'They seem to think a
lot of it. Never saw one before, I expect.'
'Are you happy?' asked Anthea, panting; the sight of the cook as
queen quite took her breath away.
'I believe you, my dear,' said the cook, heartily. 'Nothing to do
unless you want to. But I'm getting rested now. Tomorrow I'm
going to start cleaning out my hut, if the dream keeps on, and I
shall teach them cooking; they burns everything to a cinder now
unless they eats it raw.'
'But can you talk to them?'
'Lor' love a duck, yes!' the happy cook-queen replied; 'it's quite
easy to pick up. I always thought I should be quick at foreign
languages. I've taught them to understand "dinner," and "I want a
drink," and "You leave me be," already.'
'Then you don't want anything?' Anthea asked earnestly and
anxiously.
'Not me, miss; except if you'd only go away. I'm afraid of me
waking up with that bell a-going if you keep on stopping here
a-talking to me. Long as this here dream keeps up I'm as happy as
a queen.'
'Goodbye, then,' said Anthea, gaily, for her conscience was clear
now.
She hurried into the wood, threw herself on the ground, and said
'Home'--and there she was, rolled in the carpet on the nursery
floor.
'SHE'S all right, anyhow,' said Anthea, and went back to bed.
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