Arthur strolled around the entire circumference of the Ring keenly examining the ground and the surrounding trees. “It looks like a wood clearing to me,” he said in a low tone to Maida when he rejoined the group. Betsy, silenced for the first time in her five years of experience, suddenly exploded. “Oh goody! goody! goody!” she exclaimed. “Now the fairies will come and play with us. I’ve always wanted to see a fairy. Now I’m going to see one!” “I don’t believe they’s any such things as fairies,” Timmie declared sturdily. “Oh Timmie,” Dorothy Clark remonstrated, “I should think you’d be ashamed of yourself. Of course they’s fairies.” “Well, anyway,” Timmie still sturdily stood his ground, “if they are, I don’t believe they’ll come and play with us.” “Well, I believe they will,” Mabel Clark reinforced her sister. But Betsy was capering up and down the length and breadth of the Fairy Ring. “I know the fairies will come!” she sang aloud. “I know the fairies will come! I know the fairies will come!” When the older children left the Fairy Ring, all six of the little children were capering too. The last thing they heard was Delia’s mimicking words: “I know the fairz tum! I know the fairz tum! I know the fairz tum!” “That’s over,” Maida said. “I told Granny Flynn,” she explained, “that I’d show the little children a nice place to play. Now let’s go into the living room and talk. There are a whole lot of things that I’ve got to tell you that I haven’t had time to tell you yet.” Although it was a June day--and as warm and sunny as June knows how to be--they gathered about the big fireplace where already logs were piled and ready to burn. The boys sat on the fender; the girls drew up chairs. After they were all comfortable Maida began. “Father says that this first week we can all rest. It’s to be our vacation, but after that, we’ve got to work. Father says that there are some things that every girl ought to know how to do and some things every boy ought to know. And we’re going to learn those things living in the Little House.” Rosie’s eyes danced. “Hurry!” she urged Maida. Maida drew a long breath. “There’s so much of it. You see there’s a good deal of work about the house, although it seems so small. Floribel--she’s the colored maid--is going to do the cooking and Zeke, her husband, will attend to most of the outside work. Of course Granny Flynn and Mrs. Dore will run everything. But we girls are to take care of our own rooms and the flower garden.” “Oh goody, goody!” Rosie exclaimed, “I love flowers!” “We are to keep the house decorated with flowers. And once every week, we are to do the housekeeping for the entire day--that’s Floribel’s and Zeke’s day off. That day, we have to plan the meals; do the marketing; cook the food; wash and wipe the dishes.” “Gee, I’m glad I’m not a girl,” Harold said jubilantly.