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windows in turn; but, in a businesslike fashion, Frank staked out a different claim on behalf of the boys as soon as they were told that this was to be the family’s new home.
    â€˜May we have the wood to play in, Papa? There’s nothing there to spoil.’
    â€˜We could dam the stream and make a pond and have newts and tadpoles in it.’ Philip was quick to support his elder brother. ‘It would be good for our nature study.’
    â€˜You mean you want to run wild in it,’ said Mr Hardie, laughing.
    Even Grace knew that such a comment was not fair. It was true enough that Frank would play at battles all day if he were allowed to; and the twins, like any six-year-olds, liked to rush about without much purpose. But Philip was genuinely interested in the natural world. He was the only one of the boys who without being asked offered to help his father with fiddly jobs like pollinating the plants in thegreenhouse. But there was no need to argue, for Mr Hardie was nodding.
    â€˜We’ve got plenty of land. There should be room for everybody,’ he agreed. ‘Yes, you can have the wood. Subject to my inspection once a month. I don’t want you flooding the valley or making a pond that someone might drown in. Come along, and I’ll show you your bedrooms.’
    He led them off on a tour of the new house; but Grace stayed where she was, almost too happy to breathe. She had never seen a round room before, nor such a sunny room. But the best thing about it was its newness. It had never belonged to anyone else. It was her very own.

Chapter Four
    By the time the Hardie children, excited but tired, returned to their home in Oxford, Mrs Hardie had produced the second surprise of the day. Grace, settled into a low chair, was allowed to hold the new baby on her lap.
    â€˜His name is John Archibald Yates Hardie,’ said Mr Hardie, while Nanny Crocker watched to see that Grace did not clutch the woolly bundle either too tightly or too loosely. ‘But we shall call him Jay.’
    â€˜Why does he have so many names?’
    â€˜He’s named after my father and Mama’s brother. Your grandfather and uncle.’
    Grace knew that she possessed an aunt, Aunt Midge; but Aunt Midge was not married and no one had ever mentioned an uncle before. It was curious that Mama’s brother should never have come visiting – but Grace was not greatly interested in him. More important was the fact that she was no longer the youngest in the family. The other boys might claim that she was too young to join in their games, but this brother would do what she told him. She was pleased. ‘When will he be big enough to play with me?’ she asked.
    â€˜Not for a while yet.’ Mr Hardie nodded at Nanny Crocker to take the baby away. ‘But I’ve got one more surprise for you. A different kind of playmate. Stay where you are and shut your eyes tight.’
    Something small and furry was placed in her hands. She opened her eyes and gasped with delight. A tower room and a kitten on the same day! Her pleasure was almost too great to bear. The kitten wriggled, struggling to escape, asher grip tightened. Grace could feel its heart racing in alarm. She relaxed her fingers, cupping her hands instead round her new treasure to keep it on her lap.
    It was a tabby kitten, with bright blue eyes which seemed too big for its tiny body. The black markings which framed those eyes and pointed down on each side of its nose gave it the fierce expression of a tiger, incongruous in an animal so small and soft. Trying to escape, it began to climb up her dress, its claws catching in the smocking in a way which would not please Nanny Crocker. Then it fell back on to her lap and for a few moments tramped round and round in a small circle until it found a comfortable place to sit. Grace stroked it gently. ‘For me?’ she asked. ‘Mine?’
    Her father nodded. ‘Do you like him?’
    Grace