"But what _is_ it, Martin? What has Hoodie been doing?" said Mrs. Caryll, rather impatiently. "Stop crying, Hoodie. You _must_," she added sternly, turning to the little girl, who was now regularly set agoing on one of her roars. Hoodie took not the slightest notice, but roared on. Her mother turned again to Martin, shaking her head. "No, ma'am," said Martin, "it's not the least use speaking to her. She has wakened all the others, of course--first with that nasty creature and then with her screaming." "What nasty creature? For goodness' sake explain yourself, Martin." "The cock, ma'am--the bantam cock," replied Martin, seeming quite astonished that Mrs. Caryll did not know all about it by instinct. "Miss Hoodie fetched it in in her basket, unbeknown to me, last night, and had it hidden under her bed. The creature was quite quiet all night, as is its nature, I suppose, and very likely frightened and not knowing where it was. But this morning all of a sudden it started the most awful screeching; it really sounded much worse than common crowing, or else it was hearing it half in one's sleep like. I thought, to be sure, one of those dear boys had got some awful fit. And to think it was nothing but Miss Hoodie's naughtiness--real mischievous naughtiness." Martin stopped, quite out of breath, and Hoodie's roars increased in violence. "Had she really no reason for it but mischief?" said Miss King. Martin hesitated. "She did begin some nonsense, ma'am, about having brought it in to lay an egg, or something like that." "Hoodie," said Magdalen, "can't you leave off screaming and tell us about it?" "No," said Hoodie, stopping at once and with perfect ease, "I can't leave off sc'eaming, and I won't. But I'll tell zou, 'cos it was for zou. I brought the little cock in to lay a egg for zour breakfast, 'cos zou said zou likened zem kite fresh, and now Martin's spoilt it all. Of course it c'owed to tell me it was going to lay the egg, and now it won't. It's all spoilt, and I _must_ sc'eam." True to her determination she set to work again and roared so that it was almost impossible to hear one's voice. "What _shall_ we do with her?" said her mother. "May I take her to my room?" said Cousin Magdalen. "It is farther away from the other children, so she can't disturb them even if she screams all day." Hoodie stopped again as suddenly as before. "I won't go to zour room," she said. "I don't like zou now--not one bit." Magdalen glanced at Mrs. Caryll. "May I take my own way with her!" her glance seemed to say. Mrs. Caryll nodded her head, and notwithstanding Martin's whispered warning, "Oh, Miss King, you don't _know_ what a work you'll have with her," Magdalen turned to Hoodie, and before the child in the least understood what she was about, she had picked her up in her strong young arms and was half way down the passage before Hoodie's surprise had given her breath to begin her roars again.