'ii?1ltilitiM;in!it}Mi>;T»i«^Hni.tiw;5ia;::ii 
 
THE 
 
 ADVENTURES OF HEER BABY 
 
^ 
 
 MACMILLAX AND CO., I.imitkd 
 
 LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA • MADRAS 
 MELBOURNE 
 
 THE MACMILLAX COMPANY 
 
 HEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO 
 DALLAS • SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. 
 
 TORONTO 
 
7 
 
 THE ADVENTUKES ^7^ 
 
 Ac*- 
 
 OF 
 
 HERE BABY 
 
 By Mrs. MOLESWOETH 
 
 AUTHOR OF 'carrots,' 'us, ' ETC. 
 
 'I have a boy of five years old . 
 His face is fair and fresh to see/ 
 
 Wordsworth 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY WALTER CRANE 
 
 MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED 
 
 ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON 
 
 1920 
 
Firsi printed ii,to) 1881 
 
 Reprinted (Globe ?>vo) 1886, 1887, 1S90, 1892, 1895 
 
 1897, 1900, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1920 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Four Years Old . . . . . .1 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 Inside a Trunk . . « .^ « . . 20 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 Up in the Morning early . . . .41 
 
 CHAPTER IVo 
 
 
 Going Away 
 
 . 60 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 
 By Land and Sea 
 
 81 
 
vi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 An Old Shop and an Ogre . . . „ 101 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 Baby's Secret . . . . 125 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Found . . .145 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 "East or "West, Hame is best" . ,163 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 TO FACE PAGE 
 
 *'0h look, look, Baby's made Peepy-Snoozle into 
 'the Parson in the Pulpit that couldn't say his 
 Prayers,'" CRIED Denny .... 6 
 
 He sat with one arm propped on the table, and his 
 
 ROUND head leaning ON HIS HAND, WHILE THE OTHER 
 
 held the piece of bread and butter — butter down- 
 wards, of course . .- . . . .16 
 
 There was one trunk which took my fancy more 
 than all the others . . . . .30 
 
 For a minute or two Baby could not make out what 
 
 HAD happened ...... 50 
 
 "Zou WILL p'oMisE, Betsy, p'omise certain sure, 
 nebber to forget " . . . . .61 
 
 Poor little boys, for, after all, Fritz himself 
 wasn't very big ! They stood together hand in 
 hand on the station platform, looking, and 
 feeling, rather desolate . . , . 84 
 
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 TO FACE PAGE 
 "Are THAT JOGEAPHY?" HE SAID ... 94 
 
 "Oh Auntie," he said, "p'ease 'top one minute. 
 Him sees shiny glass jugs like deae, little 
 Mother's. Oh, do 'top " . . . . 106 
 
 Baby ventured to peep round. The little black- 
 eyed white-capped man came towards them smiling 121 
 
 There was Baby, seated on the grass, one arm 
 fondly clasping Minet's neck, while with the 
 
 OTHER HE firmly HELD THE FAMOUS MONEY-BOX . 138 
 
 Auntie stood still a moment to listen . . ,155 
 
 Forgetting all about everything, except that her 
 Baby was found, up jumped Mother . . , 170 
 
THE ADVENTUEES OF HERE BABY 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FOUR YEARS OLD 
 
 " I was four yesterday ; when I'm quite old 
 I'll have a cricket-ball made of pure gold ; 
 I'll never stand up to show that I'm grown ; 
 I'll go at liberty upstairs or down." 
 
 He trotted upstairs. Perhaps trotting is not quite 
 the right word, but I can't find a better. It wasn't 
 at all like a horse or pony trotting, for he went one 
 foot at a time, right foot first, and when right foot 
 was safely landed on a step, up came left foot and 
 the rest of Baby himseK after right foot. It took a 
 good while, but Baby didn't mind. He used to think 
 a good deal while he was going up and down stairs, 
 and it was not his way to be often in a hurry. There 
 was one thing he could not bear, and that was any 
 one trying to carry him upstairs. Oh, that did vex 
 Sb B 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 him ! His face used to get quite red, right up to the 
 roots of his curly hair, and down to the edge of the 
 big collar of his sailor suit, for he had been put into 
 sailor suits last Christmas, and, if the person who was 
 lifting him up didn't let go all at once, Baby would 
 begin to wriggle. He was really clever at wriggling ; 
 even if you knew his way it was not easy to hold 
 him, and with any one that didn't know his way he 
 could get off in half a minute. 
 
