ing up in its turn, as the moon had done a few hours before, the
queer quaint patterns on the old chintz curtains. And down below in the
yard Farmer Denny's young cock was busy telling all its companions, and
little Lena as well, if she chose to listen, that it was time to be up
and about."

Magdalen stopped.

"Is that all?" said Maudie.

Hoodie said nothing, but stared up for her answer.

"I don't know," said their cousin.

"You don't know?" said Maudie. "Cousin Magdalen, you're joking."

"No, indeed I'm not. I really don't know. I daresay there's lots more if
I had time to tell it you. The little man told her there were lots and
lots more things to show her."

"Did her ever go back again?" asked Hoodie gravely.

"I hope so--I think so," said Magdalen. "But I don't think she ever went
back quite the same way."

Hoodie stared harder. Maudie looked up with a puzzled face.

"Cousin Magdalen," she said, "I believe after all you've been taking us
in. There is something in the story that means something else. How do
you mean that Lena went back again to the brownies' country?"

"I mean," said Magdalen, "that it was the country of fancy-land--a
country we may all go to, if----"

"If what, please?"

"If we keep good and kind and sweet and pretty feelings in our hearts,"
said Magdalen, slowly, and a little gravely. "But if we let ugly things
in--crossness, idleness, and selfishness, and ugly creatures like
that--the pretty fairies will never come near us to fetch us away to see
their treasures. The brownies would not let untidy or ill-tempered
children into their neat little nests of houses. And even if such
children _did_ get into fairy-land or fancy-land--whichever you like to
call it, where there are such numberless beautiful and strange
things--it would not be fairy-land to them, because their poor little
eyes would be blind, and their poor little ears deaf."

"I think I understand," said Maudie, "and some day perhaps, Cousin
Magdalen, you'll tell us some more about Lena."

"Perhaps," said Magdalen, smiling.

But Hoodie said nothing, only stared harder up in her cousin's face with
her big blue eyes.

And Hec and Duke, who had been amusing themselves since the story was
over and the talking had begun, by sticking daisies on to a thorn,
trotted up to Cousin Magdalen to kiss her and say, "Zank zou for the
pitty story."

[Illustration: Hec and Duke ... sticking daisies on to a thorn]

CHAPTER VII.