Miss Anne herself walked along after them, and found them looking through the bars of the hen-coop, and in a state of the highest delight at the sight of a hen and a large brood of chickens, which were walking about within.
“O, look, Miss Anne!” said Lucy, clapping her hands as Miss Anne came up. “A real hen, and ever so many chickens!”
“Where could they have come from?” said Miss Anne.
“O, we caught them,” said Lucy; “we caught them. I told you, Royal, that perhaps we should catch some.”
“How did they get here?” said Royal. “It is some of father’s sly work, I know. Do you know, Miss Anne, how they came here?”
“Let us see how many chickens there are,” said Miss Anne. “One, two, three,”—and so she went on counting up to thirteen.
“Thirteen,” said Lucy; “only think! More than Joanna’s, isn’t it, Royal? Thirteen is more than eleven, isn’t it?”
“Yes, two more,” said Royal; “but, Miss Anne, don’t you know how they came here?”
Miss Anne looked rather sly, but did not answer. She said to Lucy,
“Well, Lucy, let us go and see your garden.”