“Whatadreadfuldaythishasbeen!“beganJo，usuallythefirsttospeak。
“Ithasseemedshorterthanusual，butsouncomfortable，“saidMeg。
“Notabitlikehome，“addedAmy。
“Itcan’tseemsowithoutMarmeeandlittlePip，“sighedBeth，glancingwithfulleyesattheemptycageaboveherhead。
“Here’sMother，dear，andyoushallhaveanotherbirdtomorrow，ifyouwantit。“