In the Market

The strawberries took my attention, though, most, for I felt quite a
feeling of sorrow for Old Brownsmith as I saw what seemed to me to be
such a glut of the rich red fruit that I was sure those which we had
brought up would not sell.

How delicious they smelt in the old-fashioned pottles which we never see
now--long narrow cones, with a cross-handle, over which, when filled, or
supposed to be filled, for a big strawberry would block up the narrow
part of the cone at times, a few leaves were placed, and then a piece of
white paper was tied over with a bit of bast. Nowadays deep and shallow
punnets are the order of the day, and a good thing too.

Flowers! There seemed to me enough to last London for a month; and I
was going, after a look round, to tell Ike that I was afraid we should
have to take our load back, when I felt a heavy thump on the back of my
head, which knocked off my cap.

Nothing annoyed me more as a boy than for my cap to be knocked off.
Shock knew that, and it had been one of his favourite tricks, so that I
knew, as I thought, whence this piece of annoyance had come, and,
picking up the small hard cabbage that had been thrown, I determined to
avenge myself by sending it back with a good aim.

True enough there was Master Shock, lying flat on his chest with his
chin resting in his hands, and his feet kicking up behind, now going up
and down, now patting together, for he had taken off his boots.