 But this time there was no one about, and Baby 
 stumped on — yes that is a better word — Baby stumped 
 on, or up, "wifout nobody teasing." His face was 
 grave, very grave, for inside the little house of which 
 his two blue eyes were the windows, a great deal of 
 work was going on. He was busy wondering about, 
 and trying to understand, some of the strange news 
 he had heard downstairs in the drawing-room. 
 
 " Over the sea," he said to himself. " Him would 
 like to see the sea. Auntie said over the sea in a 
 boat, a werry big boat. Him wonders how big." 
 
 And his mind went back to the biggest boat he 
 had ever seen, which was in the toy-shop at Brookton, 
 when he had gone with his mother to be fitted for 
 new boots. But even that wouldn't be big enough. 
 Mother, and auntie, and grandfather, and Celia, and 
 
FOUR YEARS OLD 
 
 Fritz, and Denny, and cook, and Lisa, and Thomas, 
 and Jones, and the other servants, and the horses, 
 
 and — and Baby stopped to take breath inside, 
 
 for though he had not been speaking aloud he felt 
 quite choked with all the names coming so fast. 
 "And pussy, and the calanies, and the Bully, and 
 Fritz's dormice, oh no, them couldnH all get in." Per- 
 haps if Baby doubled up his legs underneath he 
 might squeeze himself in, but that would be no good, 
 he couldn't go sailing, sailing all over the sea by 
 himself, like the old woman in "Harry's Nursery 
 Songs," who went sailing, sailing, up in a basket, 
 " seventy times as high as the moon." Oh no, even 
 that boat wouldn't be big enough. They must have 
 one as big as — and Baby stopped to look round. 
 But just then a shout from inside the nursery made 
 him wake up, for he had got to the last little stair 
 before the top landing, and again right foot and half 
 Baby, followed by left foot and the other half Baby, 
 stumped on their way. 
 
 They pulled up — right foot and left foot, with 
 Baby's solemn face top of all — at the nursery door. 
 It was shut. Now one of the things Baby Kked to 
 do for himself was to open doors, and now and then 
 he could manage it very well. But, alas, the nursery 
 
4 THE ADVENTURES OF EEBR BABY chap. 
 
 lock was too high up for him to get a good hold of it. 
 He pulled, and pushed, and got quite red, all for no 
 use. Worse than that, the pushing and pulling were 
 heard inside. Some one came forward and opened 
 the door, nearly knocking poor Baby over. 
 
 "Ach, Herr Baby, mine child, why you not say 
 when you come?" Lisa cried out. Lisa was Baby's 
 nurse. Her face was rosy and round, and she looked 
 very kind. She would have liked to pick him up to 
 make sure he had got no knocks, but she knew too 
 weU that would not do. So aU she could do was to 
 say again — 
 
 " Mine child — ach, Herr Baby !" 
 
 Baby did not take any notice. 
 
 " Zeally," he said coolly, " ganfather must do 
 somesing to zem locks. Zem is aU most dedful 
 ^'tiff." 
 
 Lisa smiled to herselL She was used to Baby's 
 ways. 
 
 " Herr Baby shall grow tall some day," she said. 
 " Zen him can open doors." 
 
 Lisa's talking was nearly as funny as Baby's, and, 
 indeed, I rather think that hers had made his all the 
 funnier. But, any way, they understood each other. 
 He was thinking over what she had said, when a 
 
FOUR YEARS OLD 
 
 scream from the nursery made them both turn round 
 in a hurry. 
 
 "O Lisa, Baby, come in quick, do. Peepy- 
 Snoozle has got out of the cage, and he'll be out at 
 the door in another moment. Quick, quick, come in 
 and shut the door." 
 
 Lisa and Baby did not wait to be twice told. 
 Inside the nursery there was a great flurry. Celia, 
 Fritz, and Denny were all there crawling over the 
 floor and screaming at each other. 
 
