't be able to hear ourselves speak. I shouldn't be
surprised if we grew to love them best of all, because they are nice and
quiet."

"You wait till they are angry," said Charlie knowingly, "or are
swarming----"

"That's just what I shan't wait for," said Bella.

"Oh!" cried Margery, as though her patience was exhausted, "don't keep on
talking so, please. I do want to hear my ducks. There!" as they suddenly
came on the little yellow, waddling, screaming creatures, "ain't they
lovely?"

"Lovely?" cried Charlie. "Why, you said they were white."

"Well, they will be," she explained eagerly. "Of course they are yellow
to begin with. All the best ones are. Look at their feathers beginning
to come already. Hush, hush, dears, don't cry so! I expect they were
frightened 'cause I went away," she explained, as she knelt down and took
them both in her arms.

"Where are they going to sleep to-night?" asked Bella.

Margery looked up with a troubled face. "I s'pose Aunt Emma wouldn't let
them sleep in my room, in a basket? They would be very good, I'm sure.
I wish she would." But Bella assured her there was no hope of that, and
that it would be better for the little ducks to be out of doors in the sun
and fresh air. So Snowdrop and Daisy were, to their great delight, turned
loose in the orchard, and at night a nice roomy chicken-coop was provided
for them, and there they grew plump and white, and were as happy as the
days were long.

"Tom, you really must put up that sign," said Bella, laughing, as they all
trooped back to the house to get ready for dinner.

"Well, if I don't do it soon," said Tom, "I shall have to have too, that's
certain."

But there was no time for sign-painting for the next few months,
for already the work was almost more than they could get through.
All of them, even Aunt Emma, lent a hand with the digging and raking and
planting out; but, there was no doubt about it, they did seriously miss
their father's help. All the weariness, the aching backs and bones, and
galled hands were forgotten, though, when the hardest of the work was
over, and they began to see the results of all their toil.

The long stretch of grey-green bushes in Bella's lavender-bed was a sight
that year, and her flower-beds were a picture. Charlie's bees soon
discovered them, and Bella often declared that except for the time when
the beans were in flower and drew the bees away, she had no peace or
pleasure with her f