uggested ways of overcoming this difficulty, Aunt Katharine and
Mr Solace came in, and talked gravely of crops, and then the portly
figures of Mrs Solace and Dr Price approached, and stopped to look at
the little party of children.

"Your patient does you credit, Mrs Solace," said the doctor. "She looks
better already. She'll soon be out of my hands, if she goes on at this
rate."

Mrs Solace smiled at Becky with the same sort of comfortable pride as
when she looked at a remarkably fine brood of turkeys.

"She's picking up a bit," she said; "but it's early days yet. We'll see
how she looks after she's been here a month. I shouldn't wonder if she
gets as hearty as Miss Maisie yonder.--Have you told Miss Maisie, Becky,
what we're going to make of you, when you get quite strong and well?"

Becky looked shyly down at her plate. It was impossible to answer with
so many people waiting to hear.

"Well, well, she'll tell you presently, I daresay," said Mrs Solace, as
she moved away with Dr Price's huge figure plunging along beside her.

"What did Mrs Solace mean?" asked Maisie eagerly, when they were out of
hearing.

"It's about the chickens," said Becky. "I like 'em ever so much, and
Mrs Solace said this morning that some day she'd ask mother to let me
come and bide here and look after 'em; but I've got to get strong, and
grow a bit first."

"Well!" exclaimed Dennis enviously, "you _are_ in luck!"

"I should earn wages, like Dan," said Becky.

"I only wish I had the chance of working on the farm," said Dennis; "but
Aunt Katharine says I must go to school, and all sorts of things,
first."

"What would you like to be, if you could?" asked Philippa.

Dennis mashed up his strawberries thoughtfully.

"Wheelwright _best_," he answered; "only that wouldn't have anything to
do with the animals. I should like to be the pig-man very well; but
it's no use saying what I should like, because I shan't have the
chance."

"How nice it will be," said Maisie to Becky, as she set a saucer of
cream carefully on the ground for the kitten, "when you and the grey
kitten are settled here. Isn't it odd that she should have the very
best home of the three, after all? We never thought it would turn out
so."

"And she was the meanest and smallest of all the kittens," said Dennis.

"But," added Maisie, "Philippa and I have quite settled that she's the
nicest of them, because she's been the greatest comfort."

And now, while t