"There be six of us," he said, "and times be bad, and feyther he won't go for a soldier, and mother she lams it into him he oughter."
"Of course he ought," said Freda; "our father went out to fight in Egypt somewhere, and he's been killed."
The small boy did not seem impressed, but he told them he was "fair famished."
"Now sit down, and we'll give you something to eat and drink. You first, Daffy."
So Daffy with great pride pulled out of her pocket a small china cup and her medicine bottle of water.
She filled the cup solemnly and presented it to him.
He looked at it, took a gulp, then pitched the cup on the grass, and Freda declared afterwards that he used a "wicked swear" word.
"I didn't come up 'ere in the bloomin' heat to be fooled," he said.
Freda and Daffy looked quite frightened.
Freda hastily produced some slices of cold roast mutton in a paper parcel.