I had had it for two days, and it was still at the bottom along with my
knife, a ball of string, and that piece of india-rubber I had chewed for
hours to make a pop patch. I had nearly spent it twice--the first time
on one of these large white neatly-sewn balls, with "Best Tennis"
printed upon them in blue; the second time in a pewter squirt.
I had wanted a squirt for a long time, for those things had a great
fascination for me, and I had actually entered the shop door to make my
purchase when something seemed to stop me, and I ran home.
And now I thought I would go and spend that coin.
I slipped quietly to the other window, and had a good look round, but I
could not see that boy, for if I had seen him I don't think I should
have had the heart to go, feeling sure, as I did, that he had a spite
against me. As I said, though, he was nowhere visible, so I slipped
downstairs, ran along the lane to the big gate, and walked boldly in.
There were several people about, but they took no notice of me--stout
hard-looking women, with coarse aprons tied tightly about their waists
and legs; there were men too, but all were busy in the great sheds,
where they seemed to be packing baskets, quite a mountain of which stood
close at hand.
There were high oblong baskets big enough to hold me, but besides these
there were piles upon piles of round flat baskets of two sizes, and
hanging to the side of one of the sheds great bunches of white wood
strawberry pottles, looking at a distance like some kind of giant
flower, all in elongated buds.
Close by was a cart with its shafts sticking up in the air. Farther on
a wagon with "Brownsmith" in yellow letters on a great red band; and
this I passed to go up to the house. But the door was closed, and it
was evident that every one was busy in the garden preparing the night's
load for market.
I stood still for a minute, thinking that I could not be very wrong if I
went down the garden, to see if I could find Mr Brownsmith, and my
heart began to beat fast at the idea of penetrating what was to me a
land of mystery, of which, just then, I held the silver pass-key in the
shape of that sixpence.
"I'll go," I said. "He can't be very cross;" and, plucking up courage,
but with the feeling upon me that I was trespassing, I went past the
cart, and had gone half-way by the wagon, when there was a creaking,
rattling noise of baskets, and something made a bound.