said, Crawl. There she goes with the lead on
her heels! If these maids ben't enough to drive an honest woman crazy,
my name's not Philippa Wade."

And Mistress Wade began to put things tidy in the kitchen with a
promptitude and celerity which Dorothy Denny certainly did not seem
likely to imitate. She swept up the hearth, set a chair before the
table, fresh sanded the floor and arranged the forms in rows, before
Dorothy reappeared, carefully carrying something in her apron.

"Why, thou doesn't mean to say thou'st done already?" inquired her
mistress sarcastically. "Thou'st been all across the yard while I've
done no more than sand the floor and side things for the gathering.
What's that in thine apron? one of the Queen's Majesty's jewels?"

"It's an _egg_, Mistress."

"An egg! an _egg_?" demanded Mrs Wade, with a burst of hearty laughter;
for she laughed, as she did everything else, with all her might. "Is
that all thou'st got by thy journey? Marry, but I would have tarried
another day, and fetched two! Poor Father Pulleyne! so he's but to have
one _egg_ to his supper? If them hens have laid no more, I'm a
Dutchwoman! See thou, take this duster, and dust the table and forms,
and I'll go and search for eggs. If ever a mortal woman--"

Mistress Wade was in the yard before she got further, and Dorothy was
left to imagine the end of the sentence. Before that leisurely young
woman had finished dusting the first form, the landlady reappeared with
an apronful of eggs.

"I marvel whither thou wentest for thy _egg_, Doll. Here be eighteen
thou leftest for me to gather. It's no good to bid thee be 'shamed, for
thou dost not know how, I should in thy place, I'll warrant thee.
Verily, I do marvel whatever the world's a-coming to!"

Before Mrs Wade had done more than empty her apron carefully of the
eggs, a soft rap came on the door; and she called out,--

"Come within!"

"Please, I can't reach," said a little voice.

"Open the door, Doll," said Mrs Wade; and in came three children--a
girl of nine, a boy of six, and a baby in the arms of the former.

"Well, what are you after? Come for skim milk! I've none this even."

"No, please. Please, we're come to the preaching."

"_You're_ come to the preaching? Why, you're only as big as mice, the
lot of you. Whence come you?"

"Please, we've come from Thorpe."

"You've come from Thorpe! you poor little bits of things! All that
way!" cried Mrs Wade, whose