"I caught on behind, and climbed in," answered the girl.
"What is your name, and where do you live?" enquired the farmer's wife.
"My name is Miss Muffet, and I live in a big city,—but where, I do not know."
And that was all she could tell them, so the woman said at last,
"We must keep her till some one comes to claim her, and she can earn her living by helping me make the cheeses."
"That will be nice," said Miss Muffet, with a laugh, "for Nurse Holloweg never lets me do anything, and I should like to help somebody do something."
So they led her into the house, where the farmer's wife wondered at the fine texture of her dress and admired the golden chain that hung around her neck.
"Some one will surely come for her," the woman said to her husband, "for she is richly dressed and must belong to a family of some importance."
Nevertheless, when they had eaten dinner, for which Little Miss Muffet had a wonderful appetite, the woman took her into the dairy and told her how she could assist her in curdling the milk and preparing it for the cheese-press.
"Why, it's really fun to work," said the girl, at first, "and I should like to live here always. I do hope Nurse Holloweg will not find me."