The Wood-Pigeons and Mary
feathers."
She ran off, and the Cooies flew away.
"I think," said Mrs Coo, "I think it would be best for the Queenherself to tell Mary about the competition--that is to say if we succeedin getting an invitation for her. So I was not very sorry that you wereinterrupted, Mr Coo. I think you should consult me before speaking ofanything so important to the dear child."
Mr Coo seemed rather snubbed, but he was always ready to acknowledgeMrs Coo's good sense.
"In future I will do so, my dear," he replied politely.
CHAPTER SIX.
"THE SOFT RUSH OF MANY LITTLE WINGS."
After breakfast Miss Verity turned to Mary.
"Let us talk over our plans a little," she said.
"I like making plans," Mary replied, and in her own mind she added, "itwould be a good thing to know what my godmother wants me to do everyday, for then I could tell the Cooies the most likely times for me to beat the window."
"That is a good thing," said Miss Verity, smiling. "I will give you anidea of how I usually spend the day. Of course it changes a littlebetween summer and winter, but just now it is rather between the two.Well, as a rule, I am busy about house things for an hour or so afterbreakfast, and then I generally take a stroll round the garden and go tosee the ponies, and _then_ I write letters or read till luncheon. Inthe afternoon I go a drive--once or twice a week I pay calls, and onceor twice I go to see some of the cottage people; of course if they areill or in trouble and I know of it, I go oftener."
"May I come with you when you go to the cottages?" Mary asked. "I liketo see the funny little rooms, and sometimes there are such nice babies.But," she went on half timidly, "I'd rather not pay _lady_ calls.Auntie takes me with her sometimes, but I generally wait for her outsidein the carriage."
"I will not take you to pay any `lady calls' where you would feelstrange or shy," said Miss Verity, "but at one or two of my friends,there are children whom you would like--about your own age."
"Ye-es," Mary replied, rather doubtfully, "but, please, godmother, Ishould be quite happy here with just you. And sometimes mayn't I go alittle walk alone in the forest?"
Miss Verity considered.
"Yes," she said, "I don't see any reason why you should not. It isperfectly safe: there are no tramps or gypsies about here. I will takeyou there once or twice myself and explain the paths a little, so thatthere would be no fear of your losing your way. And now I shall be busyfor an hour, or half-an-hour any way. After that we can stroll about alittle together."
"And then?" said Mary.
"Then," said Miss Verity, with her half comical smile, "supposing we dosome lessons? I promised your auntie that I would read French with you,as I have been more accustomed to it than she herself or yourgoverness."
"Would you like me to learn some French by heart to say to you?" askedMary. She wanted to please her godmother, for she felt how very kindshe was, and I think too, she wanted Miss Verity to see that she couldbe trusted, so that she could now and then be free to talk to herCooies.
"And perhaps," she thought, "_perhaps_ I may meet them in the wood andsee where they live, and see some more Cooies--their cousins. That_would_ be lovely."
"I should like it very much indeed," said Miss Verity. "I have a dearlittle book of the old fables--La Fontaine's--oh, by the bye, it is upin your room. And I know how fond you are of animals, so--"
"Oh," exclaimed Mary, and she looked so bright and eager that MissVerity did not mind her interrupting. "_I_ know what you mean. I havelearnt one or two. I'll run upstairs now and find the book, and may Ichoose a fable?"
"Certainly, dear," said her godmother.
So Mary hastened to her turret, where she soon discovered the fat littleold-fashioned volume. Then she chose one fable--not a very long one,but I am afraid I don't remember which it was--and settled herself inthe corner of the drawing-room, which, like her own window, looked outtowards the forest, to learn two or three verses by heart.
From time to time she glanced out--with a half idea that perhaps shemight catch sight of the wood-pigeons.
"They are so clever," she said to herself, "that if they saw me learningmy lessons they would quite understand I mustn't be interrupted. But itwould be nice just to feel that they were peeping at me through thebranches."
