Winikin thought to reach the hills in about five minutes, but at a turn in the road little Goldlocks kept trundling on his hoop faster than before.
Winikin suspected they were not taking the shortest road to the hills, but fearing Goldlocks would win the game he sped after him as fast as he could.
At length Winikin stopped and was panting for breath. Goldlocks laughed and stopped, too, saying, “There’s enough of hoop-trundling!” and he flung them over a hedge into a neighbouring field. “Now we’ll stop and rest and play at marbles.”
Then he drew from his pocket some pearls as large and round as other children’s marbles and Winikin, who dearly loved this game, could not resist playing.
“I have come along so fast,” he said to himself, “that no time will be lost.”
It was now high noon and the sun had grown so hot that Winikin felt tired and thirsty.
“Let us go into this wood and gather strawberries,” said Goldlocks.
Winikin thought the idea was excellent, so he said, “Yes, we shall get on faster after we have eaten some fruit.”
Accordingly, the little boys went into the wood, and, in about five minutes, Goldlocks had gathered enough strawberries to fill Winikin’s hat. They were larger and more delicious than any he had ever tasted before.
When Winikin had eaten his fill, he wished to go on.