TWO BIRDS THAT CAME BACK 105 
Slipping his head through the yoke and fastening the 
waist-band in place, Tommy suddenly grabbed his mother, 
flour, bread, and all, in a rough embrace, and then clat- 
tered up the backstairs, laughing at the two white hand- 
marks that she had printed on his shoulder in her surprise. 
Up at “the General’s” house Gray Lady, Goldilocks, 
Ann, and Jacob Hughes were as busy as possible making 
preparations for the first regular meeting of the Club. 
To the children, the whole performance in anticipation 
seemed like the most delightful sort of play, but every 
one who thinks will realize how much pains Gray Lady 
was taking to have everything in order for the children’s 
first view of the place. After this, like the wise friend 
that she was, she had planned that the children them- 
selves would in turn take out the work, put it away, and 
clear up threads or shavings as the case might be. 
The playroom was on the southeast corner of the attic, 
and had three dormer-windows with wide seats under- 
neath. Being an attic, the windows were set rather high 
in the slanting room, but, if one stood on the wooden seats, 
there was a beautiful view toward the river valley on the 
south, while the east window looked down over the or- 
chard, and it seemed as if one might almost step out and 
walk upon the tree-tops. 
On the chimney side was a small-sized cooking-stove, 
and between this and the chimney-corner ran shelves with a 
cupboard beneath, whereon and in a set of blue-and-white 
dishes and various pots and pans were ranged. At either 
end of the room was a stout table surrounded by chairs, one 
being a kitchen table with a drawer, and the other a plain 
