“But I want to find the cuckoo,” said the little boy.  “I do so want to find the cuckoo.”

His voice sounded almost as if he were going to cry, and his pretty, hot, flushed face puckered up.  Griselda’s heart smote her; she looked at him more carefully.  He was such a very little boy, after all; she did not like to be cross to him.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Five and a bit.  I had a birthday after the summer, and if I’m good, nurse says perhaps I’ll have one after next summer too.  Do you ever have birthdays?” he went on, peering up at Griselda.  “Nurse says she used to when she was young, but she never has any now.”

“Have you a nurse?” asked Griselda, rather surprised; for, to tell the truth, from “Master Phil’s” appearance, she had not felt at all sure what sort of little boy he was, or rather what sort of people he belonged to.

“Of course I have a nurse, and a mother too,” said the little boy, opening wide his eyes in surprise at the question.  “Haven’t you?  Perhaps you’re too big, though.  People leave off having nurses and mothers when they’re big, don’t they?  Just like birthdays.  But I won’t.  I won’t never leave off having a mother, any way.  I don’t care so much about nurse and birthdays, not kite so much.  Did you care when you had to leave off, when you got too big?”

“I hadn’t to leave off because I got big,” said Griselda sadly.  “I left off when I was much littler than you,” she went on, unconsciously speaking as Phil would best understand her.  “My mother died.”

“I’m werry sorry,” said Phil; and the way in which he said it quite overcame Griselda’s unfriendliness.  “But perhaps you’ve a nice nurse.  My nurse is rather nice; but she will ’cold me to-day, won’t she?” he added, laughing, pointing to the terrible rents in his garments.  “These are my very oldestest things; that’s a good thing, isn’t it?  Nurse says I don’t look like Master Phil in these, but when I have on my blue welpet, then I look like Master Phil.  I shall have my blue welpet when mother comes.”

“Is your mother away?” said Griselda.

“Oh yes, she’s been away a long time; so nurse came here to take care of me at the farmhouse, you know.  Mother was ill, but she’s better now, and some day she’ll come too.”

“Do you like being at the farmhouse?  Have you anybody to play with?” said Griselda.

Phil shook his curly head.  “I never have anybody to play with,” he said.  “I’d like to play with you if you’re not too big.  And do you think you could help me to find the cuckoo?” he added insinuatingly.

“What do you know about the cuckoo?” said Griselda.

“He called me,” said Phil, “he called me lots of times; and to-day nurse was busy, so I thought I’d come.  And do you know,” he added mysteriously, “I do believe the cuckoo’s a fairy, and when I find him I’m going to ask him to show me the way to fairyland.”