you ever climb trees or sail boats in ditches?" inquired Madge,
when they had at last got on easy conversational terms with their
visitor.

Ann explained that there were only a limited number of trees in
Churchbury, and that the police forbid any interference with them. "Of
course some of the children sail their boats in the gutters after a
storm," she added; "but Mother wouldn't like us to do that. She always
makes us keep ourselves to ourselves."

"But here it's quite different!" broke in Madge. "We do just what we
like, only there is rather a fuss if we tear our clothes very badly.
You might begin on an easy tree."

"Perhaps she would like to see the pigs and cows first?" interposed
Betty, who could not help noticing that their guest showed some natural
reluctance to risk the red cashmere frock among unknown and probably
prickly branches.

Ann had been afraid to say that she did not at all wish to climb trees,
but she eagerly grasped at this chance of a reprieve, and they all set
off towards the pig-sty. Now the young Wests always regarded the
little farmyard over which Barton presided as far the most interesting
part of Beechgrove. If their mother had visitors she invariably took
them to see the greenhouses, a dull sort of entertainment, as it seemed
to the children. Certainly some people would stand for half an hour in
front of a row of pots asking questions and reading the names on wooden
labels. It seemed incredible that they should derive amusement from
this monotonous performance, so the children concluded that they did it
merely because some such absurd custom was demanded by good manners of
all guests. Now, looking at the pigs was quite a different affair.
There was some pleasure to be got out of that, and as Ann stood on
tiptoe to peep over the wooden door of the sty they felt convinced that
they were giving her an unusual treat.

Unfortunately, one has to be accustomed to pigs to appreciate them
properly. When a gigantic old sow was at last lured out of her
sleeping apartment by a shower of acorns, artfully thrown against her
flabby sides, the Wests shrieked with delight because she was followed
by her whole family.

"I never saw them all out before although they are nearly a month old,"
observed Madge, wishing delicately to impress upon the stranger that
she was unusually lucky.

"We never saw them all out before," echoed John. "You see there are
three in the trough, and one all sticky