ot make a good tea, now
was there?

After tea came a rush of joy which quite swept away the recollection of
everything uncomfortable, for Granny informed the children that she had had
a letter from Africa saying that it was probable their father and mother
might come home within a very short time. Dear old Granny had tears in her
eyes while telling this news; and she said that she was rejoiced to think
of what very good children she should be able to present to their parents
when they did arrive at home.

The evening was passed delightfully, trotting about the floor with the
kittens, reciting poetry, reading aloud, and embroidering. Granny told some
pretty stories of when she was a little girl, stories to which the children
always listened with real delight, because Gran'ma evidently had been a
little girl, from the sort of things she told, and the way she told them,
not like some grown-up people who would make their youngers believe that
they never cared for anything but lesson-books and goody-goodiness from the
moment they were christened. Granny even sang them one or two little songs
which she used to sing when she was ever so small, and Terry thought she
never heard anything so sweet as Granny's soft singing, although it did
only whisper sometimes, and now and then her voice would crack off on the
high notes. There was one little ditty which the children liked greatly,
and which Granny said used to be sung to her by her nurse to put her to
sleep. The song began:

"It's pretty to live in Ballinderry,
Far prettier to live in Magherlin;
Far prettier to live in Ram's Island
And see the little boats sailing in!"

It was altogether an evening which made the children feel completely
absolved for any blunders they had committed, and they got up the next
morning particularly good, not afraid of anything, and quite ready for a
new adventure. There was a snow world outside the windows, and this in
itself was an excitement.

Blackbirds, thrushes, finches, tomtits, came round the doors and windows
begging alms, not to mention crows and magpies, who fought with the little
birds for the crumbs provided for all, and proved themselves intolerable
bullies, much to Terry's disgust.

"The best plan will be," said Turly, "to throw big pieces, and then these
monsters will fly away with them, and leave the little fellows to eat in
peace."

This was done, and the rooks in their sombre cloaks and hoods, and the
mag