of her own for _me_, but I
suppose she thought I was too big.

'I think you are very nice boys,' she went on, 'not "naughty" ones at
all; and if you will promise not to tell any one what I am going to tell
_you_, I will explain all I can. I mean you mustn't tell any one till I
give you leave, and as it's only about my own affairs, of course you can
promise.'

Of course we did promise.

'Listen, then,' said Margaret, glancing up first of all at the parrot,
and drawing back a little into the inside of the room. 'You can hear
what I say, even though I don't speak very loudly, can't you?'

'Oh yes! quite well,' we replied.

'Well, then, listen,' she repeated. 'I have no brothers or sisters, and
Dads and Mummy are in India. I lived there till about three years ago,
and then they came here and left me with my grandfather. That's how
people always have to do who live in India.'

'Didn't you mind awfully?' I said. 'Your father and mother leaving you,
I mean?'

'Of course I minded,' she replied. 'But I had always known it would have
to be. And they will come home again for good some day; perhaps before
very long. And I have always been quite happy till lately. Gran is very
good to me, and I'm used to being a good deal alone, you see, except for
big people. I've always had lots of story books, and not _very_ many
lessons. So, after a bit, it didn't seem so very different from India.
Only _now_ it's quite different. It's like being shut up in a tower, and
it's very queer altogether, and I _believe_ she's a sort of a witch,'
and Margaret nodded her head mysteriously.

'_Who?_' we asked eagerly.

'The person I'm living with--Miss Bogle--isn't her name witchy?' and she
smiled a little. 'No, no, not nurse,' for I had begun to say the word.
'_She_ is only rather a goose. No, this house belongs to Miss Bogle, and
she's quite old--oh, as old as old! And she's got rheumatism, so she
very seldom goes up and down stairs. And nurse does just exactly what
Miss Bogle tells her. It was this way. Gran had to go away--a good way,
though not so far as India, and he is always dreadfully afraid of
anything happening to me, I suppose. So he sent me here with nurse, and
he told me I would be very happy. He knew Miss Bogle long ago--I think
she had a school for little boys once; perhaps that was before she got
to be a witch. But I've been dreadfully unhappy, and I don't know
what's going to happen to me if I go on like this much longer.'