‘That is the most practical suggestion you have made yet for getting out of the garden,’ she remarked cheerfully; ‘Claude and I are collecting money for the Children’s Fresh Air Fund, and we are seeing which of us can collect the biggest sum.’

‘I shall be very glad to contribute half a crown, very glad indeed,’ said Mrs Stossen, digging that coin out of the depths of a receptacle which formed a detached outwork of her toilet.

‘Claude is a long way ahead of me at present,’ continued Matilda, taking no notice of the suggested offering; ‘you see, he’s only eleven, and has golden hair, and those are enormous advantages when you’re on the collecting job. Only the other day a Russian lady gave him ten shillings. Russians understand the art of giving far better than we do. I expect Claude will net quite twenty-five shillings this afternoon; he’ll have the field to himself, and he’ll be able to do the pale, fragile, not-long-for-this-world business to perfection after his raspberry trifle experience. Yes, he’ll be quite two pounds ahead of me by now.’

With much probing and plucking and many regretful murmurs the beleaguered ladies managed to produce seven-and-sixpence between them.

‘I am afraid this is all we’ve got,’ said Mrs Stossen.

Matilda showed no sign of coming down either to the earth or to their figure.

‘I could not do violence to my conscience for anything less than ten shillings,’ she announced stiffly.

Mother and daughter muttered certain remarks under their breath, in which the word ‘beast’ was prominent, and probably had no reference to Tarquin.

‘I find I have got another half-crown,’ said Mrs Stossen in a shaking voice; ‘here you are. Now please fetch some one quickly.’

Matilda slipped down from the tree took possession of the donation, and proceeded to pick up a handful of over-ripe medlars from the grass at her feet. Then she climbed over the gate and addressed herself affectionately to the boar-pig.

‘Come, Tarquin, dear old boy; you know you can’t resist medlars when they’re rotten and squashy.’

Tarquin couldn’t. By dint of throwing the fruit in front of him at judicious intervals Matilda decoyed him back to his sty, while the delivered captives hurried across the paddock.

‘Well, I never! The little minx!’ exclaimed Mrs Stossen when she was safely on the high road. ‘The animal wasn’t savage at all, and as for the ten shillings, I don’t believe the Fresh Air Fund will see a penny of it!’

There she was unwarrantably harsh in her judgment. If you examine the books of the fund you will find the acknowledgement: ‘Collected by Miss Matilda Cuvering, 2s. 6d.’.