. Your mamma always
tells you to be obedient to Martin, I know."

Hoodie vouchsafed no answer, but marched on, up the little garden path
towards the house. Lucy looked after her in dismay. What should she do?
Following her and repeating Martin's orders would probably only make
Hoodie still more determined. Besides, Lucy was a very gentle, civil
girl; it was very disagreeable to her to think of going into the
cottage, and telling the owners of it that the child had been forbidden
to speak to them, and she gazed round her in perplexity, heartily
wishing that Miss Hoodie had not chosen her for her companion in her
walk. Suddenly, some distance off, coming across the fields, she
perceived two figures, a tall one and a little one. Lucy had good eyes.

"Martin and Miss Maudie," she exclaimed, with relief, and just glancing
back to see that Hoodie was by this time inside the cottage, she ran as
fast as she could to meet the new comers and tell of Hoodie's
disobedience.

She was all out of breath by the time she got up to them, though they
hastened their steps when they saw her coming--and at first Martin
could not understand what Lucy was saying. When she did so, she was
exceedingly put out.

"Run into the cottage, has she, Lucy?" she exclaimed. "And after all I
said! I really do think you might have managed her better, naughty
though she is. Oh dear me, I do wish she hadn't been allowed to come out
without me."

Maudie stood by in great trouble at Hoodie's misdoing.

"Martin will be so cross to her," she thought, "and Hoodie will speak
naughtily, I'm sure. I'll run on to the cottage first and tell her how
vexed Martin is, and beg her to come back quick and say she's sorry."

And before Martin and Lucy noticed what she was doing, she was half way
across the fields to the cottage.

The door stood open when she got there. Maudie peeped into the kitchen
but saw no one. "Hoodie," she called out softly, "are you there?"

No answer.

"Hoodie," called Maudie again, more loudly, "I've come to fetch you.
Martin's just coming."

Then Hoodie's voice sounded from above.

"I'm up here, Maudie. I came up here 'cos there was no one in the
kitchen. And baby's mother doesn't want me to stay 'cos poor baby's ill,
so I'll come."

Maudie could not, however, clearly distinguish what Hoodie said, so,
guided by the sound of Hoodie's voice, she in turn mounted the
ladder-like staircase which led to the sleeping-room above. Hoodie was