servant in his
dog. The sky was blue and warm overhead, and the trees cast a pleasant
shade. The Red-hill was now an island, which he had all to himself; and
it was richly stocked with game, for his food and sport. Here he could
have his own way, and be completely happy.

Such was Roger's idea when he stole the tinder-box, and crossed to the
hill; and this was what he said to himself as he cooked his meal