f another side of the
question.

"Will it be very long?" asked Poppy, in a piteous little voice.
Esther took out her watch. "Four and a half hours to tea-time, I am
afraid," she said reluctantly. She could not bear to doom her sisters to
such a spell of waiting, it seemed really too dreadful; and so they all
thought as they groaned aloud.

"Can I go home and pretend to Anna we want more lunch, we are so hungry
to-day?" suggested Penelope.

"I am sure she would think we were ill, and make us all come home at
once," said Esther, laughing, "and perhaps make us go to bed. She gave us
such a lot we couldn't possibly be hungry if we ate it all."

"I have a penny," said Angela. "Shall we go and buy four tea-cakes at
Mrs. Vercoe's? That will be one each, and better than nothing."
Better than nothing indeed! One of Mrs. Vercoe's tea-cakes seemed then
the most desirable thing in the world--except two.

They were all starting off when Angela exclaimed again, "Oh, and I've
thought of something else. If I could creep into the garden without being
seen, and get to the fowls' house, I believe I should find an egg in
Fluffikin's nest."

"One raw egg between four wouldn't be much good," said Penelope
hopelessly. "It isn't worth going for."

"But I didn't mean that, I didn't mean to eat it. I meant to take it to
Mrs. Vercoe's, and sell it. I dare say she would give me a penny for it,
and that would buy four more tea-cakes."

The suggestion was pronounced a noble one, and hailed with joy, and in
another moment they were all running in the direction of home as fast as
they could go.

"I feel like a thief myself," said Angela, as she crept out of the garden
again, and rejoined them, a beautiful great egg in her hand.

"I wish I knew who stole our food," said Esther, "I should feel much
happier. I don't like to tell, yet I don't think it is right to say
nothing about it."

It was a knotty problem, and lasted them all the time they were skirting
the end of the garden and crossing the moor, until they came out close to
Mrs. Vercoe's shop.

What had not occurred to any of them was that there might be any one else
in the shop, and least of all that it should be any one they knew.
And this was exactly what did happen.

The four of them walking quickly in at the door, as into a haven of refuge
reached at last, found themselves face to face with Cousin Charlotte.

It was so unexpected that for a moment they wavered, and