"Very well," said Magdalen. "I'll be ready 'timmediate,' I promise you." Whether or no Miss King knew much about children, she knew enough to understand that to them a promise, even about a small matter, is a very sacred thing. And she took care not to forfeit their confidence. No sooner did the four little figures appear on the lawn just outside the dining-room window, than she started up from the table where, though breakfast was finished, she was loitering a little in pleasant talk with her friends. "Why, where are you off to, in such a hurry?" said Mrs. Caryll. "I beg your pardon," said Magdalen, laughing. "I promised the children to go with them before their governess comes, to--" "Excuse my interrupting you," said Mr. Caryll, "but I would just like to see if I can't finish the sentence for you. I am certain they are going to take you to see the bantams, now aren't they? They have all four, Hoodie especially, got bantams on the brain." He opened the glass-door as he spoke, and Miss King passed through. Three of the children ran forward joyously to meet her, the fourth followed more slowly, and from her way of moving, Cousin Magdalen strongly suspected that either "one" had just come, or that "one" had not yet gone. There was a decidedly black-doggy look about her fat little shoulders. But Miss King took no notice, and slowly, very slowly, the fourth little figure drew nearer to the others. Still she did not speak--the boys chattered merrily, and Maudie joined in, being sensible enough to understand that just now, at any rate, the taking no notice plan was the most likely to bring Hoodie round again. And by the time they reached "the cocky field," it was crowned with success. Hoodie forgot all her troubles in the pleasure of showing off her pets, and greatly distinguished herself by the cleverness with which she caught them and brought them up, one after the other, to be admired. "Isn't they _sweet_?" she said, ecstatically; "when I'm big, I'll have a house with lots and lots of cocks and hens." "I thought you were going to live in a cottage, like Red Riding Hood's grandmother, when you're big?" said Maudie, thoughtlessly. Hoodie turned upon her with a frown, and Cousin Magdalen felt really grieved to see how in one instant her pretty, round, rosy face lost its childlike expression, and grew hard and fierce. "You's not to laugh at me," she said. "I won't have nobody laugh at me." Maudie looked up penitently in Cousin Magdalen's face. "I'm so sorry. I _didn't_ mean to set her off. Truly I didn't," she whispered.