hought she had made Tiza cry; but to her great surprise Tiza suddenly
burst into such fits of laughter, that she nearly tumbled off the cherry
tree. "Oh, she did jump so, and the mug made such a rattling! And when
she comed out there was just a little bit of carrot sticking to her
nose, and her tail was all over cabbage leaf. Oh, she did look funny!"

Milly couldn't help laughing too, till she remembered all that Mrs.
Backhouse had been saying.

"Oh, but, Tiza, Mrs. Backhouse says your father won't have anything for
his supper. Aren't you sorry you spoilt his supper?"

"Yis," said Tiza, quickly. "I know father'll beat me, he said he would
next time I vexed mother."

And this time the pinafore went up in earnest, and Tiza began to cry
piteously.

"Don't cry, Tiza," said Milly, her own little cheeks getting wet, too.
"I'll beg him not. Can't you make up anyway? Mother says we must always
make up if we can when we've done any harm. I wish I had anything to
give you to make up."

Tiza suddenly dried her eyes and looked at Milly, with a bright
expression which was very puzzling.

"You come with me," she said suddenly, swinging herself down from the
tree. "Come here by the hedge, don't let mother see us."

So they ran along the far side of the hedge till they got into the
farmyard, and then Tiza led Milly past the hen-house, up to the corner
where the hayricks were. In and out of the hayricks they went, till in
the very farthest corner of all, where hardly anybody ever came, and
which nobody could see into from the yard, Tiza suddenly knelt down and
put her hand under the hay at the bottom of the rick.

"You come," she whispered eagerly to Milly, pulling her by the skirt,
"you come and look here."

Milly stooped down, and there in a soft little place, just between the
hayrick and the ground, what do you think she saw? Three large brownish
eggs lying in a sort of rough nest in the hay, and looking so round and
fresh and tempting, that Milly gave a little cry of delight.

"Oh, Tiza, how be--utiful! How did they get there?"

"It's old Sally, our white hen you know, laid them. I found them just
after dinner. Mother doesn't know nothing about them. I never told
Becky, nor nobody. Aren't they beauties?"

And Tiza took one up lovingly in her rough, little brown hands, and laid
it against her cheek, to feel how soft and satiny it was.

"Oh, and Tiza, I know," exclaimed Milly eagerly, "you meant these would
do for sup