 " I have him ! there — oh, now that's too bad 
 Fritz, you frightened him away again," called out 
 Celia. 
 
 " Me frighten him away ! Why he knows me 
 ever so much better than you girls," said Fritz. 
 
 " He just doesn't then," said Denny with triumph, 
 " for here he is safe in my apron." 
 
 But she had hardly said the words when she gave 
 a little scream. "He's off again, oh quick. Baby, 
 quick, catch him." 
 
 How Baby did it, I can't tell. His hands seemed 
 too small to catch anything, even a dormouse. But 
 catch the truant he did, and very proud Baby looked 
 when he held up his two little fists, which he had 
 made into a "mouse-trap" really, for the occasion, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap 
 
 with Peepy-Snoozle's " coxy " little head and bright 
 beady eyes poking out at the top. 
 
 " Oh look, look, Baby's made Peepy-Snoozle into 
 'the parson in the pulpit that couldn't say his 
 prayers,' " cried Denny, dancing about. 
 
 " All the same, he'd better go back into his cage," 
 said Fritz, who had a right to be heard, as he was 
 the master and owner of the dormice. " Come along, 
 Baby, poke him in." 
 
 Baby was busy kissing and petting Peepy-Snoozle 
 by this time, for, though he did not approve of much 
 of that sort of thing for himself, he was very fond of 
 petting little animals, who were not little boys. And 
 to tell the truth, it was not often he got a chance 
 of petting his big brother's dormice. It was quite 
 pretty to see the way he kissed Peepy-Snoozle's soft 
 brown head, especially his nose, stroking it gently 
 against his own smooth cheeks and chattering to the 
 little creature. 
 
 " Dear little darling. Sweet little denkle darKng," 
 he said. " Him would like to have a house all full 
 of Peepy-'noozles, zem is so sweet and soft." 
 
 " Wouldn't you like a coat made of their skins ?" 
 said Denny. ** Think how soft that would be." 
 
 "No, sairtin him wouldn't," said Baby. "Him 
 
■ Oh look, look, Baby's made Peepy-Snoozle into ' the parson in the pulpit that 
 couldn't say his prayers,' " cried Denny. — p. 6. 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 7 
 
 wouldn't pull off all their sweet little skins and hairs 
 to make him a coat. Denny's a c'uel girl." 
 
 " There won't be much more skin or hairs left if 
 you go on scrubbing him up and down with your 
 sharp little nose like that," said Fritz. 
 
 Baby drew back his face in a fright. 
 
 "Put him in the cage then," he said, and with 
 Fritz's help this was safely done. Then Baby stood 
 silent, slowly rubbing his own nose up and down, 
 and looking very grave. 
 
 " Him's nose isn't sharp," he said at last, turning 
 upon Denny. " Sharp means knifes and scidders." 
 
 All the children burst out laughing. Of course 
 they understood things better than Baby, for even 
 Denny, the youngest next to him, was nine, that is 
 twice his age, which by the by was a puzzle to Denny 
 herself, for Celia had teased her one day by saying 
 that according to that when Baby was eighty Denny 
 would be a hundred and sixty, and nobody ever 
 lived to be so old, so how could it be. 
 
 But Denny, though she didn't always understand 
 everything herself, was very quick at taking up other 
 people if they didn't. 
 
 "Oh, you stupid little goose," she said. "Of 
 course, Fritz didn't mean as sharp as a knife. 
 
8 THE ADVENTURES OF EERR BABY chap. 
 
 There's different kinds of sharps — there's different 
 kinds of everything." 
 
 Baby looked at her gravely. He had his own 
 way of defending himself. 
 
 " Werry well If him's a goose him won't talk to 
 you, and him won't tell you somesing werry funny and 
 dedftd bootiful that him heard in the 'groind room." 
 
 All eyes were turned on Baby. 
 
 "Oh, do tell us, Baby darling, do tell us," said 
 Celia and Denny. 
 
 Fritz gave Baby a friendly pat on the back. 
 
 "You'll tell me, old fellow, won't you?" he said. 
 Baby looked at him. 
 
