the greensward, and by some of these fires were burning, with pots
hanging over them gipsy fashion. Dick explained to me that there
were scattered houses in the forest, and indeed we caught a glimpse
of one or two. He said they were mostly quite small, such as used to
be called cottages when there were slaves in the land, but they were
pleasant enough and fitting for the wood.

"They must be pretty well stocked with children," said I, pointing to
the many youngsters about the way.

"O," said he, "these children do not all come from the near houses,
the woodland houses, but from the country-side generally. They often
make up parties, and come to play in the woods for weeks together in
summer-time, living in tents, as you see. We rather encourage them
to it; they learn to do things for themselves, and get to notice the
wild creatures; and, you see, the less they stew inside houses the
better for them. Indeed, I must tell you that many grown people will
go to live in the forests through the summer; though they for the
most part go to the bigger ones, like Windsor, or the Forest of Dean,
or the northern wastes. Apart from the other pleasures of it, it
gives them a little rough work, which I am sorry to say is getting
somewhat scarce for these last fifty years."

He broke off, and then said, "I tell you all this, because I see that
if I talk I must be answering questions, which you are thinking, even
if you are not speaking them out; but my kinsman will tell you more
about it."

I saw that I was likely to get out of my depth again, and so merely
for the sake of tiding over an awkwardness and to say something, I