"Zou must get it ready quick," said Hoodie. "Zou must tell it me, zou know, 'cos I've been so good about not sc'eaming." "But not now. You don't want me to tell you stories _now_," said her cousin in alarm. "No, zou may go to sleep now," replied Hoodie, condescendingly, adding after a moment's pause, "_I_ can tell stories, lovely stories." "Can you? well, you had better think of one, and have it all ready," said Magdalen in fresh alarm. "Mine's is always zeady, but zou may go to sleep now," was the reply, to her great relief, the truth being that Hoodie herself was as sleepy as she could be, for in two minutes her soft even breathing told that for a while her fidgety little spirit was at rest. Magdalen lay awake some time longer. In a half-dreamy way she was thinking over in her own mind the old fairy tales she had loved as a little girl--with them there mingled in her fancy the scenes and memories of her own childhood. She was glad to find Hoodie so eager for stories, it might be one way of winning the strange-tempered little creature's confidence, and she tried to call to mind some of the tales most likely to interest her. And somehow, "between sleeping and waking," there came back to her mind the shadow of a fanciful little story she had either read or heard or imagined long ago, and as she fell asleep she said to herself, "Yes, that will do. I will tell them the story of 'The Chintz Curtains.'" When Magdalen awoke again that morning it was, as might have been expected, a good deal later than usual. Hoodie was still sleeping soundly. Magdalen got up and dressed quietly. She was nearly quite ready when Hoodie awoke. A little movement in the bed caught Miss King's notice: she turned round. There was Hoodie, staring at her with wide-open eyes. "Well, Hoodie," she said, "how are you this morning?" Hoodie did not reply, but continued staring, so her cousin went on fastening up her hair. In a minute or two there came a remark, or question rather. "Has zou had a nice sleep?" [Illustration: "Has zou had a nice sleep?"] "Yes, thank you." "Has zou thinkened of a story?" "Yes," said Magdalen. "I almost think I have." "_I_ has too," said Hoodie, with a queer twinkle in her eyes. "Have you," said her cousin, "that's very clever of you." "Yes," replied the little girl, "zou didn't know Hoodie was so c'ever, did zou?" "You'd better tell me the story first, and then I'll say what I think of it," said Magdalen. "Now?" inquired Hoodie, "sall I tell it now? It isn't a long one." "If you like," replied Magdalen, "you can tell it me while I finish doing my hair." "Well," began Hoodie, solemnly, "just a long time ago--oh no, that's a mistake, it should be just '_onst_--'" "Or 'once,'" corrected her cousin, "'once' is a proper word, and 'onst' isn't." "I don't care," said Hoodie, frowning. "I like to say 'onst.' If zou don't zink my words pretty you'll make one come, and if one comes I can't tell you stories."