bulls, so he told it just on purpose to tease
her."

"Talking of bulls'-eyes makes me think of tea," said Artie. "I'm sure
that old woman's kettle must be boiling now. I vote we go down and
see. Let us try this other part of the hill; it'll be far quicker than
scrambling through the gorse again."

One side of the summit was almost as steep as the roof of a house, and
covered with very short, fine grass, at present so dry and slippery
that the children sat down and slid almost as if it were winter, and
they were tobogganing on the snow. It was great fun, especially when
Artie caught against a stone, and rolled over and over like a ball,
till a convenient gorse bush made a prickly impediment in his career,
and Linda left both hat and hair ribbon behind, and was obliged to
scramble up the slope again to fetch them. It was certainly a much
faster way back to the little whitewashed cottage.

The farmer's wife could not speak much English, but she said a great
deal in Welsh which they took to be an invitation to come inside,
where they found she had set a round table by the fire, nicely spread
with cups and saucers and a clean cloth. The chimney was so big and
wide that as they sat on the old-fashioned settle they could look
right up and see a patch of sky at the top. From a large smoke-stained
beam hung a chain supporting the kettle, which was boiling over on a
fire of peat and dried heather that gave out a very fragrant aromatic
smell, almost recalling Guy Fawkes Day, especially when it was blown
by the bellows. For tea there was a large loaf of home-baked brown
barley bread, and, notwithstanding the ample lunch which they had
eaten by the stream, they were all hungry enough to enjoy it
thoroughly, in spite of the saltness of the butter. It was so pleasant
sitting in the quaint little mountain cottage, with its dim light and
peaty atmosphere, and there were so many jokes to make and stories to
tell, that they lingered until the tall grandfather's clock striking
five reminded them that they were still a good many miles away from
Craigwen, and that it was time to be taking the donkey and setting out
once more on their homeward walk.

"We've had a jolly day," said Oswald, as, tired but in excellent
spirits, the four at last reached the gate of Garth Avon. "Teddie's
done splendidly. I'll give him a first-class report, even for
galloping, and he deserves a good feed of oats. You girls go in; Artie
and I'll take him back to