went downstairs.
At tea Jane appeared with a grave face.
"We'll play church after tea," she said, "an' I'll be the preacher."
They arranged the chairs for pews. Patsy rang the dinner bell. Fly
was the organist, and played on the table. Jane leant over the back of
an arm-chair to preach.
"Mind ye," she said, "I'm not making fun. I'm converted, an' ye've all
got to get converted too, or ye'll go to hell for iver and iver. An'
ye can't think about for iver an' iver, for it's for iver, an' then
it's for iver after that, till it hurts yer head to go on thinkin' any
more. We'll all have to quit bein' bad, an' niver fight any more an'
tell no lies an' niver think a cross word, an' if we say our prayers
God'll give us an insurance, an' then we'll be good for iver after."
Then she read a chapter out of the Bible. But it was not a part the
others liked--about Daniel or Joseph or Moses and the plagues--it was a
chapter of Revelation. They listened patiently to that, but when Jane
said she was going to pray Patsy got up.
"I'm tired," he said, "an' I don't want to get converted. I don't
believe that ould boy knowed what he was talkin' about. Andy Graham
said he was bletherin' when I told him about us all goin' to hell."
Fly and Honeybird said they wanted to paint, so Jane came out of the
pulpit.
"Ye'll just have to get converted by yer own selves," she said, "for
I'm not goin' to help ye any more."
When they went to bed Jane read the Bible to herself, and was such a
long time saying her prayers that Fly thought she had gone to sleep,
and tried to wake her.
"I'm niver goin' to be cross any more," she said as she got into bed.
The next day was wet, so wet that Lull would not allow them to go out.
Jane began the morning by making clothes for Bloody Mary, Honeybird's
doll. But Honeybird would have the clothes made as she liked. Though
Jane tried to persuade her that Bloody Mary had worn a ruff and not a
bustle Honeybird insisted on the bustle, and would not have the ruff.
At last Jane said she would make the clothes her own way or not at all.
"Then ye needn't make them at all," said Honeybird, picking up Bloody
Mary, and going out of the room.
When she got to the door she added, over her shoulder:
"Girney-go-grabby, the cat's cousin," and ran.
But Jane was at her heels, and caught her at the foot of the stairs.
She pulled Bloody Mary from under Honeybird's arm.
"I'll make a ruff, an' sew it o
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