own estate. He had often wondered at Ben
Weatherstaff. Where gardening is done all sorts
of delightful things to eat are turned up with the
soil. Now here was this new kind of creature who
was not half Ben's size and yet had had the sense
to come into his garden and begin at once.

Mistress Mary worked in her garden until it was
time to go to her midday dinner. In fact, she
was rather late in remembering, and when she put
on her coat and hat, and picked up her skipping-rope,
she could not believe that she had been working
two or three hours. She had been actually
happy all the time; and dozens and dozens of the
tiny, pale green points were to be seen in cleared
places, looking twice as cheerful as they had looked
before when the grass and weeds had been smothering
them.

"I shall come back this afternoon," she said,
looking all round at her new kingdom, and speaking
to the trees and the rose-bushes as if they
heard her.

Then she ran lightly across the grass, pushed
open the slow old door and slipped through it
under the ivy. She had such red cheeks and such
bright eyes and ate such a dinner that Martha was
delighted.

"Two pieces o' meat an' two helps o' rice puddin'!"
she said. "Eh! mother will be pleased

[[102]]

p101 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p102w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p103

v?