troubles as if I wasn't fit to manage the children. And just as Miss
King has come, too. But oh dear, ma'am, I don't know _what_ to do with
Miss Hoodie and her queer ways."

"But what _is_ it, Martin? What has Hoodie been doing?" said Mrs.
Caryll, rather impatiently. "Stop crying, Hoodie. You _must_," she added
sternly, turning to the little girl, who was now regularly set agoing on
one of her roars.

Hoodie took not the slightest notice, but roared on. Her mother turned
again to Martin, shaking her head.

"No, ma'am," said Martin, "it's not the least use speaking to her. She
has wakened all the others, of course--first with that nasty creature
and then with her screaming."

"What nasty creature? For goodness' sake explain yourself, Martin."

"The cock, ma'am--the bantam cock," replied Martin, seeming quite
astonished that Mrs. Caryll did not know all about it by instinct. "Miss
Hoodie fetched it in in her basket, unbeknown to me, last night, and had
it hidden under her bed. The creature was quite quiet all night, as is
its nature, I suppose, and very likely frightened and not knowing where
it was. But this morning all of a sudden it started the most awful
screeching; it really sounded much worse than common crowing, or else it
was hearing it half in one's sleep like. I thought, to be sure, one of
those dear boys had got some awful fit. And to think it was nothing but
Miss Hoodie's naughtiness--real mischievous naughtiness." Martin
stopped, quite out of breath, and Hoodie's roars increased in violence.

"Had she really no reason for it but mischief?" said Miss King.

Martin hesitated.

"She did begin some nonsense, ma'am, about having brought it in to lay
an egg, or something like that."

"Hoodie," said Magdalen, "can't you leave off screaming and tell us
about it?"

"No," said Hoodie, stopping at once and with perfect ease, "I can't
leave off sc'eaming, and I won't. But I'll tell zou, 'cos it was for
zou. I brought the little cock in to lay a egg for zour breakfast, 'cos
zou said zou likened zem kite fresh, and now Martin's spoilt it all. Of
course it c'owed to tell me it was going to lay the egg, and now it
won't. It's all spoilt, and I _must_ sc'eam."

True to her determination she set to work again and roared so that it
was almost impossible to hear one's voice.

"What _shall_ we do with her?" said her mother.

"May I take her to my room?" said Cousin Magdalen. "It is farther away
from the other chil