eally did."

Maisie looked, but the black kitten turned sulky, and refused to do
anything but back away from Dennis's hands with its ears flattened.

"It's quite in a temper," she said. "Now the grey kitten _always_ tries
to do what you tell it."

"Only it's so stupid that it never knows what you want it to do," said
Dennis, as he gave up his efforts and let the kitten scamper back to its
mother.

"Well, at any rate," said Maisie, returning to her subject, "we've got
to find it a home, and we haven't asked every one yet. Who is there
left? Let me see. There's the vicarage, and Dr Price, and, oh Dennis,
perhaps old Sally would like it!"

Dennis shrugged his shoulders, but he was quite ready to agree that old
Sally should be asked, because he was always glad of any excuse to go
near the Manor Farm, which he thought the nicest place in the village or
out of it. It was not only pretty and interesting in itself with its
substantial grey stone outbuildings, and pigeonry and rick-yard, but Mr
and Mrs Andrew Solace lived there, and they were, the children thought,
such very agreeable people. There had always been a Solace at the Manor
Farm within the memory of old Sally, who was very old indeed, but they
felt sure none of them could have been so pleasant as the present one.
"Young Master Andrew," old Sally called him, though he was a stout,
middle-aged man with grizzled hair; but she gave him this name because
she had worked for his father and grandfather, and could "mind" him when
he was a little boy of Dennis's age. For the same reason, she never
could bring herself to think him equal to the management of such a very
large farm, "'undreds of acres," as she said. It was a great
undertaking for "young Master Andrew," and though every one round knew
that there were few better farmers, old Sally always shook her head over
it.

Manor Farm was in every respect just the opposite of the "Green Farm,"
where the Broadbents lived. There was nothing smart or trim or new
about it, and the house and farm-buildings were comfortably mixed up
together, so that the farmer seemed to live in the midst of his barns
and beasts. It was a very old house, with a square flagged hall and a
broad oak staircase. There were beams showing across the low ceilings,
and wide window-seats, which were always full of all sorts of things
flung there "to be handy." Some of the rooms were panelled, and all the
furniture in them was old-fashioned