She neither heard nor saw anything of them that morning, however. Butshe now trusted them too much to have any fear of their forgetting her.
And by the time Miss Verity came in from her house-keeping duties,Mary's two or three verses were perfectly learnt.
"But I will not hear them just yet," said her godmother, "put on yourhat and jacket, and come out with me to see how the ponies are thismorning."
The ponies seemed to Mary even more lovable in the stable than inharness. They both seemed to know their mistress so well, and rubbedtheir heads against her in the most affectionate way. And when she saidto Magpie that she must make friends with Mary too, Magpie really turnedher head round and gazed at Mary with her big brown eyes as if she quiteunderstood.
Then Mary gave her and Jackdaw a lump of sugar each, which they seemedto enjoy very much, and after that Miss Verity took her round thekitchen garden and the little poultry-yard, and even to pay a visit tothe pig-sty, where lived two fat little pink pigs, looking cleaner, Marysaid, than any pigs she had ever seen before.
And just as they were going into the house again Miss Verity stood stillfor a moment.
"Listen," she said, "is it not pretty?" and then came to their ears thesweet sounds so familiar to Mary--
"Coo-coo, Coo-coo."
Mary's eyes sparkled. She felt sure the voices were those of her ownlittle friends.
Lessons hardly seemed lessons at Dove's Nest. Miss Verity had such aninteresting way of explaining things, and seeming as if she herselfenjoyed what they talked about. Yet she was very particular too, and Ithink that sensible children like to feel that their teachers _are_particular, just as sensible ponies like to feel that the person holdingthe reins knows how to drive. She was not satisfied with Mary's beingable to repeat the fable rightly till she had gone through it with herand saw that she understood it all quite thoroughly, and then shecorrected some of Mary's pronunciation, which made it all sound ever somuch prettier. After that, there was a sort of geography lesson, asMary was very anxious to see on the map exactly where her dear Michaelwas going to, and how he would get there, so that the time passed soquickly that Mary could scarcely believe when her godmother looked ather watch and exclaimed--
"My dear child, it is one o'clock, and we have luncheon at a quarterpast! Auntie would think I was giving you far too many lessons."
"No, no, she wouldn't," said Mary, laughing and shaking back her curls,which had tumbled over her eyes while she was bending to look at theatlas. "Auntie would be very pleased, for it doesn't seem a bit likelessons. It is almost as nice as hearing stories."
At luncheon, which was of course Mary's real dinner, her godmother begantalking about what they should do that afternoon.
"Would you rather drive or go a walk?" she said. Mary was burning witheagerness to explore the forest a little. She knew that till MissVerity was satisfied that there would be no fear of her losing her wayamong the trees she could not hope for leave to wander about by herself.
"I would _dreadfully_ like to see the forest," she said, "but ofcourse--"
She was going to say that she would be pleased to do whatever hergodmother thought best, but she felt rather shy. Miss Verity consideredfor a minute or two, then,--
"I think we had better do _both_," she said. "Both drive and walk.Magpie needs some exercise, and I want to ask how an old friend of mineis, who lives too far off to walk there; though her house too is on theedge of the forest. That will take us about an hour and a half, so ifwe start at a quarter past two we shall still have time for a wander onthis side of the woods before it gets too chilly and dusk."
"Thank you," said Mary. In her heart she felt rather disappoint
ed thatshe would have no time, or very little, that day to see her Cooies, butstill, after all, it was a great thing to see something of the forestand get leave, perhaps, to stroll about there by herself.
"And _possibly_," she thought, "we may meet them. Godmother would notknow them, but I am sure _I_ would, and they could not feel frightenedof her when she is so sweet and kind."
She was ready in good time, and waiting at the door when Miss Veritycame downstairs. It was really quite curious to see how Magpie prickedup her ears the moment she heard her mistress's voice, and the veryslightest touch on the reins was enough to tell her which way she was