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delighted that he had thought she was a boy.
    Nothing pleased George as much as that! „Mr Gringle - could we see your Butterfly Farm, please? We would so like to!"
    „Of course, my dear boy, of course," said Mr Gringle, and his eyes shone as if he were very pleased. „We don"t often have visitors, so it"s quite an event when somebody comes along. This way, this way!"

Chapter Six
THE BUTTERFLY FARM

    Mr Gringle led the way down the hil by a little path so overgrown that it was hardly possible to see it. Halfway down the little company heard a squealing noise - and then an excited little voice.
    „Toby, Toby! I"m here! Can I come with you?"
    „It"s Benny - and the pigling!" said Anne, amused at the little couple making their way excitedly towards them. Timmy ran to Curly and sniffed him al over, stil not quite sure that he wasn"t some kind of strange Puppy.
    „What are you doing up here?" said Toby sternly. „You know you"re not supposed to wander too far from the farm. You"l get lost one of these days, Benny."
    „Curly runned away," said Benny, looking up at his big brother with wide brown eyes.
    „You mean you wanted to find out where I"d gone so you came after me with Curly," said Toby.
    „Curly runned away, he runned fast!" said Benny, looking as if he was going to cry.
    „You"re a scoundrel, Benny," said Toby. „You make that pigling of yours an excuse for getting about al over the place. You wait til Dad hears it - you"l get such a spanking.
    Well - tail on to us now - we"re going to the Butterfly Farm. And if Curly runs away, let him!
    I"m tired of that pig."
    „I"l carry him," said Benny, and picked up the little creature in his arms. But he soon had to put him down, for Curly squealed so loudly that Timmy and Binky both leapt round him in great concern.
    „Hm - well - shal we proceed?" asked Mr Gringle, walking on in front. „Quite a party we have today."
    „Are your butterflies afraid of pigs or dogs?" asked Benny, trotting beside him. „Shal we leave them outside?"
    „Don"t ask idiotic questions, Benny," said Toby. Then he gave a cry and caught Mr Gringle"s arm. „I say sir - look at that butterfly. Don"t you want to catch it? Is it rare?"
    „No," said Mr Gringle rather coldly. „It"s a meadow-brown - very common indeed. Don"t they teach you anything at school? Fancy not knowing that!"
    „Julian, do we have any butterfly lessons?" asked Toby with a grin. „I say, Mr Gringle, what about you coming and teaching us about Cabbage Butterflies and Cauliflower Moths, and Red Admirals and Blue Captains and Peacock Butterflies and Ostrich Moths and..."
    „Don"t be an ass, Toby," said Julian, seeing that Mr Gringle had no sense of humour at all, and did not think this in the least funny. „Mr Gringle, are there many rare butterflies about here?"
    „Oh, yes, yes," said the Butterfly Man. „But not only that - there are so many of all kinds here, and it is easy to catch as many as I want for breeding purposes. One butterfly means hundreds of eggs, you know - and we hatch them out and sell them."
    He suddenly made a dart to one side, almost knocking George over. „Sorry, boy!" he said, making the others smile, „sorry! There"s a Brown Argus there - a lovely specimen, first I"ve seen this year! Stand clear, wil you."
    The children - and the dogs, too - stood stil as he tiptoed towards a small dark brown butterfly spreading its tiny wings as it sat on a flowering plant. With a swift downwards swoop the net closed over the plant, and in a trice the Butterfly Man had caught the fluttering insect. He pinched the net inwards, and showed the children the tiny creature.

    „There you are - a female Brown Argus, one of the family of the Blue Butterflies you see so often in ful summer. She"ll lay me plenty of eggs and they"l al hatch into fat little slug-like caterpil ars, and..."
    „But this isn"t a blue butterfly," said Anne, looking through the fine net. „It"s dark brown, with a row of pretty orange