"Of course she does, and why shouldn't she?" replied the young mother heartily, yet feeling conscious of not altogether understanding the little girl. "Why shouldn't she love you, Missy? Little tiny babies like her always does love those as is kind to them. Don't you love your dear mamma, Missy? and your sisters if you have any--and what made you love them first, before you could understand like, if it wasn't that they loved you and were kind to you?" Hoodie shook her head--her usual refuge in perplexity. "I don't know," she said. "I like peoples to love me lots--gate lots. I don't 'zink anybody loves me lots. If I was always to sit here holding baby so nice, do you think she'd love me lots?" Baby's mother laughed outright. "I don't know that, Missy," she said, "she'd get very hungry and cry. And you'd be hungry, too. Aren't you hungry now? The tea's all ready, see, Missy, and your bread and butter's laid out. But I'm afraid it's rather hard. Won't you have some of mine instead--its nice and fresh. Has yours been packed up a long time?" Hoodie's attention being drawn to the bread and butter, she allowed baby's mother to regain possession of her treasure, and clambered up herself to the chair placed for her. When safely installed she eyed the provisions suspiciously. "I 'zink yours is nicer, little baby's mother," she said graciously, having first bitten a piece of her own rather uninviting bread. "It was only packened up last night--but perhaps it was the taking it to bed. I took it to bed acos I didn't want nobody to see. But the bicsits is nice. Mayn't baby have a bicsit, little baby's mother? If I had got to the grandmother's cottage there'd have been cake. You hasn't none cake, has you?" "No, Missy. You see I didn't know you were coming. If your mamma would let you come another day and I knew in time, I could bake a nice cake." "Yes," said Hoodie, "and baby might have some. Does baby like cake?" "She hasn't no teeth to bite it with yet, Missy dear," said the young woman. "No teess!" exclaimed Hoodie, "what a funny baby. Did God forget zem?" she added, in a lower voice. The young woman turned away to hide her laughter; and just at this moment there came a rap at the door--a well-known rap evidently, for up jumped the young woman with a pleased face. "David!" she exclaimed, as she opened the door, "I thought you wouldn't be back till late, or I'd have waited tea." "I came in to say as I've got to go out again," said the man--a good-humoured looking young labourer--"little baby" had every reason to be good-humoured with such pleasant tempered father and mother!--"I've to drive over to Greenoaks to fetch some little pigs, so I mayn't be in till late. But bless us!" he exclaimed, as he just then caught sight of Hoodie seated in perfect satisfaction and evidently quite at home, at the tea-table, "who ever's this you've got with you, Liz?" His surprise was so comical that it set "Liz" off laughing again.