her fumbling at
something, but thankful for the quiet state of the atmosphere--otherwise
Hoodie's temper--thought it wiser to make no remarks. For after all it
was a very April sort of sunshine; and two or three times before dinner
there were signs of possible storms--once in particular, when the little
boy had got Prince up into the nursery to play with them and Hoodie
insisted on turning him out.

"Him's not to come in here," she said; "Hoodie won't have him in here no
more."

"_Really_, Hoodie," said Maudie, "this isn't all your room. Why won't
you let poor Prince come in? It was only yesterday you were crying
because he wouldn't come."

"'Cos I loved him yesterday and I don't love him to-day," replied Hoodie
coolly.

"And how would you like if people spoke that way to you?" said Maudie
virtuously. "Suppose we said we wouldn't have you in the nursery 'cos we
don't love you to-day?"

"Don't care," said Hoodie. "You can't send _me_ out of the nursery. I'm
not a dog. But if I like I can go of my own self," she added
mysteriously. "And if peoples don't love me I _sall_ go."

Maudie did not catch the sense of the last few words, but Prince, being
in his own mind by no means partial to the nursery, where the
children's affection expressed itself in clutches and caresses very
unsettling to his nerves, had taken advantage of the discussion to go
off "of his own self," and in the lamentation over his running away, no
more was said, and it was not till afterwards that the elder girl
remembered her little sister's threat.

But through dinner-time the hard, half-sullen look stayed on Hoodie's
face, and again poor Martin shivered with fear that another storm was
coming. Somewhat to her surprise things got no worse--not even when a
message came up-stairs from "mother," that Maudie was to be ready to go
out a drive with her at two, did Hoodie's rather curiously quiet manner
desert her.

"I don't care. Nobody loves me," she repeated to herself, but so low
that no one heard her.

"It'll be your turn next time, you know, Hoodie dear. Mother never
forgets turns," said Magdalen consolingly, as, arrayed in her "best"
white alpaca trimmed with blue, and white hat with blue feathers to
match, she ran into the nursery to say good-bye to the stayers-at-home.

"And Miss Hoodie will be good and help me with the little boys, won't
you, Miss Hoodie dear?" said Martin. "There's some ironing I do want to
get done for your Mamma this