 "Yes," he said at last; "him will tell you, 'cos 
 you let him have Peepy-'noozle, and 'cos you doesn't 
 call him a goose — like girls does. Ill whister in 
 your ear, Fritz, if you'll bend down." 
 
 But Celia thought this was too bad. 
 
 " / didn't caU you a goose. Baby," she said. " I 
 think you might tell me too." 
 
 " And I'll promise never to call you a goose again 
 if you'U tell me" said Denny. 
 
 Baby had a great soul. It was beneath him to 
 take a mean revenge, he felt, especially on a girl ! 
 So he shut his little mouth tightly, knit his little 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 9 
 
 brows, and thought it over for a moment or two. 
 Then his face cleared. 
 
 " Him will tell you all — all you children," he said 
 at last, "but it's werry long and dedful wonderful, 
 and you mustn't inrumpt him. P'omise ?" 
 
 " Promise," shouted the three. 
 
 " Well then, litsen. We's all goin' away — zeally 
 away — over the sea — dedftd far. As far as the sky, 
 p'raps/* 
 
 " In a balloon V said Denny, whose tongue 
 wouldn't keep still even though she was very much 
 interested in the news. 
 
 " No, in a boat," replied Baby, forgetting to notice 
 that this was an " inrumption," " in a werry 'normous 
 boat. All's going. Him was looking for 'tamps in 
 mother's basket of teared letters under the little table, 
 and mother and ganfather and auntie didn't know 
 him were there, and ganfather said to mother some- 
 sing him couldn't understand — somesing about thit 
 house, and mother said, yes, 'twould be a werry good 
 thing to go away 'fore the cold weather comed, and 
 the children would be p'eased. And auntie said she 
 would like to tell the children, but " 
 
 Another " inrumption." This time from Fritz. 
 
 "Baby, stop a minute," he exclaimed. "CeKa, 
 
10 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 Denny — Baby's too little to understand, but," and 
 here Fritz's round chubby face got very red, " don't 
 you think we've no right to let him tell, if it's some- 
 thing mother means to teU us herself? She didn't 
 know Baby was there — he said so." 
 
 But before Celia or Denny could answer, Baby 
 turned upon Fritz. 
 
 " Him tolded you not to inrumpt," he said, with 
 supreme contempt. " If you would litsen you would 
 see. Mother did know him was there at the ending, 
 for auntie said she'd Hke to teU the children — that's 
 you, and Denny and Celia — but him comed out from 
 the little table and said him would like to teU the 
 children hisself. And mother were dedful surprised, 
 and so was ganfather and auntie. And then they all 
 bursted out laughing and told him lots of things — 
 about going in the railway, and in a 'normous boat 
 to that other country, where there's cows to pull the 
 carts, and all the people talk lubbish-talk, like Lisa 
 when she's cross. And zen, and zen, him comed up- 
 stairs to tell you." 
 
 Baby looked round triumphantly. Celia and 
 Fritz and Denny looked first at him and then at 
 each other. This was wonderful news — almost too 
 wonderful to be true. 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 11 
 
 "We must be going to Italy or somewhere like 
 that," said Celia. "How lovely! I wonder why 
 they didn't tell us before ?" 
 
 " Italy," repeated Denny, " that's the country like 
 a boot, isn't it ? I do hope there won't be any snakes. 
 I'd rather far stay at home than go where there's 
 snakes." 
 
 "/wouldn't," said Fritz, grandly. "Td like to 
 go to India or Africa, or any of those places where 
 there's lots of lions and tigers and snakes, and any- 
 thing you like. Give me a good revolver and you*d 
 see. 
 
 " Don't talk nonsense, Fritz," said Celia. " You're 
 far too Little a boy for shooting and guns and aU 
 that. It's setting a bad example to Baby to talk that 
 boasting way, and it's very silly too." 
 
 " Indeed, miss. Much obliged to you, miss," said 
 Fritz. " I'd only just like to know, miss, who it was 
 came to my room the other night and was sure she 
 heard robbers, and begged Fritz to peep behind the 
 swing-door in the long passage. And * oh,' said this 
 person, ' I do so wish you had a gun that you could 
 point at them to frighten them away.' Fritz wasn't 
 such a very little boy just then." 
 
