in's threat of speaking to Hoodie's mother was not at once carried
out. And Martin herself began to think better of it when at tea-time
Hoodie behaved herself quite respectably. The naughty mood had passed
again for the time, it seemed.

Sitting round the table in the intervals of bread-and-butter and
honey--for it was Sunday evening, "honey evening" the little boys called
it--the children chatted together pleasantly. Martin's story had greatly
impressed them.

"Weren't you frightened at first when you saw the big, big doggie,
Martin?" said Maudie.

"_Might_ have been a woof," remarked Duke, whose ideas had a knack of
getting so well lodged in his brain that it was often difficult to get
them out again.

"But there _are_ no wolfs. I told you so before," said Maudie.

"No," said Duke, "you toldened Hoodie so. You didn't tolden me."

"Well, _dear_ Duke, what does it matter?" said Magdalen, with a slight
touch of impatience in her tone. "You heard me say it, and you do go on
and on so about a thing."

Hoodie looked up with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Peoples always calls each other 'dear' whenever they doesn't like each
other," she remarked.

Maudie flashed round upon her.

"That isn't true. I do like Duke--don't I, Duke? And Hec too--don't I
love you dearly, Hec and Duke?"

The two little boys clambered down from their chairs, by slow and
ponderous degrees, and a hugging match of the three ensued.

"Children, children," cried Martin, "you know it's against the rules for
you to get down from your chairs at tea. Miss Maudie, dear, you
shouldn't encourage it."

"But Hoodie said unkind 'sings to Maudie, and we had to kiss dear
Maudie," said the little boys. "Naughty Hoodie," and they glanced round
indignantly at Hoodie.

A hard look came over Hoodie's face.

"Always naughty Hoodie," she muttered to herself. "Nobody loves Hoodie.
Nebber mind. Don't care."

"Little boys," said Martin, "you must go back to your seats and finish
your tea. And don't call Miss Hoodie naughty for nothing at all but a
little joke."

Hoodie gave a quick glance at Martin.

"Martin," she said, gravely, "if there is no woofs now, is there any
grandmothers?"

"Any grandmothers, Miss Hoodie?" repeated Martin. "How do you mean, my
dear? of course every one has a grandmother, or has had."

"Oh!" said Hoodie; "I didn't know. And is grandmothers always in
cottages?"

"Oh, you silly girl," said Maudie, laughing; "of course not. Don't y