The marrons glacés were arranged neatly in a beautiful box; the box was wrapped in paper of one colour, and then further wrapped in paper of another colour, and finally bound in pink ribbon.
'Golly!' murmured Henry in amaze, for Tom had put down a large silver coin in payment, and received no change.
They came out, Henry carrying the parcel.
'But will they do me any harm?' the boy asked apprehensively.
The two cousins had reached Hyde Park, and were lying on the grass, and Tom had invited Henry to begin the enterprise of eating his birthday present.
'Harm! I should think not. They are the best things out for the constitution. Not like sweets at all. Doctors often give them to patients when they are getting better. And they're very good for sea-sickness too.'
So Henry opened the box and feasted. One half of the contents had disappeared within twenty minutes, and Tom had certainly not eaten more than two marrons.
'They're none so dusty!' said Henry, perhaps enigmatically. 'I could go on eating these all day.'
A pretty girl of eighteen or so wandered past them.
'Nice little bit of stuff, that!' Tom remarked reflectively.