th a start, and prayed for our
Sovereign Lord King William.

Fly played that she was a princess, but she always stopped pretending
when the Litany came. Not that she understood the strange petitions,
but she felt when she had repeated them all that there was no calamity
left that had not been prayed against.

The sermon was the most wearisome part for them all. When the text was
given out Jane read the Bible. Nebuchadnezzar was her favourite
character. She pictured the fun he must have had prancing round in the
grass playing he was a horse or a cow. Mick read the hymn-book, Fly
fell in love with the prince whom she saved up for the sermon, while
Patsy and Honeybird built a ship of hassocks, and sailed as pirates to
unknown seas.

One Sunday morning they had just settled themselves in their
seats--Jane had discovered what looked like a mushroom under the
carpet, and was waiting for the general confession that she might see
if it would peel--when the vestry door opened, and, instead of the
familiar little figure in a surplice trailing on the ground, that had
tottered in as long as the children could remember, a strange clergyman
came in. He began the service in a loud voice that startled them, and
read the prayers so quickly that the people were on their feet again
before Jane had half peeled the mushroom.

When he came to the Psalms he glared at the children till Jane thought
he was going to scold her for not reading too. She had not listened to
hear what morning of the month it was, but she got so frightened that
she had to pretend to be reading by opening and shutting her mouth.
But it was worse when he came to the sermon. Jane, who had not dared
to go back once to the mushroom, but had followed his movements all
through the service, saw with horror when he went into the pulpit that
Patsy and Honeybird had forgotten that he was not Mr Rannigan, and were
stowing away all the books they could reach in the hold of their pirate
ship. She reached over the back of the pew to poke Honeybird, but at
that moment a loud voice startled her.

"Except ye be converted ye shall all likewise perish," the clergyman
said. Then, fixing his eyes on a thin woman, who sat near the pulpit,
he repeated the text in a louder tone.

"Do you know what that means?" he said, pointing to Miss Green. "It
means that you will go to hell."

"What has she done?" Jane wondered. But the preacher had turned round,
and was pointing to ol