At first "all the things that he loved best" had not seemed so very numerous.

There would, first of all, of course, be the Hottentot, a black and battered clown for whom he had long ceased to feel any affection, but he was compelled by an irritating sense of loyalty to include it in the party just as his mother might include some tiresome old maid "because she had nowhere to go to, poor thing." After the Hottentot there would be his paint-box, after the paint-box a blue writing-case, after the writing-case the family photographs (Father, Mother, Mary and Helen), after the photographs a toy pistol, after the pistol Hamlet's ball (a worsted affair rendered by now shapeless and incoherent), after the ball "Alice in Wonderland" (Mary's copy, but she didn't know), after "Alice," "Herr Baby," after "Herr Baby" the Prayer Book that Aunt Amy gave him last birthday, after the Prayer Book some dried flowers which were to be presented to Mrs.Monk, the lady of Cow Farm (this might be called carrying coals to Newcastle), after the flowers a Bible, after the Bible four walnuts (very dry and hard ones), after the walnuts some transfer papers, after the transfer papers six marbles--the box was full and more than full, and he had not included the hammer and nails that Uncle Samuel had once given him, nor the cigarette-case (innocent now of cigarettes, and transformed first into a home for walking snails, second a grave for dead butterflies, third a mouse-trap), nor the butterfly net, nor "Struuwelpeter," nor the picture of Queen Victoria cut from the chocolate-box, nor--most impossible omission of all--the toy-village.
The toy-village! What must he do about that?
Obviously impossible to take it all--and yet some of it he must have.

Mr.and Mrs.Noah and the church, perhaps--or no, Mrs.Monk would want to see the garden--it would never do not to show her the orchard with the apple-trees, and then the youngest Miss Noah! She had always seemed to Jeremy so attractive with her straight blue gown and hard red cheeks.

He must show her to Mrs.
Monk.

And the butcher's shop, and then the sheep, and the dogs and the cows! He was truly in despair.