"Oh, no! it wouldn't be half the fun. Don't you remember the man in the story crawled along the branch that stretched over the water? Well, this tree has a branch hanging right over the pond; and I want to crawl along it, like he did."
"Hadn't we better ask Virginie if we may go all that way alone?" suggested Miles, in the vain hope of putting off the evil moment.
Humphrey, however, did not see the force of this argument, and so they started off.
It was a very hot day, and after they had got out of the farm-yard there was no shade at all.
Humphrey skipped through the meadows and over the gates, and Miles followed him as quickly as he could, but the sun was very hot on his head, and he soon got wearied and fell back.
Humphrey did not perceive how languidly his little brother was following him, till a faint cry from behind reached him.
"Humphie, please stop; I can't keep up to you."
Instantly he ran back.
"I'm so tired, Humphie, and so hot, shall we go home?"