gloomily down on the log and abandoned herself to despair. Her hair fell in two plaits down her back to her waist; on second thoughts, she arranged them in front--if one is going to despair, one may as well do it to the best advantage.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"I am alone," she said. "Dare I soliloquise? I will. It is a thing I have not done for weeks. 'Oh, what a--'" She got up quickly. Nobody could soliloquise on a log like that," she said crossly. She decided she could do it just as effectively when standing. With one pale hand raised to the skies, she began again.

"Oh, what a--"

"Did you call me, Mum?" said Woggs, appearing suddenly.

"_Bother!_" said Belvane. She gave a shrug of resignation. "Another time," she told herself. She turned to Woggs.Woggs must have been quite close at hand to have been found by Wiggs so quickly, and I suspect her of playing in the forest when she ought to have been doing her lessons, or mending stockings, or whatever made up her day's work. Woggs I find nearly as difficult to explain as Wiggs; it is a terrible thing for an author to have a lot of people running about his book, without any invitation from him at all. However, since Woggs is there, we must make the best of her. I fancy that she was a year or two younger than Wiggs and of rather inferior education. Witness her low innuendo about the Lady Belvane, and the fact that she called a Countess "Mum."

"Come here," said Belvane. "Are you what they call Woggs?"

"Please, Mum," said Woggs nervously.

The Countess winced at the "Mum," but went on bravely. "What have you been saying about me?"

"N--Nothing, Mum."

Belvane winced again, and said, "Do you know what I do to little girls who say things about me? I cut their heads off; I----" She tried to think of something very alarming! "I--I stop their jam for tea. I--I am _most_ annoyed with them."

Woggs suddenly saw what a wicked thing she had done.

"Oh, please, Mum," she said brokenly and fell on her knees.

"_Don't_ call me 'Mum,'" burst out Belvane. "It's so _ugly_. Why do you suppose I ever wanted to be a countess at all, Woggs, if it wasn't so as not to be called 'Mum' any more?"

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