tone, as if he had known it all the time, which he hadn't—

"They're pigs—just little black pigs of course. Can't you see their curly tails, Dolly?"

"Yes," said Dolly in rather a disappointed tone, "I can, now I know they're pigs. But I thought that they were something curiouser than pigs—though," and her voice grew more cheerful again, "I never saw quite black pigs before, did you, Maxie? What makes them black, I wonder?"

"You've seen black men?" said Max. "Well, it's like that—there's black men and proper-coloured men, so there's black pigs and proper-coloured pigs."

"But black men are painted black. Christy minstrel men are, I[Pg 13] know, for nurse told me so when I was frightened of them. And pigs couldn't paint themselves black. But oh, Max," she broke off, "do look how they're running and jumping now. They're all over the field. One, two, three, four—there's thirteen of them, Maxie."

[Pg 13]

"No," said Max, after a moment or two's silence, "there's only twelve."

Dolly counted again—it was not very easy, I must allow. But she stuck to it.

"There are thirteen," she repeated.

Two could play at that game.

"There are twelve, I tell you, you silly," said Max, without taking the trouble to count them again as carefully as Dolly had done.

[Pg 14]

[Pg 14]

CHAPTER II

"There are thirteen," repeated Dolly again. "Look, Max, begin at the side of the field nearest the gate—there are three close together, and then—oh dear, two have run back to the others, and—no, I can't count aloud, but I'm sure—" and she went on to herself, "one, two, three, four,"—"there are thirteen, I'm as sure as sure."

T

"And I'm as sure as sure, or surer than sure, that there are only twelve," said Max, aggravatingly.

"Master Max and Miss Dorothy, come to your tea," said nurse's voice 

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