The Mouse then said, 'Couldn't we make her a flannel petticoat and
leave it without a word upon her doorstep?'

But everyone said, 'Flannel petticoats in this weather?' so that
was no go.

Noel said he would write her a poem, but Oswald had a deep, inward
feeling that Mrs Simpkins would not understand poetry. Many people
do not.

H. O. said, 'Why not sing "Rule Britannia" under her window after
she had gone to bed, like waits,' but no one else thought so.

Denny thought we might get up a subscription for her among the
wealthy and affluent, but we said again that we knew money would be
no balm to the haughty mother of a brave British soldier.

'What we want,' Alice said, 'is something that will be a good deal
of trouble to us and some good to her.'

'A little help is worth a deal of poetry,' said Denny.

I should not have said that myself. Noel did look sick.

' What DOES she do that we can help in?' Dora asked. 'Besides, she
won't let us help.'

H. O. said, 'She does nothing but work in the garden. At least if
she does anything inside you can't see it, because she keeps the