at the buds near the ends of the
mulberry branches were opening.

As she and Pierre drove the flock of goats down the steep mountain trail
which led from the plateau where the pasture lay she glanced across the
valley. Against the blue sky a tracery of delicate green was showing.

"Pierre!" she cried, "see! The mulberry buds are awaking! Look! Do you
not catch that bit of color against the clouds? We will wait no longer.
Let us tell Mother to take the silkworm eggs out of the dark room and
put them where it is light. Soon there will be plenty of new leaves.
Hurrah, Pierre!"

With a rush Marie bounded past her brother and ran down the narrow path
scattering the goats before her in every direction, and sending Hector
racing homeward with yelps of delight.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER II

THE SILK-HOUSE

Marie's prediction proved a true one, for within another fortnight the
mulberry buds were tipped with green, and it was evident they would be
in leaf with the coming of a few more days of warm sunshine.

"Our silk-growing will begin in earnest now," declared Madame Bretton,
"and before it does I think we'd better take one last careful survey of
the silk-house to make sure that everything is all right."

From a peg over the fireplace she took down a key, and going out,
crossed the lawn to a building which stood opposite. The children danced
after her, entering the silent structure with prancing steps. Once
inside, however, they stopped their skipping as if automatically and
instead began creeping softly about on their tiptoes. Then Pierre
glanced up and laughed.

"I declare if we are not as quiet as though the silkworms were here
already," said he.

His mother smiled.

"It is force of habit," she answered. "We always have to be so quiet
when they are here that it is hard to remember there is no need for the
precaution when the building is empty. How odd it is that their hearing
should be so acute! No one who has not had the care of silkworms can
realize the disastrous results of startling them."

"Father once told me he had known of a lot of silkworms that stopped
eating and died because a sudden noise frightened them," observed
Pierre.

"Such a calamity is not at all unusual, Pierre," returned his mother.
"And more than that, if anything alarms them after they have begun to
spin they will frequently snap the thread of their cocoon and refuse to
spin any more; if they do continue the interruption caus