They went to the February place
The little valentine girl in the February house was very sociable; but she talked so much, and there were so many clocks striking all around, that she was always getting side-tracked into a rhyme.
For example, she was just about to describe a jolly party she went to one day last year, when a clock struck six, and she was obliged to say, instead:—
“One day last year, with hems and haws and sidelong steps and nervous caws, the crows came mincing forth to mail gay valentines, you know. The post box was a hollow tree. They did not know, unluckily, that squirrels had gnawed the floor away, and owls moved in below.
“The crows went flapping off with glee. They said, ‘Our woodland friends will see that, though we dress so solemnly, we’re sociable at heart.’
“The valentines came hurrying down, came scurrying down, came flurrying down, and waked the owls, all fast asleep, and gave them quite a start.
“‘What’s this, my dear, amiss, my dear?’ cried Father Owl.
“‘Oh, bliss, my dear,’ said Mrs. Owl. ‘A shower of mail for us. How very fine!’