"He's a stupid little thing," said Loo.
Lena was silent. "He's not like other children," she said, after a minute, "but how can he be? Mother says he has never had any jolly times or any children to play with."
"O, well," said Sydney carelessly, "he's got Madge and Johnny now, and that ought to be enough." And then he forgot all about Walter in the interest of fixing his wheel.
Meanwhile Walter went slowly back again through the garden, his heart full of bitter disappointment. He did so want to see that wheel! He had been dreaming about it all night, for he had known that it was to be fixed and tried the next day. He had been watching for an opportunity ever since Sydney and his sisters had gone to the stream. It came when nurse went indoors with Johnny, and Madge got sulky and buried herself in a picture-book. That was the moment when he stole away unobserved. If only he could have had one peep! He wouldn't have touched it, not for the world; he only wanted to look at the wonderful thing, and to see if he could perhaps make one some day. He would like to try now, but he was not allowed to have a knife, and he did not know where to get wood. Then when he went home there would be no stream and no new sorts of play.
Just then he heard Madge calling him.
"Come here and play, Walter," she said. "I'll be a bear among the trees and I'll run out and catch you."
"I don't like that game, Madge," said he; "you roar so loud and then I think it really is a bear."
"You baby!" said she. "Well, Johnny and nurse will play and you can run away."
No, he could not do that. He would play too, and try to remember all the time that it was only Madge roaring among the trees and not really a bear.