a side street. "That's the house she lives in," he
said, pointing to a small white cottage with green blinds.

"Oh, yes, I know her," said Peggy. "She's Miss Betsy Porter."

Aunt Betsy was in her pleasant kitchen taking something with a
delicious, spicy smell out of the oven. She came to the door and asked
the children to come in. She was tall and thin, with gray hair and dark
eyes. Peggy thought of her as an old lady, but much more interesting
than old ladies usually were. There always seemed to be something very
nice in the way of food at her house, no matter at what time one
arrived.

"Now you children must each have a piece of my gingerbread," she said.
"I've just taken it out of the oven."

Miss Betsy Porter was deeply interested in the stain on Peggy's frock.

"That's a very enticing tree to climb," she said, when the children had
told her the whole story. "I climbed it once when I was a little girl."

Peggy looked with wonder into the kindly face of Aunt Betsy, with its
many lines. It seemed so impossible to think that she had ever been a
little girl climbing trees.

"I've got some stuff here that will take that out," said Aunt Betsy,
going to a cupboard in the other room. "It would be a great pity for you
to spoil that pretty dress."

There was a jet-black cat curled up on the red bricks of the kitchen
hearth. After the spots had been taken out, Peggy went over to make
friends with the cat. It did not seem polite to eat and run when Miss
Betsy had been so kind about taking the stain out of her dress, so Peggy
stayed to make a call, after the gingerbread had been eaten. And she and
Christopher told her all about Lady Jane Grey, and how she lived first
at one house and then at the other. Finally, the striking of a clock
made Peggy realize that the morning was slipping away.

"I guess I'll have to be going now," said Peggy, "for mother told me to
hurry and not to stop on the way. Oh, dear, what did I do with my
basket?"

"You didn't have any basket when you came in here," said Miss Betsy.

"We left our baskets behind the stone wall," said Christopher. "I forgot
all about them. I'll run back and get them."

"I'll run, too," said Peggy. "I guess I can run as fast as you can."

"It's too hot a morning to run, children," Miss Betsy called after them.

But they were already some distance away. Christopher in his brown suit
was a little ahead, but he was closely followed by Peggy in her blue
frock, with