And Maud began to skip.
"It is splendid," said she; "it almost skips of itself. I never skipped with such a skipping-rope before. It is the thing I wanted most, Philip. How came you to think of it?"
"Why," said Philip, "that was not very hard. You gave your rope to little Sally because she was a poor little girl, and her mother could not buy one for her. So I thought it was the best present I could give you, and the best surprise, and I took a walk into Linton to the toy-shop there, and though I saw all sorts of toys, I only asked for skipping-ropes, and I bought the prettiest that the shop-keeper had to sell. I am glad you like it."
"Yes, I like it very much. I could skip all day with it."
"Well, don't do that, for I want to have a hopping-race with you, and then we will try the new jump. Where is it?"
"It is just at the end of the playground, over hurdles. They are not very high, and I think I can jump over them. I know you can, and now that you are here I will try."
And Maud put her skipping-rope into the brown paper, and laid it on the bench.
"We will hop down to the hurdles, and then we will have a grand jumping-match," said Philip.
