he stood upon his already steadied feet. Mary
began to do them also. Soot, who was watching
the performance, became much disturbed and left
his branch and hopped about restlessly because he
could not do them too.

From that time the exercises were part of the
day's duties as much as the Magic was. It became
possible for both Colin and Mary to do
more of them each time they tried, and such
appetites were the results that but for the basket
Dickon put down behind the bush each morning
when he arrived they would have been lost. But
the little oven in the hollow and Mrs. Sowerby's
bounties were so satisfying that Mrs. Medlock
and the nurse and Dr. Craven became mystified
again. You can trifle with your breakfast and
seem to disdain your dinner if you are full to the
brim with roasted eggs and potatoes and richly
frothed new milk and oat-cakes and buns and
heather honey and clotted cream.

"They are eating next to nothing," said the
nurse. "They'll die of starvation if they can't
be persuaded to take some nourishment. And yet
see how they look."

"Look!" exclaimed Mrs. Medlock indignantly.
"Eh! I'm moithered to death with them.
They're a pair of young Satans. Bursting their
jackets one day and the next turning up their noses

[[324]]

p323 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p324w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p325

v?