 Celia's face got rather red, and she looked as if 
 
12 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 she was going to get angry, but at that moment, 
 happily, Lisa appeared with the tray for the nursery 
 tea. She had left the room when the dormouse was 
 caught, so she had not heard the wonderful news, and it 
 had all to be told over again. She smiled and seemed 
 pleased, but not as surprised as the children expected. 
 
 "Why, aren't you surprised, Lisa?" said the 
 children. "Did you know before? Why didn't 
 you tell us ?" 
 
 Lisa shook her head and looked very wise. 
 
 " What country are we going to ? Can you tell 
 us that ?" said Celia. 
 
 " Is it to your country ? Is it to what you caU 
 Dutchland?" said Fritz. "I think it's an awfully 
 queer thing that countries can't be called by the same 
 names everywhere. It makes geography ever so 
 much harder. We've got to call the people that live 
 in Holland Dutch, and they call themselves- — oh, I 
 don't know what they call themselves " 
 
 " Hollanders," said Lisa. 
 
 "Hollanders!" repeated Fritz. "Well, that's a 
 sensible sort of name for people that live in Holland. 
 But we've got to call them Dutch ; and then, to make 
 it more muddled still, Lisa calls her country Dutch- 
 land, and the people Dutch, and we call them German. 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 13 
 
 I think if s very stupid. If I was to make geography 
 I wouldn't do it that way." 
 
 " What's jography ?" said Baby. 
 
 ''Knowing all about all the countries and all the 
 places in the world," said Denny. 
 
 " Him wants to learn that," said Baby. 
 
 " Oh, you're far too little !" said Denny. " / only 
 began it last year. Oh, you're ever so much too 
 Uttle!" 
 
 " Him's not too little to go in the 'normous boat 
 to see all zem countlies," said Baby, valiantly. " Him 
 vdll learn jography." 
 
 " That's right, Baby," said Fritz. " Stick up for 
 yourself. You'll be a great deal bigger than Denny 
 some day." 
 
 Denny was getting ready an answer when Lisa, 
 who knew pretty well the signs of war between Fritz 
 and Denny, called to all the children to come to tea ; 
 and as both Fritz and Denny were great hands at 
 bread and butter, they forgot to quarrel, and began 
 pulling their chairs in to the table, and in a few 
 minutes all four were busy at work. 
 
 What a pretty sight, and what a pleasant thing a 
 nursery tea is! when the children, that is to say, 
 are sweet-faced and smiling, with clean pinafores, 
 
14 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 and clean hands, and gentle voices ; not leaning ovei 
 the table, knocking over cups, and snatching rudely 
 at the " butteriest " pieces of bread and butter, and 
 making digs at the sugar when nurse is not looking. 
 That kind of nursery tea is not to my mind, and not 
 at all the kind to which I am always delighted to 
 receive an invitation, written in very round, very 
 black letters, on very small sheets of paper. The 
 nursery teas in Baby's nursery were not always quite 
 what I like to see them, for Celia, Fritz, and Denny, 
 and Baby too, had their tiresome days as well as 
 their pleasant ones, and though they meant to be 
 good to each other, they did not always do just what 
 they meant, or really wished, at the bottom of theii 
 hearts. But to-day all the little storms were for- 
 gotten in the great news, and all the faces looked 
 bright and eager, though just at first not much was 
 said, for when children are hungry of course they 
 can't chatter quite so fast, and all the four tongues 
 were silent till at least one cup of tea, and perhaps 
 three or four slices of bread and butter each — ^just as 
 a beginning, you know — had disappeared. 
 
 Then said Celia, — 
 
 " Lisa, do tell us if you know what sort of a place 
 we're going to." 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 16 
 
 " Cows pulls carts there," observed Baby ; " and — 
 and — what was the 'nother thing ? We'll have frogses 
 for dinner." 
 
 "Baby !" said the others, "what nonsense !" 
 
 "'Tisn't nonsense. Ganfather said Thomas and 
 Dones wouldn't go 'cos they was fightened of frogses for 
 dinner. Him doesn't care — frogses tastes werry good." 
 
 " How do you know ? You've never tasted them." 
 said Fritz. 
 
