ttle bird
inside. But to her relief it seemed all right. It had had another
fright, no doubt, poor thing--it must have thought life a very queer
series of falls and bumps and knocks, I should think, judging by its own
experience, but still it seemed to have a happy faculty of recovering
itself, and though its position in the toppled-over basket could not
have been very comfortable, it looked quite bright and chirpy when
Magdalen gently lifted the lid to examine it.

"It is hungry, I'm sure," she said; "can't you give me a little bread
soaked in milk for it again, Martin. There's some milk on the nursery
table, isn't there?"

"To be sure, Miss," said Martin, starting off at once. To her surprise,
as she left the room she felt a hand slipped into hers. It was Hoodie's.

"I'll go with you," said the child, and Martin, thinking she only wanted
to go with her to see about the bread and milk, made no objection. It
was not till they reached the nursery that Martin noticed the expression
of the little girl's face. It was stormy in the extreme.

"I won't go back to Maudie's godmother's room," she exclaimed. "I won't
have the cage. I won't speak to her--nasty, _ugly_ Maudie's godmother."

"Miss Hoodie!" said Martin, in amazement and distress. "You speaking
that naughty way of your cousin who has been so very nice and kind to
you."

"I don't care," said Hoodie, fairly on the way to one of her grandest
tempers, "_I_ don't care. She's not nice and kind. She doesn't believe
what I say. I _toldened_ her I didn't touch the basket, and she said I
did."

"Oh no, Miss Hoodie, my dear, I'm sure she didn't say that. She only
asked you if you were quite sure you didn't. And who could have done it,
I'm sure I can't think," said Martin, herself by no means satisfied
that Hoodie's indignation was not a sign of her knowing herself to
blame. "No one was in the room but you and me this afternoon, for none
of the servants ever go near it till dressing time. Besides, they
wouldn't go touching the bird. If it had been one of the little boys
now. It's just what they might have done, reaching up to get it. But
they weren't there at all."

"_I_ don't care," reiterated Hoodie. "I didn't do it, but Maudie's
godmother doesn't believe me. _I_ don't care. But I won't have the
cage." And in spite of all Martin could say, the child resolutely
refused to leave the nursery.

Hoodie sat there alone, nursing her wrath and bitter feelings.

"_I_ don't