to remember one," said Hoodie. "I know such heaps. My
head's all spinning full of them."

"So's mine," said Duke, jumping about and clapping his hands.

"And mine too," said Hec. "Kite 'pinning full."

"What nonsense," said Hoodie. "You _don't_ know stories. It's only me
that does."

"Hush, hush," said Miss King. "My plan won't be nice at all if it makes
you quarrel. Now I _must_ run down."

The children were very quiet through breakfast time. Every now and then
the little boys leant over across their bowls of bread and milk to
whisper to each other.

"Wouldn't that be lovely?" or

"That'd be a vezy pitty story," till called to order by Martin, who told
them that spilling their breakfast over the table would not be at all a
good beginning to the stories.

"'Twouldn't matter," remarked Hoodie, philosophically. "The cloth isn't
clean; it's Saturday, you know, Martin."

"Saturday or no Saturday," replied Martin, "it isn't pretty for little
ladies and gentlemen to spill their food on the table. And it gets them
in the habit of it for when they get big and have their breakfasts and
dinners down-stairs."

"Doesn't big people _never_ spill things on the cloth?" inquired Hec,
solemnly.

"Mr. Fielding does," said Hoodie. "One day when he was here at luncheon,
he was helping Mamma to wine, and he poured all down the outside of her
glass. I think he's dedfully ugly. I wouldn't like ever to be a big
people if I was to be like him."

"Miss Hoodie," remonstrated Martin, hardly approving of the turn the
conversation was taking, "do get on with your breakfast, and you'd
better be thinking about your stories than talking about things you
don't understand."

Hoodie glanced at Martin with considerable contempt.

"I'd like to make a story about Beauty and the Beast," she said. "I know
who'd be the beast, but _you_ shouldn't be Beauty, Martin."

"Shouldn't I, Miss Hoodie?" said Martin, good-naturedly. "Miss King
would make a nice Beauty, to my mind."

Almost as she spoke the door opened, and Cousin Magdalen re-appeared.

"Children," she said, "your mother says we may have the fire lighted in
the billiard-room because it is such a chilly day, so I am going to take
my work there and you may all come. Martin will be glad to get rid of
you, because I know Saturday's a busy morning for her always."

The news was received with great satisfaction, and before the end of
another half-hour the four children were all under their