At the word _feast_, Frances" tears seemed arrested, and her mouth looked as if she were going to smile. She left the corner, and immediately prepared to do her part for the feast, setting a little square table, and then, drawing her own little stool, seated herself in readiness as a guest.
"Stay," said Anne, "we will make some little paper dishes and plates, and divide the cake;" so saying, she began the operation, and laying down the paper dishes, "there at the top, see! there shall be two chickens, at the bottom a piece of beef, at one side some potatoes, and at the other some cauliflower;" breaking her cake into small pieces to correspond to her imagined provision.
Frances looked very impatient at the long preparation, and as Anne seated herself, inviting Mary to partake, Frances stretched out her hand to take the beef for her own portion.
"No, no, Frances, you must not help yourself, you know; wait until we all begin in order."
Frances very reluctantly withdrew her hand, and, whilst she waited, betrayed her impatience by a little jerking motion of the body, that threw her breast against the table, as if she would beat time into quicker motion.
"O we must not forget William!" Anne exclaimed; "where is he? he must taste our feast; stay here, Mary, with Frances, and I will go and find him."
Away she ran, and left poor Frances in a fret at this additional delay, but she began to amuse herself by picking up the small crumbs that had been scattered on the stool, and at last proceeded to touch the beef and chickens.
"Do not do so, Frances," Mary said, in a reproving voice.
Frances colored.
"Do not sit _looking_ on, if you are so impatient; employ yourself, and get a seat ready for William."
"_You_ may get it, Mary."
"Very well; only do not meddle with Anne"s feast."
Mary had to go into another room for the seat, and whilst she was away, Frances quickly helped herself to half of the pieces which were on the dishes, and, when Mary returned, resumed her position as if nothing had happened. Mary was so busy in arranging the seats, that she did not observe what had been done.
Presently Anne came back, accompanied by her brother William; hastening to her place, and looking on her table, she started with surprise, and seemed to say to herself, as she gazed, How came I to make a mistake, an think my pieces of cake were larger? but the expression of her face called Mary"s attention, who at once said,
"Anne, I am sure you placed larger pieces on your dishes."
"Indeed, I thought so, Mary; who has taken any?"
"I do not know."
"O you are only _pretending_, and you have been hiding some."
"No, Anne; I would not have said I do not know, if I had _hid_ it."
"No, no more you would, dear Mary. Never mind," she said, glancing a look at Frances, not altogether without suspicion, "it is only to _play_ with, it does not signify whether it is much or little.
"William, shall I help you to a little chicken?"
"O no, Anne, you have forgot, help the _ladies_ first; and beside, you ought to have placed me at the bottom of the table to carve this dish. What is it?"
"Beef, William."
"O beef, very well. Come, Miss Frances, let me sit there, and you come to the side of the table."
In haste to begin the eating part of the play, she rose immediately to change places, when, to her disgrace, a quant.i.ty of crumbs, which had lodged un.o.bserved in a fold of her frock, fell out, and disordered the neatness of the table.
"There!" said William, "we have no question to ask who took the liberty to lessen the dishes."
"For shame, William, I--"
"O Frances, take care what you say, tell no falsehoods; I will tell one truth, and say you are a greedy girl."
Frances began to cry again, "For shame, William, to call me names."
"I call no names, I only say what I think, and how can I help it, when it is only just now you cried so, because you said mamma had given me a larger piece of cake than yourself; for you must know," he continued, turning to Mary, "we have both had one piece before, and she half of mine to make her quiet; and then she cried again because a piece was put by for you and Anne, and she cannot be contented now, though Anne shares hers amongst us. If this is not being greedy, I do not know what greedy means. It is no names, it is only saying what a thing is."
"Now I know another thing," said Anne; "when mamma called me to receive my piece of cake, she said, "And you shall take a piece also to Mary," but when she unfolded the paper, there was only _one_ piece; mamma did not say anything, but I think she _thought_ something."
At this remark, Frances redoubled her crying, but, for the sake of a share of the present feast, did not attempt to leave the party. No more was said, and the feast was concluded in good humor by all except the conscious greedy girl, and they then all went into the garden together to finish their hour"s recreation before they were called again to their lessons.
There was a little plantation of young fir-trees at one corner of the garden, intended to grow there for shelter from the north-west wind: the gra.s.s was so high amongst them, that the gardener had orders to go and carefully mow it down. He was engaged in the business when the children ran out to see him work.
"Hush! hush!" he exclaimed, as they approached, "I have just cleared a bough from the gra.s.s, and see what"s there!"
All curiosity, they went forward on tip-toe, and were directed to something lodged on the spreading branch of a young larch.
"A bird"s nest!" said William.
"A bird"s nest!" they all repeated. "But what is in it, I cannot tell."
"Look steadily," said the gardener, "and you will find out."
It was difficult to trace what it was; something all in a heap, brown naked skin; alive, as might be known by the heaving breathing.
William putting his finger to touch them, immediately four wide mouths stretched open, with little tongues raised, and the opening of their throats extended to the utmost.
"Look at the little things," said William; "they thought their mother was come when I touched the branch, and they have opened their mouths to be ready to receive what she would put in.
"They are _blind_!" said William.
"Yes, they cannot have been hatched more than two days."
"Will they take what the mother gives them?" asked William.
"Yes," said the man, "they trust her, and swallow down what she puts into their mouths."
"I wish the mother would come," said Anne.
"But she will not whilst we are here," William replied.
"Touch it again, William," said Frances.
William touched the edge of the nest "See!" said he, "they think the mother is come, they stretch, their months still wider."
"Hark!" said Mary, "what an impatient noise they make: they look ready to stretch themselves out of their nest, and as if their little mouths would tear."