‘Yes, Miss Alice; and she is a very good mother to her little ones.’
Alice and Beatrice laughed at the idea that the old black sow, who was grunting about in the farmyard, should be called a good mother.
‘But she is a very good mother,’ said Ellen; ‘for she takes her little pigs into the corn-fields after the harvest, and when she finds some corn on the ground, she calls her little pigs together, and lets them eat it up, and does not eat any herself till she thinks that they have had enough.’
‘I did not think,’ said Alice, ‘that pigs loved their little ones.’
‘Indeed they do, and all animals love their young; and if any one tried to take away one of her ten pigs, the old sow would fly at them, and try to bite them.’
‘But will she bite us?’ asked Beatrice.
‘Oh no; she is very good-tempered, and knows that we will not meddle with her pigs or hurt them.’
After the children had amused themselves in looking at everything, and at last helped Ellen to feed the chickens, they went into the farm-house. Mrs. Laurence had a jug of milk on the table and some glasses, and a loaf of nice brown bread which she told the children she had made and baked herself, and a pat of butter was on a plate, with the figure of a cow on it. Mrs. Laurence gave the children each a glass of milk, and Ellen cut them each a slice of brown bread, and buttered it with the nice butter; and Alice called out that it was a pity that Ellen cut through the shape of the cow, and spread it on her bread.
‘You have a piece of the cow on your bread, Beatrice;’ and Beatrice laughed, and thought it very funny.
Alice and Beatrice thanked Mrs. Laurence and Ellen for the nice bread and butter and milk; for they were very hungry, and it was their tea-time.