In her secret heart I fancy she was half in hopes that the cuckoo would come out again, and talk things over with her.  Even if he were to scold her, she felt that it would be better than sitting there alone with nobody to speak to, which was very dull work indeed.  At the bottom of her conscience there lurked the knowledge that what she should be doing was to be looking over her last lessons with Mr. Kneebreeches, and refreshing her memory for the next day; but, alas! knowing one’s duty is by no means the same thing as doing it, and Griselda sat on by the window doing nothing but grumble and work herself up into a belief that she was one of the most-to-be-pitied little girls in all the world.  So that by the time Dorcas came to call her to tea, I doubt if she had a single pleasant thought or feeling left in her heart.

Things grew no better after tea, and before long Griselda asked if she might go to bed.  She was “so tired,” she said; and she certainly looked so, for ill-humour and idleness are excellent “tirers,” and will soon take the roses out of a child’s cheeks, and the brightness out of her eyes.  She held up her face to be kissed by her aunts in a meekly reproachful way, which made the old ladies feel quite uncomfortable.

“I am by no means sure that I have done right in recalling Mr. Kneebreeches so soon, Sister Tabitha,” remarked Miss Grizzel, uneasily, when Griselda had left the room.  But Miss Tabitha was busy counting her stitches, and did not give full attention to Miss Grizzel’s observation, so she just repeated placidly, “Oh yes, Sister Grizzel, you may be sure you have done right in recalling Mr. Kneebreeches.”

“I am glad you think so,” said Miss Tabitha, with again a little sigh of relief.  “I was only distressed to see the child looking so white and tired.”

Upstairs Griselda was hurry-scurrying into bed.  There was a lovely fire in her room—­fancy that!  Was she not a poor neglected little creature?  But even this did not please her.  She was too cross to be pleased with anything; too cross to wash her face and hands, or let Dorcas brush her hair out nicely as usual; too cross, alas, to say her prayers!  She just huddled into bed, huddling up her mind in an untidy hurry and confusion, just as she left her clothes in an untidy heap on the floor.  She would not look into herself, was the truth of it; she shrank from doing so because she knew things had been going on in that silly little heart of hers in a most unsatisfactory way all day, and she wanted to go to sleep and forget all about it.

She did go to sleep, very quickly too.  No doubt she really was tired; tired with crossness and doing nothing, and she slept very soundly.  When she woke up she felt so refreshed and rested that she fancied it must be morning.  It was dark, of course, but that was to be expected in mid-winter, especially as the shutters were closed.

“I wonder,” thought Griselda, “I wonder if it really is morning.  I should like to get up early—­I went so early to bed.  I think I’ll just jump out of bed and open a chink of the shutters.  I’ll see at once if it’s nearly morning, by the look of the sky.”