hand and hold it aside for the sake of the
bubble-blowers. And when they lifted their heads he was looking at them
so gravely that Joyce laughed, and Jessica's eyes were a question, and
Jane looked demure, and Jennifer astonished, and Joscelyn extremely
composed and indifferent. And little Joan blushed. To cover her
blushing she offered him another penny.

"I was thinking," said Martin, "how strange it is that girls are so
absolutely different."

Then six demure shadows appeared at the very corners of their mouths,
and they rose from their knees and said with one accord, "It must be
dinner-time." And it was.

"Bread is a good thing," said Martin, twirling a buttercup as he
swallowed his last crumb, "but I also like butter. Do not you, Mistress
Joscelyn?"

"It depends on who makes it," said she. "There is butter and butter."

"I believe," said Martin, "that you do not like butter at all."

"I do not like other people's butter," said Joscelyn.

"Let us be sure," said Martin. And he twirled his buttercup under her
chin. "Fie, Mistress Joscelyn!" he cried. "What a golden chin! I never
saw any one so fond of butter in all my days."

"Is it very gold?" asked Joscelyn, and ran to the duckpond to look, but
couldn't see because she was on the wrong side of the gate.

"Do I like butter?" cried Jessica.

"Do I?" cried Jennifer.

"Do I?" cried Joyce.

"Do I?" cried Jane.

"Oh, do I?" cried Joan.

"We'll soon find out," said Martin, and put buttercups under all their
chins, turn by turn. And they all liked butter exceedingly.

"Do YOU like butter, Master Pippin?" asked little Joan.

"Try me," said he.

And six buttercups were simultaneously presented to his chin, and it
was discovered that he liked butter the best of them all.

Then every girl had to prove it on every other girl, and again on
Martin one at a time, and he on them again. And in this delicious
pastime the afternoon wore by, and evening fell, and they came
golden-chinned to dinner.

Supper was scarcely ended--indeed, her mouth was still full--when
Jessica, looking straight at Martin, said, "I'm dying to swing."

"I never saved a lady's life easier," said Martin; and in one moment
she found herself where she wished to be, and in the next saw him close
beside her on the apple-bough. The five other girls went to their own
branches as naturally as hens to the roost. Joscelyn inspected them
like a captain marshalling his men, and when each was arme