noon
Sir Muscovy rose to his feet ; a few rapid words seemed to pass between him and his mate , and then he fell upon the other drake and the heartless minions who had persecuted the helpless one , drove them far away out of sight , and , returning , went to the corner where the victim was cowering , her face to the wall . He seemed to whisper to her , or in some way to convey to her a sense of protection ; for after a few moments she tremblingly went with him to the dish , and hurriedly ate her dinner while he stood by , repulsing the advances of the few brown ducks who remained near and seemed inclined to attack her . When she had eaten enough Lady Blanche joined them , and they went down the hill together to their favourite swimming-place . After that Miss Crippletoes always followed a little behind her protectors , and thus shielded and fed she grew stronger and well-feathered , though she was always smaller than she should have been and had a lowly manner , keeping a few steps in the rear of her superiors and sitting at some distance from their noon resting-place . Phoebe noticed after a while that Lady Blanche was seldom to be seen , and Sir Muscovy and Miss Crippletoes often came to their meals without her . The would-be mother refused to inhabit the house Phoebe had given her , and for a long time the place she had chosen for her sitting could not be found . At length the Square Baby discovered her in a most ideal spot .