It is a wonderful thing to have a birthday if you have enough kind uncles and aunts to help. Uncles must be strong enough to carry you on their shoulders like a never-tiring horse, then to change into bears which you can shoot at, and, almost before they have finished dying under the sofa, they must be ready to change into anything else you may want.
Aunts are best when they smile all the time and bring out sweets and chocolates from some hidden part of their dresses, like conjurers, just when you are tired and want to rest for a minute. Alexander liked aunts, and was always ready to beg for biscuits even when he met one of them in the middle of the street or in a shop. Uncles were all right, but rather tiring. Dogs don't always want to play games.
Well, the number of presents was perfectly delightful, and everybody had sent exactly what George wanted. But in the middle of breakfast he looked up suddenly and said: "It's Alexander's birthday too. Hasn't he got any presents?"
"What?" said Father, turning quite red in the face and forgetting that he was holding a piece of bacon on the end of his fork.
"Dear me!" said Mother, looking as if she were going to cry. "Oh, where's Nurse?"
Nurse appeared in the room at once, and when she heard that it was Alexander's birthday, do you think that she said "What?" or "Dear me?" Not at all.
She just went to the door and called: "Alex—ander!"
Alexander arrived with a rush and a bang, looking as if nothing in the world would ever surprise him.
"Alexander," said Father solemnly, "I have great pleasure in telling you that this is your birthday. I wish you many happy returns of the day!"
"Wuff!" replied Alexander, wagging his tail, and looking at Father as much as to say: "Don't keep me waiting any longer. You know how hungry I am!"