, "she wasn't dirty. She was poor, but she wasn't
dirty."

"You said she was once," said Hoodie.

"Well, I didn't mean dirty, really. I meant she looked so, because her
clothes were so old. And any way the lady did kiss her, and then she was
so kind. She had never thought of having given Lizzie the money. It was
some she had put up to pay a bill with, and she had meant to put it in
her other purse, and when she couldn't find it, she thought she had lost
it somehow. And though she was sorry, of course it didn't matter so very
much. And she said if she had known she would have written a letter to
the coffee woman to tell her to spend it for warm clothes for poor
Lizzie. But after all, it all turned out nice. The lady was very kind to
Lizzie after that, and paid for her going to school and being taught all
nice things, so that when she got a little bigger she was a very nice
servant. I think it said in the story that she learnt to be a nurse, and
she was a very kind nurse always."

"Like Martin?" said Duke.

"Yes," said Maudie.

"Perhaps she was even kinder than Martin," suggested Hec. "Perhaps she
was _awful_ kind."

"Nobody could be kinder than Martin, except when we're naughty," said
Duke, reproachfully.

"Don't you think we should all thank Maudie for telling us such a nice
story?" said Magdalen. "_I_ thank her very much."

"So do I," said Duke.

"And me," said Hec.

"And me," said Hoodie, "only I want to tell a story too."

"We're all ready to listen," said Miss King. "But it mustn't be _very_
long. I've to go out with your mother this afternoon, so I must write
some letters before luncheon. And Hec and Duke have stories to tell,
too, haven't they? So fire away, Hoodie."

CHAPTER VIII.

HOODIE'S FOUNDLING.

"I almost think a robin
To a fairy I prefer."

Hoodie gazed round her condescendingly.

"I've such lots of stories in my head," she said. "They knock against
each other. Well--I think I'll tell you a story of two little goblins.
They lived in a star, and they were just e'zackly like each other. As
like as two pins, or as like as a pin is to itself if you look at it in
the looking-glass. They lived all alone in the star, and all day they
stayed asleep like we do all night, but all night they were awake like
we are all day, 'cos you see all day the star was shut up--like a shop,
you know, only with curtains all round--all the stars are shut up like
that all day, you know, and