 " Ganfather said zem was werry good.'* 
 
 " Grandfather was joking/' said Celia. " I've 
 often heard him laugh at people that way. It's just 
 nonsense — Thomas and Jones don't know any better. 
 Do they eat frogs in your country, Lisa ?" 
 
 "In mine country, Fraulein C^lie?" said Lisa, 
 looking rather vexed. " No indeed. Man eats goot, 
 most goot tings, in mine country. Say, Herr Baby — 
 Herr Baby knows what goot tings Lisa would give 
 him in her country." 
 
 "Yes," said Baby, "such good tings. Tocolate 
 and cakes — lots — and bootiful soup, all sweet, not 
 like salty soup. Him would like werry much to go 
 to Lisa's countly." 
 
 "Do cows puU carts in your country, Lisa?" 
 asked Denny. 
 
16 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chaf. 
 
 " Some parts. Not where mine family lives," said 
 Lisa. " No, Fraulein Denny, it's not to mine coun- 
 try we're going. Mine country is it colt, so colt ; 
 and your lady mamma and your lady auntie they 
 want to go where it is warm, so warm, and sun all 
 winter." 
 
 "7 should like that too," said Celia, "I hate 
 winter." 
 
 "That's 'cos you're a girl," said Fritz; "you 
 crumple yourseK up by the fire and sit shivering — ^no 
 wonder you're cold. You should come out skating 
 like Denny, and then you'd get warm." 
 
 " Denny's a girl too. You said it was because I 
 was a girl," said Celia. 
 
 " Well, she's not as silly as some girls, any way," 
 said Fritz, rather " put down." 
 
 Baby was sitting silent. He had made an end of 
 two cups of tea and five pieces of bread and butter. 
 
 He was not, therefore, quite so hungry as he had 
 been at the beginning, but still he was a long way off 
 having made what was called in the nursery a " good 
 tea." Something was on his mind. He sat with one 
 arm propped on the table, and his round head lean- 
 ing on his hand, while the other held the piece of 
 bread and butter — butter downwards, of course — 
 
Hr: sat with one arm propped on the table and his round head leaning on his 
 hand, while the other held the piece of bread and butter — butter downwards, of 
 course. — p. i6. 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 17 
 
 which had been on its way to his mouth when his 
 brown study had come over him. 
 
 " Herr Baby," said Lisa, " eat, mine child." 
 
 Baby took no notice. 
 
 "What has he then?" said Lisa, who was very 
 easily frightened about her dear Herr Baby. " Can 
 he be ill ? He eats not." 
 
 " 111," said Celia. " No fear, Lisa. He's had ever 
 so much bread and butter. Don't you want any more, 
 Baby ? What are you thinking about ? We're going 
 to have honey on our last pieces to-night, aren't we, 
 Lisa ? For a treat, you know, because of the news of 
 going away." 
 
 Celia wanted the honey because she was very fond 
 of it; but besides that, she thought it would wake 
 Baby out of his brown study to hear about it, for he 
 was very fond of it too. 
 
 He did catch the word, for he turned his blue 
 eyes gravely on Celia, 
 
 " Honey's werry good," he said, " but him's not at 
 his last piece yet. Him doesn't sink he'U ever be at 
 his last piece to-night ; him's had to stop eating for 
 he's so dedful busy in him's head." 
 
 "Poor little man, have you got a pain in your head?" 
 said his sister, kindly. " Is that what you mean ?" 
 
 
 
18 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 " No, no," said Baby, softly shaking his head, " no 
 pain. It's only busy sinking." 
 
 " What about ? " said all the children. 
 
 Baby sat straight up. 
 
 " Children," he said, " him zeally can't eat, sinking 
 of what a dedful packing there'll be. All of every- 
 sing. Him zeally sinks it would be best to begin 
 to-night." 
 
 At this moment the door opened. It was mother. 
 She often came up to the nursery at tea-time, and 
 
 ** "When the children had been good ; 
 That is, be it understood, 
 Good at meal times, good at play," 
 
 I need hardly say, they were very, very pleased to 
 see her. Indeed there were times even when they 
 were glad to see her face at the door when they 
 hadrCt been very good, for somehow she had a way 
 of putting things right again, and making them feel 
 both how wrong and how sUly it is to be cross and 
 quarrelsome, that nobody else had. And she would 
 just help the kind words out without seeming to do 
 so, and take away that sore, horrid feeling that one 
 can't be good, even though one is longing so to be 
 happy and friendly again. 
 
