r, as he had done that
time when they were staying at their grandmamma's in London, and she had
asked if it was rabbits that had nibbled the crocuses in the square
gardens.

"Rabbits in London!" said Max, with lordly contempt. "What a baby you
are, Dolly!"

Dolly had never forgotten it; she hated being called "a baby" in that
tone, and very likely Max would laugh even more if she asked if these
strange visitors were little bears.

[Illustration]

So she waited. Then said her brother in his grand, big man tone, as if
he had known it all the time, which he hadn't--

"They're pigs--just little black pigs of course. Can't you see their
curly tails, Dolly?"

"Yes," said Dolly in rather a disappointed tone, "I can, now I know
they're pigs. But I thought that they were something curiouser than
pigs--though," and her voice grew more cheerful again, "I never saw
quite _black_ pigs before, did you, Maxie? What makes them black, I
wonder?"

"You've seen black men?" said Max. "Well, it's like that--there's black
men and proper-coloured men, so there's black pigs and proper-coloured
pigs."

"But black men are painted black. Christy minstrel men are, I know, for
nurse told me so when I was frightened of them. And _pigs_ couldn't
paint themselves black. But oh, Max," she broke off, "do look how
they're running and jumping now. They're all over the field. One, two,
three, four--there's _thirteen_ of them, Maxie."

"No," said Max, after a moment or two's silence, "there's only twelve."

Dolly counted again--it was not very easy, I must allow. But she stuck
to it.

"There are _thirteen_," she repeated.

Two could play at that game.

"There are _twelve_, I tell you, you silly," said Max, without taking
the trouble to count them again as carefully as Dolly had done.

[Illustration: call it twelve and a half and split the difference]

CHAPTER II

"There are _thirteen_," repeated Dolly again. "Look, Max, begin at the
side of the field nearest the gate--there are three close together, and
then--oh dear, two have run back to the others, and--no, I can't count
aloud, but I'm sure--" and she went on to herself, "one, two, three,
four,"--"there _are_ thirteen, I'm as sure as sure."

"And _I'm_ as sure as sure, or surer than sure, that there are only
twelve," said Max, aggravatingly.

"Master Max and Miss Dorothy, come to your tea," said nurse's voice from
the table. "And it's getting chilly--the evenings aren't li