f it's ours."

"And I don't believe you'll know whether it is or not," said Dennis.

Philippa turned away sulkily. She was thoroughly disappointed to have
her news received in this way.

"Oh well, then," she said, "you don't want to hear what I know about it,
and I am sorry I came round all this way to tell you. Good-bye."

"Oh, stop! stop!" cried Maisie. "Wait for me. I want to hear very
much; I'll go with you to the gate. Do stop a minute."

She struggled frantically as she spoke with the string of her apron,
which was tied securely round her neck, and her voice was so pleading,
that Philippa was softened. She was still cross with Dennis, who
painted away, and did not care a bit; but it was difficult to be angry
with Maisie, and when the apron was at last torn off, the two little
girls ran across the field together towards the house.

Philippa's story turned out to be so very satisfactory and interesting.
It seemed to clear away all doubt as to the whereabouts of the grey
kitten. Maisie's eager questions and exclamations of pleasure were more
than enough to satisfy her and make her feel quite good-tempered again.

"Did it seem happy?" inquired Maisie, as they drew near the gate. "Do
you think it's got a good home?"

"Becky said," replied Philippa, "that it did not get much to eat
sometimes, and it's a very ugly little house they live in; but she's
very fond of it, and it's fond of her too."

"Then I expect it's all right," said Maisie; "it was always a dear
little contented thing."

"She said it was her greatest comfort," added Philippa. "Wasn't it odd
she should say that? It made me think of you and wonder if it was
yours, and so I came straight off to tell you after I heard it was a
stray kitten."

"Won't you come with me to-morrow?" asked Maisie. "You see you know
Becky now, and I've never seen her."

Philippa quite approved of this. She would ask Miss Mervyn to bring her
half-way to meet Maisie, and they would make the visit together.

"And I daresay Dennis will come too, if he's done painting," said
Maisie.

"That doesn't matter at all," said Philippa, as she drove away with Miss
Mervyn.

The next morning Maisie at Fieldside and Becky at Upwell woke up
thinking of the same thing--the grey kitten--but with very different
feelings. Maisie was delighted at the idea of meeting it again, and
Becky was full of sorrow to think that she might have to say good-bye to
it for ever. After her