β
went back out to the garden at the side of the cottage where she grew vegetables: peas, beans, and cabbages. As she dug at the sturdy deep roots of a dock leaf, her hens saw her, and came rushing up from the shoreline. They scratched companionably, looking for worms and little insects in the turned earth, clucking contentedly at Alinor, and she scolded them gently. βYou go down to the shore, donβt you scrape up my plants.β One copper-brown hen pecked up a little worm and made a funny grunting noise of appreciation.
β
β