"We're not like cats and girls, who are always washing," added Pickle. "Do give us our tea. We're so hungry and thirsty!"
"But you haven't said grace!" said Esther, whereupon the boys began to laugh.
"Grown-up people don't say grace now. It's not the fashion. But fire away if you want to. Crump used to make us try, but we always burst out laughing in the middle, so we gave it up."
Esther said grace gravely, and the boys did not laugh that time. Then she helped them to what they wanted, regarding them rather in the light of wild animals, upon whose next acts there was no depending. And yet it was rather interesting, and she wanted to know more about them and their odd ways.
"Why do you call your father Crump?" she asked tentatively.
"Well, we have to call him something," said Pickle, with his mouth full, and they both began to giggle.
"It's my name," said Puck, after a short pause. "I thought of it in bed one night. We laughed for nearly an hour afterwards. We've called him it ever since."
"Does he like it?"
They stared at her round-eyed and amazed.
"I don't know. We never asked him. We've always got some name for him. You've got to call people something."