He filled his basket with them in great triumph, and then sat down under a tree to wait for Humphrey's return.
The early morning air was rather fresh, and he began to feel a little cold without his flannel shirt. His feet, too, were very wet, and he got up to take a little run to warm himself. He caught sight of Humphrey coming towards him, and ran to meet him.
"Oh, Humphie! I've got such a lot, and such beauties! Come and see them under the tree."
"Look here!" said Humphrey, holding up his basket; "did you ever see such a quantity?"
Miles looked a little nervously at the white exteriors of Humphrey's mushrooms.
"You haven't been picking fungus, I hope?" exclaimed Humphrey, stopping short.
"Oh, no!" said Miles, quickly--"at least I don't think I have," he added doubtfully, "But what _is_ fungus, Humphie?"
"Toadstools," answered Humphrey, "horrid big yellow toads; there are lots of them about in the fields. Where are they, Miles? Show them to me, quick!"
"They're under the trees," said Miles; and both boys set off running.
"Toads, every one!" proclaimed Humphrey, emptying the basket on the ground. "Not one mushroom in the lot. Why, Miles! do you know they're poison?"
Miles stood aghast--the awe of the announcement completely softening the disappointment.
"It's lucky I saw them before they were cooked," continued Humphrey, in a tone of great solemnity; "fancy, if all the wild men had been poisoned! It would have been your fault."
"Oh, Humphie!" said little Miles, in terror, "let's throw them away."
"We'll smash them," said Humphrey; "and that'll do as well."
So they made a heap of the fungus, and stamped upon them till their shoes and stockings were covered with the nasty compound.
"What will Virginie say?" laughed Humphrey, as he looked at his legs.
"What _will_ she say?" echoed Miles, delighted. Suddenly he stopped short. "Humphie! I never said my prayers!"
"What shall we do? We shall have to go home. It wouldn't be right, I suppose, to say them out of doors?"
"No harm at all," said Humphrey; "let's say them under the tree."
And, suiting the action to the word, with his usual promptitude, Humphrey knelt down; but he was up again directly.
"I was going to tell you, Miles, that we'd better take off our hats while we say them; every one does when they go to church; which, of course, you don't know, as you're too young to go there."