Ephraim!" she cried
indignantly. "Me ask him! No, my dears, 'tain't likely as I shall ask
him to tea in my kitchen, so he needn't expect it," and she bustled away,
sniffing and snorting in a perfect fury of disgust apparently. Why she
should show such scorn and contempt of poor Ephraim no one could ever
understand; but some very wise, sharp-eyed people had been known to say
that she over-acted her contempt for all men, and Ephraim in particular,
and that really--well, they even went so far as to say she had so warm a
spot in her heart for him, she was always afraid some one would find it
out.

But, if it was so, she acted so well that neither Ephraim nor the children
ever suspected it was acting.

Having made their suggestion, and not met with the success they had
expected, they turned their thoughts next to the spending of their
morning. With one consent they agreed it was to be spent on the moor.

"I will wear my watch," said Esther, "and we will see how far we can get;
but we will come back to 'the castle' for lunch, won't we?"

All agreed joyfully; and Miss Charlotte's permission having been obtained,
Anna packed them two noble baskets of provisions, and gave them a can of
milk. Poppy was loth to go away and leave her new treasures, and debated
long whether she would not carry her book or her cactus with her--one
would be so nice to read on the way, and the sunshine would be so good for
the plant; but on the others pointing out to her that she would not be
away so very long, she finally agreed to leave both in Anna's care.

"Don't you think," said Penelope, when at last, after many wanderings this
way and that, they reached the castle, and she had dropped her basket and
thrown herself on the ground beside it--"don't you think we might leave
the baskets and can here? It will be ever so much nicer not to have to
carry them all the way, and I should think they would be quite safe if we
hide them very carefully."

All agreed at once that it was a splendid idea, and quite safe, for they
scarcely ever saw any one on the moor but themselves; and the baskets were
heavy, and the milk was apt to slop, and it would be much nicer to go on
with free hands.

"We will try a new way to-day, shall we?" cried Penelope; and they bore
away to the right instead of keeping straight on up the slope, wandering
hither and thither, it is true, but still bearing in the same direction,
until presently they came out by the station.