Maisie had not much to trouble her either that morning, but there was one little sad thought which would come creeping out of a corner in her mind sometimes, and that was the fate of the grey kitten. She wondered now, as she checked her pace to a walk, and rebuked Peter for snuffing at the pudding, whether old Sally might have heard something about it from Eliza. There was always a faint hope of this, but it grew fainter with each visit, and Dennis thought it quite silly to put the question at all. Nevertheless Maisie made up her mind, with a quiet little nod to herself, that she would not forget to ask to-day. Sally and Anne were talking so very loud inside the cottage, that it was a long while before the children could make themselves heard, and it was not until Dennis had battered on the door with his stick that it was slowly opened. "Lawk, mother!" cried Anne, "it's the young lady and gentleman from Fieldside.--Come in, dearies, and sit ye down." Old Sally was sitting in the chimney corner wrapped in a shawl, her brown old face looking a shade paler than usual. Anne set chairs for the visitors next to her, and drew closely up herself on the other side of them, prepared to join in the conversation as much as allowed by her mother, who was a great talker, and always took the lead. The two old lilac sun-bonnets nodded one on each side of the children, as old Sally began plaintively: "Yes, I've lost my appetite. I don't seem as if I could fancy nothing just lately. I'm tired of the food--it's taters, taters, taters, till I'm fair sick on 'em. Seems as if I could have a bit of summat green, it'd go down better. There was a gal brought me a mite of turnip tops t'other day. 'Twarn't on'y a morsel, so as I could hardly find it in the pot when it was biled, but it give a relish, like." "Aunt Katharine's sent you a pudding," shouted Maisie, taking it out of the basket. "And sech a cough as _I've_ had," put in Anne, seizing the opportunity to speak, while her mother warmed the end of her trumpet at the fire; "I expect it's a sharp touch of influenzy." "I seem to get weaker every day," resumed old Sally, presenting her trumpet for Maisie's use. "I crawled down to the gate, and couldn't hardly get back this morning." "Why don't you have the doctor?" asked Maisie. Sally shook her head. "I've never taken no doctor's stuff in all my days," she said. "Anne there, she's had a deal, poor child; but 'twouldn't do _me_ no good." Dennis was beginning to make impatient signs, and Maisie knew he would not stay much longer, so in spite of Anne, who was preparing to speak, she shouted hastily down the trumpet, "Has your daughter Eliza found the kitten?" It was answered as she expected, by solemn shakes of the head, both from Sally and Anne, in the midst of which the children took their leave.