a noise? But Uncle
Hugh came to my rescue, threw away his paper, and cuddled me up in his
great strong arms almost like papa. And he showed me his watch, and made
it strike, and then began to show me all kinds of wonders about the
room: little tiny black men under a glass case, small china monkeys,
cats and frogs, and funny shells and fishes, and snakes' skins, and
lots of other things. And after that we came back to the easy-chair, and
he sang me sailors' songs, and told me all about "The House that Jack
built!"

[Illustration: THE CAT THAT WANTED THE GOOSE.]

"Little woman," he said at last, "did you ever hear of 'The Goose that
Jack killed?'" and then he sang in his funny way, "This is the goose
that Jack killed; and this is the cat that wanted the goose that Jack
killed; and this is the dog that chased the cat that wanted the goose
that Jack killed; and this is the thief that cheated the dog that chased
the cat that wanted the goose that Jack killed; and this is the dream
that haunted the thief that cheated the dog that chased the cat that
wanted the goose that Jack killed; and this"--

But "Good night, Uncle Hugh, there's Jane come to fetch Miss Sissy to
her tea, upstairs in the nursery."

II.

_UNCLE HUGH'S STORY._

Yes, tea alone in the nursery, that strange room that looked as if it
hadn't been a nursery for a great many years, and was as queer and
awkward as an old woman trying to look young again. No clatter of spoons
to make baby laugh, no chatter of childish voices, only little me, all
alone with Jane--little me, so puzzled and strange and bewildered in the
new place! Perhaps Jane thought me dull, for she talked away fast
enough, about that dear old lady, my grandmamma, and about the beautiful
place we were in, and what if Master Bobbie should grow up some day to
find it all his own, and be the lord of it all. I didn't care much if he
did; I only wanted him now, little boy as he was, to put his fat arms
round my neck, for I was "little sister" to nobody here; it was mere
mockery calling me "Miss Sissy" all the time. Perhaps Jane heard the
sigh, for she stopped afterwards in the middle of her long story about
the little cousins from over the sea, that were coming here in a day or
two. She had me on her lap, and she was just taking off my shoes and
socks, but she drew my head to her shoulder, and told me that I had
"Janie-panie" with me, who was always going to take care of me all the
time. I