ether she was asleep or
not, or she might wish too late that she had. She forbade her, too, to
talk to the child about anything. So Cherry was rather frightened by the
time she got to bed, and until she fell asleep she kept her eyes and her
mouth fast closed, but fortunately, thanks to her tiring day and her good
supper, she did not stay awake long.

The next morning as soon as she was awake she got up and began her work,
but when she had bathed the boy in the stream to which he led her, and had
put the ointment on his eyes, she did not know how to set about her next
task, for there was not a cow to be seen anywhere.

"Call her," said the boy, when she told him her trouble. So Cherry
called, "Coo-o, coo-o, coo-o-o," just as she did at home, and at once a
pretty sleek cow came from somewhere,--it might have been out of the
ground, as far as Cherry could tell. Anyhow, there she was, and Cherry
sat down and milked her, and gave the boy his breakfast, and when she had
done the cow walked away again and disappeared.

After that Cherry went indoors, where the Grandmother provided her with a
big breakfast all to herself, after which she told her of some more of her
duties. Cherry was to keep in the kitchen, and clean the pots and pans
with water and sand, scald the milk, make the butter, and do anything else
she was told. Above all she was to avoid curiosity, to keep to the
kitchen, and never try to enter or look into a room that was locked.

Cherry felt that this was very hard, for, as I said before, she was full
of curiosity, and wanted to find out all she could about these strange
people she had got amongst. She could scarcely endure old Aunt Prudence
with her scoldings and growlings, for the old woman never ceased grumbling
at both the girl and her grandson-in-law for bringing her there.

"I knew Robin would bring some stupid thing from Zennor," she would say,
and she would scowl at Cherry until the girl grew quite nervous.
She tried to get as far away from the old woman as she could, but, as
Cherry said, the old soul seemed to have eyes all over her head, for she
always had one on Cherry, no matter where she was or what she was doing.

The happiest time of Cherry's life here was when her housework was done,
and her master called to her to come and help him in the garden; for he
was always kind and gentle to her, and always rewarded her with a word of
praise.

Aunt Prudence, though, was not always a cross old