"What does _mine_ mean, Jimmum?"

"A great big hole, I guess. See here, Eddo, let's go in the house and
find Maggie."

"Yes," chimed in Edith, "let's go find Maggie. There's a _beau_-tiful
picture book in mamma's drawer. You just ask Maggie and she'll show you
the picture of those nice little guinea-pigs."

Though very young, Eddo was acute enough to see through this little
manoeuvre. It was not the first time the other children had tried to get
him out of the way. They wanted to go to see a charming "great big hole"
somewhere, and they thought he would fall into it and get hurt. They
were always thinking such things--so stupid of them! They thought he
used to run after "choo choos" and talk to them, when of course he never
did it; 'twas some other little boy.

"I want to go with Jimmum," said he, stoutly. "You ought to not go
'thout me! _I_ shan't talk to that mine. _I_ shan't say, 'Come, little
mine, Eddo won't hurt oo.' No, no, not me! I shan't say nuffin', and I
shan't fall in the hole needer. So there! H'm! 'm! 'm!"

It was not easy to resist his pleading. Perhaps Aunt Vi saw how matters
were, for she appeared just then, bearing the news that she and Uncle
James were going to drive, and would like to take one of the children.

"And Eddo is the one we want. He is so small that he can sit on the seat
between us. Aren't the rest of you willing to give him up just for this
morning? He can go to walk with you another time."