Hoodie shook her head--her usual refuge in perplexity.
"I don"t know," she said. "I like peoples to love me lots--gate lots. I don"t "zink anybody loves me lots. If I was always to sit here holding baby so nice, do you think she"d love me lots?"
Baby"s mother laughed outright.
"I don"t know that, Missy," she said, "she"d get very hungry and cry.
And you"d be hungry, too. Aren"t you hungry now? The tea"s all ready, see, Missy, and your bread and b.u.t.ter"s laid out. But I"m afraid it"s rather hard. Won"t you have some of mine instead--its nice and fresh.
Has yours been packed up a long time?"
Hoodie"s attention being drawn to the bread and b.u.t.ter, she allowed baby"s mother to regain possession of her treasure, and clambered up herself to the chair placed for her. When safely installed she eyed the provisions suspiciously.
"I "zink yours is nicer, little baby"s mother," she said graciously, having first bitten a piece of her own rather uninviting bread. "It was only packened up last night--but perhaps it was the taking it to bed. I took it to bed acos I didn"t want n.o.body to see. But the bicsits is nice. Mayn"t baby have a bicsit, little baby"s mother? If I had got to the grandmother"s cottage there"d have been cake. You hasn"t none cake, has you?"
"No, Missy. You see I didn"t know you were coming. If your mamma would let you come another day and I knew in time, I could bake a nice cake."
"Yes," said Hoodie, "and baby might have some. Does baby like cake?"
"She hasn"t no teeth to bite it with yet, Missy dear," said the young woman.
"No teess!" exclaimed Hoodie, "what a funny baby. Did G.o.d forget zem?"
she added, in a lower voice.
The young woman turned away to hide her laughter; and just at this moment there came a rap at the door--a well-known rap evidently, for up jumped the young woman with a pleased face.
"David!" she exclaimed, as she opened the door, "I thought you wouldn"t be back till late, or I"d have waited tea."
"I came in to say as I"ve got to go out again," said the man--a good-humoured looking young labourer--"little baby" had every reason to be good-humoured with such pleasant tempered father and mother!--"I"ve to drive over to Greenoaks to fetch some little pigs, so I mayn"t be in till late. But bless us!" he exclaimed, as he just then caught sight of Hoodie seated in perfect satisfaction and evidently quite at home, at the tea-table, "who ever"s this you"ve got with you, Liz?"
His surprise was so comical that it set "Liz" off laughing again.
"Bless _me_ if I can tell you, David," she said. "She"s the most old-fashioned little piece of goods I ever came across. But such a nice little lady too, and that taken with our baby! She won"t tell me her name nor nothing," and then she went on to describe to David, Hoodie"s arrival and all she had said.
David scratched his head, as, half hidden in the doorway, where Hoodie had not yet caught sight of him, he glanced at the child, still deeply interested in her "tea."
"It"s my opinion," he said solemnly, as if what he was about to say was something that could not possibly have struck any one else; "it"s my opinion as her nurse or some one has been cross to her and she"s runned away."
"But what shall we do?" said Mrs. Liz, a little anxiously. "How shall we find out where she belongs to?"
"Oh, easy enough," said David. "She"s but a baby. And even if she wouldn"t tell, you may be sure they"ll soon be sending after her. I could take her home on my way to Greenoaks if I knew where it was. Can"t be far off--maybe it"s one of the clergyman"s children down by Springley."
"They"ve none so little," said Mrs. David. "But there"s Squire Caryll"s--I heard say there"s a sight o" little ones there. "Twill be there."
"Likely enough," said David. "But I"d like a cup o" tea, Liz, if the young lady"ll excuse my being rather rough like."
Lizzie laughed.
"She"s but a baby," she said; and so David came forward and sat down at the table.
Hoodie looked up from her tea and stopped half way through a "bicsit" to take a good stare at the new comer.
"Who is zou, please?" she said at last.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Who is zou, please?"]
David looked rather awkward. It was somewhat embarra.s.sing to be calmly challenged in this way at his own table, poor man, by a mite of a creature like this! He relieved his feelings by a glance at his wife and a faint whistle.
"Well, to be sure!" he exclaimed.
Lizzie understood the small questioner better.
"Why, Missy," she said, ""Tis David. He"s baby"s father, and this is his house, and he"s very pleased to see you here."
Hoodie looked again at David; this time he seemed to find more favour in her eyes.
"At the grandmother"s cottage there wouldn"t have been no Davids," she remarked. "His hands is rather dirty, isn"t they, little baby"s mother?"
This was too much for David--he went off into a roar. Hoodie looked up doubtfully--was he laughing at _her_?--in her opinion, an unpardonable crime--but David"s funny, good-natured face gained the day, and after a moment"s hesitation Hoodie joined in the fun and laughed too, though at what she certainly didn"t know.
Friendly feeling thus established, David thought it time to begin his inquiries.
"Hope you"ve enjoyed your tea, Miss," he said. "You must a been hungry after such a long walk. Round by Springley way was it?"
"_What_ did you say?" said Hoodie, opening her eyes. David"s tone and accent were puzzling to her.
"He says, was it round by Springley way you came, Missy--the way the church is?"
"Oh no, not the church way. I comed srough the wood and past Farmer Bright"s. Home is not the church way," said Hoodie unsuspiciously.
David and his wife nodded at each other. "Squire Caryll"s," whispered Lizzie.
"I"ll be pa.s.sing that way in the cart," said David. "Would you like a ride, Miss?"
Hoodie shook her head.
"No," she said decidedly, "I want to stay and nurse baby. May I take her now?" she added, preparing to descend from her chair.
David could not help bursting out laughing again.
"What wages is her to get, Liz?" he inquired.
Hoodie turned upon him indignantly.
"Ugly man," she exclaimed; "you"se not to laugh at me. I don"t love you.
I love baby--_please_ give me baby," she said beseechingly to the young woman. "I"m all zeady," for by this time she was again settled in the little chair and had smoothed a place for baby.
Lizzie good-humouredly laid baby again in her arms.
"Hold her tight, please, Missy," she said, turning towards the door with her husband at a sign from him, and Hoodie sat in perfect content for some minutes till baby"s mother returned.