Now, what next ?" "I did want some strawberries," I said, "but--" "Where's your basket, my hearty ?" I replied that I had not brought one.
"You're a pretty fellow," he said.

"I can't tie strawberries up in a bunch.

Why didn't you bring a basket?
Oh, I see; you want to carry 'em inside ?" "No," I said shortly, for he seemed now unpleasantly familiar, and the garden was not half so agreeable as I had expected.
However he seemed to be quite good-tempered now, and giving me a nod and a jerk of his head, which meant--"This way," he went down a path, cut a great rhubarb leaf, and turned to me.
"Here, catch hold," he cried; "here's one of nature's own baskets.

Now let's see if there's any strawberries ripe." I saw that he was noticing me a good deal as we went along another path towards where the garden was more open, but I kept on in an independent way, smelling the pinks from time to time, till we came to a great square bed, all straw, with the great tufts of the dark green strawberry plants standing out of it in rows.

The leaves looked large, and glistened in the sunshine, and every here and there I could see the great scarlet berries shining as if they had been varnished, and waiting to be picked.
"Ah, thief!" shouted my guide, as a blackbird flew out of the bed, uttering its loud call.