Hoodie gravely contemplated her little brother, but without giving any signs of obeying her cousin's request. "_I_ have been unhappy too," she said, "and it wasn't my fault. It _was_ Hec's." "Well, then," said Magdalen, "it should make you the more sorry for Hec. He has had the unhappiness of knowing it _was_ his fault, which is the worst unhappiness of all." Hoodie threw back her head. "_I_ don't think so," she said. "I think the worst is when people alvays says you're naughty when you're not." "I am sorry you thought I said you were naughty when you weren't, Hoodie," said Magdalen, "but you thought I meant more than I did. As soon as I thought about it quietly I felt sure you hadn't touched the basket--and even _more_ sure, that if you had been tempted to touch it, you would have said so." "'Cos Hec toldened you it was him," said Hoodie. "No, before Hec said a word, I said to Martin I was sure it wasn't you." Hoodie looked up with a new light in her eyes. "_Did_ you?" she said, as if hardly able to believe it. "Yes, indeed, Miss Hoodie," said Martin, "Miss King did say so. And very kind of her it was, to trust you so, for you did look very funny when I said you had been a few minutes alone in the room." Hoodie flamed round upon her. "It's vezzy nasty of you to say that, Martin," she exclaimed violently. "_Vezzy_ nasty. You alvays think I'm naughty. I daresay I did look funny, 'cos I was temptationed, awful temptationed to touch the bird, but I wouldn't, no I _wouldn't_, 'cos I'd p'omised." And at last her mingled feelings found relief in a burst of sobs. The sight was too much for Hec, already in a sorely depressed and tearful condition. He threw his arms round Hoodie, nearly dragging her off her chair in his endeavours to get her shaggy head down to the level of his own close-cropped dark one for an embrace. "Oh Hoodie, Hoodie, _dear_ Hoodie, don't cry," he beseeched her. "It's all Hec's fault. Naughty Hec. Oh Hoodie, please 'agive me and kiss me, and I'll never, never touch your bird again." [Illustration: "Please 'agive me and kiss me."] Hoodie was quite melted. "Dear Hec--poor Hec," she cried in her turn. "Don't cry, dear Hec," and the two little creatures hugged and kissed and cried, all in one. "Let's kiss Maudie's godmother too. She didn't think you was naughty, Hoodie," suggested Hec, and Hoodie at once took his advice, so the kissing and hugging were transferred to poor Magdalen, who bore them heroically, till at last she was so very nearly smothered that she was obliged to cry for mercy. "And let us go back to my room now," she said, "and introduce the little bird to its new house. It hasn't seen it yet, you know, Hoodie." "_Hasn't_ it?" said Hoodie. "Of course not. The cage is yours--your very own. I waited for you to come before putting the bird in it."