says she'll let him eat her share, but he says that
if she goes hungry she'll get thin an' they mun both
get fat at once."

Mrs. Sowerby laughed so heartily at the revelation
of this difficulty, that she quite rocked backward
and forward in her blue cloak, and Dickon
laughed with her.

"I'll tell thee what, lad," Mrs. Sowerby said
when she could speak. "I've thought of a way
to help 'em. When tha' goes to 'em in th' mornin's
tha' shall take a pail o' good new milk an'
I'll bake 'em a crusty cottage loaf or some buns
wi' currants in 'em, same as you children like.
Nothin's so good as fresh milk an' bread. Then
they could take off th' edge o' their hunger while
they were in their garden an' th' fine food they get
indoors 'ud polish off th' corners."

"Eh! mother!" said Dickon admiringly, "what
a wonder tha' art! Tha' always sees a way out o'
things. They was quite in a pother yesterday.
They didn't see how they was to manage without
orderin' up more food -- they felt that empty inside."

"They're two young 'uns growin' fast, an
health's comin' back to both of 'em. Children like
that feels like young wolves an' food's flesh an'
blood to 'em," said Mrs. Sowerby. Then she
smiled Dickon's own curving smile. "Eh! but

[[315]]

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v?