She enjoyed the skipping very much and when she reached the little gate she opened it and went through because she heard a low, peculiar whistling sound and wanted to find out what it was.
It was a very strange thing indeed.

She quite caught her breath as she stopped to look at it.

A boy was sitting under a tree, with his back against it, playing on a rough wooden pipe.

He was a funny looking boy about twelve.

He looked very clean and his nose turned up and his cheeks were as red as poppies and never had Mistress Mary seen such round and such blue eyes in any boy's face.