n tight," she said grimly.

Honeybird began to cry. Jane was just going to give her back the doll
when Fly appeared at the top of the stairs, and looked over the
banisters.

"Let her alone," said Fly.

"Shut up," said Jane.

"I thought ye were converted," said Fly. In a minute Jane was at the
top of the stairs, and slaps and howls told that Fly's remark was
answered.

There was nothing Fly hated so much as being slapped. If they had
fought properly, and she had been beaten, she would not have minded so
much, but when Jane slapped her she felt she was degraded.

Having punished her Jane walked slowly downstairs. When she got to the
last step she looked up. Fly spat over the banister.

"Cat!" Jane yelled running up the stairs again two at a time; but Fly
raced down the passage, and was just in time to shut and lock the
nursery door in Jane's face.

"All right, me girl," Jane shouted through the keyhole. "You wait an'
see what ye'll get when ye come out."

"I'm not coming out," said Fly, "I'm goin' to see what ye've got in yer
drawer."

Jane went down to the schoolroom. No one was there. Honeybird had
gone to play in the kitchen. She sat down, with her elbows on the
table, her head in her hands.

"It wasn't my fault," she muttered--"I didn't want to fight--but I'll
kill her now when I catch her. I don't care. God had no business to
let her spit at me, an' I will just kill her."

Soon she heard Fly coming downstairs, and got under the table to wait
for her. Fly pushed the door open, looked in, then came in, and shut
the door behind her. She went up to the bookcase, and was looking for
a book when, with a yell of fury, Jane pounced on her. Jane thumped on
Fly's back and Fly tore Jane's hair. They rolled over on the ground,
biting and thumping, till Jane was on the top. She held Fly down, and
very deliberately slapped her, counting the slaps out loud, six times
on each hand. "That's for spittin'," she said as she got up.

Fly sobbed on the floor. Lull came in to lay the table for dinner.

"'Deed, ye ought to be ashamed a' yerselves," she said, "fightin' like
Kilkenny cats. What would yer mother say if she heard ye?"

Jane banged out of the schoolroom, and out of the house. She went
across the yard to the stables, climbed up into the loft, and threw
herself down on a bundle of hay.

Lull called her to come in to dinner, but she did not move. Mick and
Patsy came out to look for her. Af