d had dressing-rooms. Tony slept in
Jan's, with the door between left open. Fay's little cot was drawn up
close to Meg's bed. William and his basket occupied the dressing-room,
and here, also, the door was left open.

While Meg undressed, William was quite still and quiet, but when she
knelt down to say her prayers he was overcome with curiosity, and,
getting out of his basket, lurched over to her to see what she was
about. Could she be crying that she covered her face? William couldn't
bear people to cry.

He thrust his head under her elbow. She put her arm round his neck and
he sat perfectly still.

"Pray for your master, William," Meg whispered.

* * * * * * * *

"I like to look at it," said Tony.

"Oh, London may be very gay, but it's nothing to the countryside," sang
Meg.

"What nelse?" inquired little Fay, who could never be content with a
mere snatch of song.

"Oh, there's heaps and heaps of nelse," Jan answered. "Come along,
chicks, we'll go and see everything. This is home, you know, where dear
Mummy wanted you to be."

It was their first day at Wren's End, and the weather was kind. They
were all four in the drive, looking back at the comfortable
stone-fronted Georgian house. The sun was shining, a cheerful April sun
that had little warmth in it but much tender light; and this showed how
all around the hedges were getting green; that buds were bursting from
brown twigs, as if the kind spring had covered the bare trees with a
thin green veil; and that all sorts of green spears were thrusting up in
the garden beds.

Down the drive they all four ran, accompanied by a joyfully galumphing
William, who was in such good spirits that he occasionally gave vent to
a solemn deep-chested bark.

When they came to the squat grey lodge, there was Mrs. Earley standing
in her doorway to welcome them. Mrs. Earley was Earley's mother, and
Earley was gardener and general factotum at Wren's End. Mrs. Earley
looked after the chickens, and when she had exchanged the news with Jan,
and rather tearfully admired "poor Mrs. Tancred's little 'uns," she
escorted them all to the orchard to see the cocks and hens and chickens.
Then they visited the stable, where Placid, the pony, was sole occupant.
In former years Placid had been kept for the girls to drive in the
governess-cart and to pull the heavy lawn-mower over the lawns. And
Hannah had been wont to drive him into Amesberro