bout her fat
little shoulders.

But Miss King took no notice, and slowly, very slowly, the fourth little
figure drew nearer to the others. Still she did not speak--the boys
chattered merrily, and Maudie joined in, being sensible enough to
understand that just now, at any rate, the taking no notice plan was the
most likely to bring Hoodie round again.

And by the time they reached "the cocky field," it was crowned with
success. Hoodie forgot all her troubles in the pleasure of showing off
her pets, and greatly distinguished herself by the cleverness with which
she caught them and brought them up, one after the other, to be admired.

"Isn't they _sweet_?" she said, ecstatically; "when I'm big, I'll have a
house with lots and lots of cocks and hens."

"I thought you were going to live in a cottage, like Red Riding Hood's
grandmother, when you're big?" said Maudie, thoughtlessly.

Hoodie turned upon her with a frown, and Cousin Magdalen felt really
grieved to see how in one instant her pretty, round, rosy face lost its
childlike expression, and grew hard and fierce.

"You's not to laugh at me," she said. "I won't have nobody laugh at me."

Maudie looked up penitently in Cousin Magdalen's face.

"I'm so sorry. I _didn't_ mean to set her off. Truly I didn't," she
whispered.

Cousin Magdalen felt that she knew and understood too little to attempt
the interference she would have liked to use. More than interference
indeed. For the moment she felt so provoked with Hoodie's naughty, silly
bad temper, that she really felt ready to give her a severe scolding.
She was too wise to do so, however, and certainly it would have done no
good. More for Maudie's sake than for Hoodie's, she tried to turn the
conversation in a pleasant way.

"It is very queer," she said, "that people almost never do when they are
grown up what they plan as children. When I was little I always planned
that I should do nothing but travel, and after all, very few people have
travelled less than I. I have been very stay-at-home."

"I like travelling a little way," said Maudie; "but when it is a long
way, it is so tiring."

"Wouldn't you like the magic carpet that flew with you wherever you
wished to be?" said Cousin Magdalen.

"Was it in a fairy story?" said Maudie; and though Hoodie said nothing,
she came slowly nearer and stood staring up in Miss King's face with her
queer baby blue eyes that could look so sweet, and could, alas! look so
cross a