ad more
advantages than Blanche. She's had everything she wants, and been
allowed to do just as she likes."

"Then," said Maisie solemnly, "I expect you've spoilt her, and that's
why she's so troublesome and naughty."

"Perhaps I have and perhaps I haven't," said Philippa recklessly; "I'm
tired of threading beads. Let's go out and see how Dennis is getting
on."

On the whole, in spite of some sulky moods and one or two fits of
temper, Philippa's visit passed off extremely well, and Maisie was quite
sorry when the time came to say good-bye. She and Dennis watched the
carriage drive away, and waved their hands to her as long as it was in
sight.

"She's been quite nice nearly all the while," said Maisie; "I wish she
had stopped longer."

She spoke sincerely, for just now Dennis was so absorbed in his
jackdaws' house that she felt she should miss Philippa and be rather
dull.

"Can't I help you?" she asked, as she followed him to the corner where
the jackdaws' house was being put up. It was not much to look at yet,
but there were some upright posts, and a roll of wire netting, and some
thin lathes of wood and a good deal of sawdust about, so that it had a
business air.

"Well, you see," said Dennis, "girls always hurt their fingers with
tools, but perhaps you shall try to-morrow. It's too late now. Doesn't
it seem a waste, when you're doing something you like, to go to bed and
sleep all night?"

"But if you didn't," said Maisie, "you couldn't go on with it, because
it's all dark."

"I don't know that," said Dennis; "Tuvvy says it's light all night part
of the summer.--There's the tea-bell; we must go in."

"I shouldn't like to be out in the night," said Maisie, with a little
shiver, as the children ran towards the house, "when everything's in
bed, and it's all so quiet and still."

"Everything isn't in bed," said Dennis. "There's owls, and glow-worms,
and bats, and--"

"But they're none of them very _nice_ things to be with," said Maisie
hesitatingly; "and then there are bad people out at night, who get into
houses and steal things, as they did at Upwell, don't you remember?"

"Oh, you mean thieves," said Dennis; "but as far as they go, it's better
to be out of doors than in the house. The policemen are out all night
as well as the thieves, so it wouldn't matter a bit."

"Well, you won't forget," said Maisie, quitting the subject of thieves,
which was an unpleasant one to her, "that to-morrow morn