Sylvie patiently took up the thread of the story again. `So he said "Now it's my Birthday. Whatever shall I do to keep my Birthday?" All good little Boys--' (Sylvie turned away from Bruno, and made a great pretence of whispering to me) `--all good little Boys--Boys that learn their lessons quite perfect--they always keep their birthdays, you know. So of course this little Boy kept his Birthday.'

`Oo may call him Bruno, if oo like,' the little fellow carelessly remarked. `It weren't me, but it makes it more interesting.'

`So Bruno said to himself "The properest thing to do is to have a Picnic, all by myself, on the top of the hill. And I'll take some Milk and some Bread, and some Apples: and first, and foremost, I want some Milk!" So, first, and foremost, Bruno took a milk-pail--'

`And he went and milkted the Cow!' Bruno put in.

`Yes,' said Sylvie, meekly accepting the new verb. `And the Cow said "Moo! What are you going to do with all that Milk?" And Bruno said "Please'm, I want it for my Picnic." And the Cow said "Moo! I hope you wo'n't boil any of it?" And Bruno said "No, indeed I wo'n't! New Milk's so nice and so warm, it wants no boiling!"'

`It doesn't want no boiling,' Bruno offered as an amended version.

`So Bruno put the Milk in a bottle. And then Bruno said "Now I want some Bread!" So he went to the Oven, and he took out a delicious new Loaf. And the Oven--'.

`--ever so light and so puffy!' Bruno impatiently corrected her. `Oo shouldn't leave out so many words!'

Sylvie humbly apologized. `--a delicious new Loaf, ever so light and so puffy. And the Oven said--' Here Sylvie made a long pause. `Really I don't know what an Oven begins with, when it wants to speak!'

Both children looked appealingly at me; but I could only say, helplessly, `I haven't the least idea! I never heard an Oven speak!'

For a minute or two we all sat silent; and then Bruno said, very softly, `Oven begins wiz "O".'

`Good little boy!' Sylvie exclaimed. `He does his spelling very nicely. He's cleverer than he knows!' she added, aside, to me. `So the Oven said "O! What are you going to do with all that Bread?" And Bruno said "Please--" Is an Oven "Sir" or "'m", would you say?' She looked to me for a reply.

`Both, I think,' seemed to me the safest thing to say.

Sylvie adopted the suggestion instantly. `So Bruno said "Please, Sirm, I want it for my Picnic." And the Oven said "O! But I hope you wo'n't toast any of it?" And Bruno said, "No, indeed I wo'n't! New Bread's so light and so puffy, it wants no toasting!"'

`It never doesn't want no toasting,' said Bruno. `I wiss oo wouldn't say it so short!'

`So Bruno put the Bread in the hamper. Then Bruno said "Now I want some Apples!" So he took the hamper, and he went to the Apple-Tree, and he picked some lovely ripe Apples. And the Apple-Tree said--' Here followed another long pause.

Bruno adopted his favourite expedient of tapping his forehead; while Sylvie gazed earnestly upwards, as if she hoped for some suggestion from the birds, who were singing merrily among the branches overhead. But no result followed.

`What does an Apple-Tree begin with, when it wants to speak?' Sylvie murmured despairingly, to the irresponsive birds.