"We don't care to go with them, much," said Floss, "they don't understand our plays. We like best to go with you, nursie, and you to sit down with your sewing near--that's the nicest way. Oh, nurse," she exclaimed, with sudden eagerness, "wouldn't you let us go alone? You can peep out of the window and see us every few minutes, and we'll be so good." Nurse looked out of the window doubtfully. "Couldn't you play in the garden at the back, instead?" she said. "Your papa and mamma won't be home till late, and I am always in a terror of any harm happening while they are away." "We won't let any harm happen," said Floss, "and we are _so_ tired of the garden, nurse. There is nothing to play at there. The little waves are so pretty this morning." There was certainly very little to play at in the green, at the back of the house, which was called the garden. Being so near the sea, the soil was so poor, that hardly any flowers would grow, and even the grass was coarse and lumpy. Then there were no trees, and what is a garden without trees? Nurse looked out of the window again. "Well," she said, "if you will really be very good, I think I might trust you. Now, Master Carrots, you will promise to do exactly what Miss Floss tells you?" "Yes, I promise," said Carrots, who had been listening with great anxiety, though he had not hitherto spoken--he was not a great talker--"I promise, nurse. I will do exactly what Floss tells me, and Floss will do exactly what I tell her, won't you, Floss? So we shall both be _kite_ good, that way, won't we?" "Very well," said nurse gravely, though she felt very much inclined to laugh, "then run and get your things as fast as you can." And, oh, how happy the two were when they found themselves out on the shore all alone! They were so happy, they did not know what to do; so first of all, they ran races to run away a little of the happiness. And when they had run themselves quite hot, they sat down on a little heap of stones to consider what they should do next. They had no spades with them, for they did not care very much about digging; children who live always by the sea never care so much about digging as the little visitors who come down in the summer, and whose very first idea at the sight of the sea is "spades and buckets." "What shall we play at, Carrots?" said Floss, "I wish it was warm enough to paddle." Carrots looked at the little soft rippling waves, contemplatively. "When I'm a man," he said, "I shall paddle _always_. I shall paddle in winter too. When I'm a man I won't have no nurse." "Carrots," said Floss, reproachfully, "that isn't good of you. Think how kind nurse is." "Well, then," replied Carrots, slowly, "I _will_ have her, but she must let me paddle always, when I'm a man." "When you are a man, Carrots," said Floss, solemnly still, "I hope you will have something better to do than paddling. Perhaps you'll be a soldier, like Jack."