II + 

And then there was Mr.┬аGreen. Mr.┬аGreen was like God in that you couldnтАЩt see him, but to Vernon he was very real. He knew, for instance, exactly what Mr.┬аGreen looked likeтБатАФof middle height, rather stout, a faint resemblance to the village grocer who sang an uncertain baritone in the village choir, bright red cheeks and mutton chop whiskers. His eyes were blue, a very bright blue. The great thing about Mr.┬аGreen was that he playedтБатАФhe loved playing. Whatever game Vernon thought of, that was just the game that Mr.┬аGreen loved to play. There were other points about him. He had, for instance, a hundred children. And three others. The hundred, in VernonтАЩs mind, were kept intact, a joyous mob that raced down the yew alleys behind Vernon and Mr.┬аGreen. But the three others were different. They were called by the three most beautiful names that Vernon knew: Poodle, Squirrel and Tree. + 

Vernon was, perhaps, a lonely little boy, but he never knew it. Because, you see, he had Mr.┬аGreen and Poodle, Squirrel and Tree to play with. + 