as to puddings, we never attempted them; and shall be
very glad of something in the way of bread, for we are heartily sick of
these flat, flabby cakes.'

'Why have you only whitewashed this high middle wall half-way up,
Frank?'

'In the first place, my dear, we fell short of whitewash; and, in the
next place, we are going to set to work at once to put a few light
rafters across, and to nail felt below them, and whitewash it so as to
make a ceiling. It will make the rooms look less bare, and, what is much
more important, it will make them a great deal cooler.'

'You get milk, I hope?'

'Yes,' Charley said; 'two of the cows of the last lot papa bought are
accustomed to be milked, and Hubert and I have done it up till now; but
we shall hand them over to you, and you girls will have to learn.'

Maud and Ethel looked at each other triumphantly. 'Perhaps we know more
than you think,' Ethel said.

'Yes,' Mrs. Hardy said; 'the girls are going to be two very useful
little women. I will tell you a secret. While you boys were at work of a
morning, the girls, as you know, often walked over to Mr. Williams the
farmer's, to learn as much as they could about poultry, of which he kept
a great many. Mrs. Williams saw how anxious they were to learn to be
useful, so she offered to teach them to milk, and to manage a dairy, and
make butter and cheese. And they worked regularly, till Mrs. Williams
told me she thought that they could make butter as well as she could.
It has been a great secret, for the girls did not wish even their papa
to know, so that it might be a surprise.'

'Very well done, little girls,' Mr. Hardy said; 'it is a surprise
indeed, and a most pleasant one. Mamma kept your secret capitally, and
never as much as whispered a word to me about it.'

The boys too were delighted, for they had not tasted butter since they
arrived, and they promised readily enough to make a rough churn with the
least possible delay.

By ten o'clock the carts arrived with Sarah and the luggage, and then
there was work for the afternoon, putting up the bedsteads, and getting
everything into order. The mosquito curtains were fitted to the beds,
and all felt gratified at the thought that they should be able to set
the little bloodsuckers at defiance. The next day was Sunday, upon
which, as usual, no work was to be done. After breakfast the benches
were brought in from the bedrooms, and the men assembling, Mr. Hardy
read prayers, offering u