ans that it was not raining,
but the sun did not shine all the time.

"'Tis well, O Knight," said Alice, "that the orb of day shines not in
undi--what's-its-name?--splendor."

"Thou sayest sooth, Plain Pilgrim," replied Oswald. "'Tis jolly warm
even as it is."

"I wish I wasn't two people," Noel said, "it seems to make me hotter. I
think I'll be a Reeve or something."

But we would not let him, and we explained that if he hadn't been so
beastly particular Alice would have been half of him, and he had only
himself to thank if being all of a Nun-Priest made him hot.

But it _was_ warm certainly, and it was some time since we'd gone so far
in boots. Yet when H. O. complained we did our duty as pilgrims and made
him shut up. He did as soon as Alice said that about whining and
grizzling being below the dignity of a Manciple.

It was so warm that the Prioress and the wife of Bath gave up walking
with their arms round each other in their usual silly way (Albert's
uncle calls it Laura Matildaing), and the Doctor and Mr. Bath had to
take their jackets off and carry them.

I am sure if an artist or a photographer, or any person who liked
pilgrims, had seen us he would have been very pleased. The paper
cockle-shells were first-rate, but it was awkward having them on the top
of the staffs, because they got in your way when you wanted the staff to
use as a walking-stick.

We stepped out like a man all of us, and kept it up as well as we could
in book-talk, and at first all was merry as a dinner-bell; but presently
Oswald, who was the "very perfect gentle knight," could not help
noticing that one of us was growing very silent and rather pale, like
people are when they have eaten something that disagrees with them
before they are quite sure of the fell truth.

So he said, "What's up, Dentist, old man?" quite kindly and like a
perfect knight, though, of course, he was annoyed with Denny. It is
sickening when people turn pale in the middle of a game and everything
is spoiled, and you have to go home, and tell the spoiler how sorry you
are that he is knocked up, and pretend not to mind about the game being
spoiled.

Denny said, "Nothing," but Oswald knew better.

Then Alice said, "Let's rest a bit, Oswald, it _is_ hot."

"Sir Oswald, if you please, Plain Pilgrim," returned her brother,
dignifiedly. "Remember I'm a knight."

So then we sat down and had lunch, and Denny looked better. We played
adverbs, and twenty question