Magdalen in
the same tone. "Thinking little fancies like that true would do them far
less harm than thinking their sister was telling falsehoods. But I will
try to explain to Hoodie that perhaps it is better not to say any more
about it to the little boys. Only, Maudie dear, I think you are old
enough to understand better that Hoodie was not meaning to tell
untruths."

"She said she heard the moon and the stars _talking_," remonstrated
Maudie.

"Well--what if she did? Many a time when I was a little girl I have
thought I heard the wind say real words when I was lying awake in my
little bed. Of course I know better now, but so will Hoodie, and if
these fancies please her and keep her content and happy, why not leave
her them?"

"_Martin_ doesn't think so," said Maudie, rather mortified that her
efforts to bring Hoodie to a sense of her wrong-doings were so little
appreciated.

"Miss Maudie, dear!" exclaimed Martin, "I never said so, I'm sure. I
don't think I rightly understood what it was all about. I'm sure I don't
want to be sharp on any of you for fancies that do no one any harm. I
had plenty of them myself when I was little."

"You see, Maudie, Martin does understand," said Miss King. "I'll try and
explain about it better to you afterwards, but just now I really must
hurry down to breakfast."

She was turning away when a clamour of little voices stopped her.

"Won't you come back after breakfast, Cousin Magdalen?"

"Oh, do tum back."

"It's such a wet day and we've nothing to do, 'cause it's Saturday, and
Saturday's a holiday."

"Do you want me to come and give you lessons then?" said Magdalen,
mischievously.

Dead silence--broken at last by Duke.

"Couldn't you tum and tell us more stories?"

Magdalen shook her head.

"I haven't got any ready. Truly I haven't," she said. "It takes me a
long time to think of them, always. But I'll tell you what we might do.
I'll come up after breakfast with my work and you might all tell _me_
stories. That would amuse everybody. Each of you try to think of one,
but you mustn't tell each other what it is."

Hoodie's face lighted up, but Maudie looked rather lugubrious.

"_I_ can't think of one," she said.

"Oh yes you can, if you try," said Magdalen, cheerfully.

"Must it be all out of my own head?"

Miss King hesitated.

"No, if you can remember one that you've read that the others don't
know, that would do."

Maudie looked relieved.

"_I_ don't need