L FOUR YEARS OLD 19 
 
 But this evening there had been nothing worse 
 than a little squabbling ; the children all greeted 
 mother merrily, only Baby still looked rather 
 solemn. ' 
 
20 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 INSIDE A TRUNK 
 
 ** For giria are as silly as spoons, dears, 
 And boys are as jolly as bricks. 
 
 * • « • 
 
 Oh Mammy, you tell us a story ! — 
 They won't hear a word that /say." 
 
 Mother, mother!" they all cried with one voice, 
 and the three big ones jumped up and ran to her, all 
 pulling her at once. 
 
 " Mother, mother, do sit down in the rocking-chair 
 and look comfortable," said Fritz. 
 
 " There's still some tea. You'll have a cup of (mr 
 tea, won't you, mother ? " said Celia. 
 
 " And some bread and honey," said Denny. 
 
 " It won't spoil your afternoon tea ; don't say it 
 will," said all together, for nothing would ever make 
 them believe that when mother came up to the 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 21 
 
 nursery at tea-time it could be allowed that she 
 should not have a share of whatever there was. 
 
 " Such a good thing we had honey to-night," said 
 Celia, who was busy cutting a very dainty piece of 
 bread and butter. " We persuaded Lisa to give it us 
 eoctra, you know, mother, because of the news. And, 
 oh, mother, what do you think Baby says ? he " 
 
 "Baby! what is the matter with him?" inter- 
 rupted mother. 
 
 They aU turned to look at him. Poor Baby, he 
 had set to work to get down from his chair to run to 
 mother with the others, but the chair was high and 
 Baby was short, and Lisa, who had gone to the cup- 
 board for a fresh cup and saucer for " madame," as 
 she called the children's mother, had not noticed the 
 trouble Herr Baby had got himself into. One little 
 leg and a part of his body were stuck fast in the open 
 space between the bars at the back, his head had 
 somehow got under the arm of the chair, and could 
 not be got out again without help. And Baby was 
 far too proud to call out for help as long as there was 
 a chance of his doing without it. But he really was 
 in a very uncomfortable state, and it was a wonder 
 that the chair, which was a light wicker one, had not 
 toppled over with the queer way in which he wa? 
 
22 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY ohap. 
 
 hanging. They got him out at last; his face was 
 very red, and I think the tears had been very near 
 coming, but he choked them down, and lookiag up 
 gravely he said to his mother, — 
 
 "Him's chair i^ getting too small Him hasn*t 
 room to turn." 
 
 "Is it really?" said his mother, quite gravely too. 
 She saw that Celia and Fritz were ready to burst out 
 laughing at poor Baby, and she didn't want them to 
 do so, for Baby had really been very brave, and now 
 when he was trying hard not to cry it would have 
 been too bad to laugh at him. "Is it really?" she 
 said. " I must see about it, and if it is too small we 
 must get you another." 
 
 " Him doesn't want you to pack up that chair," 
 said Baby again, giving himself a sort of shake, as if 
 to make sure that his head, and his legs, and all the 
 rest of him, were lq their proper places after being 
 so turned about and twisted by his struggles in the 
 chair. 
 
 " He's quite in a fuss about packing," said Celia ; 
 "that's what I was going to tell you, mother. He 
 stopped in the middle of his tea to think about it, and 
 he said he thought we'd better begin to-night." 
 
 " Yes," said Baby. " There's such lots to pack. 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 23 
 
 All our toys, and the labbits, and the mouses, and 
 the horses, and the fireplaces, and the tables, and the 
 cups, and the saucers," his eyes wandering round the 
 room as he went on with his list. "Him thinks 
 we'll need lots of boats to go in." 
 
 " And two or three railway trains all to ourselves," 
 said mother. 
 
 Baby looked up at her gravely. He could not 
 make out if mother was in fun or earnest. His little 
 puzzled face made mother draw him to her and give 
 him a kiss. 
 
 " It's a shame to talk nonsense to such a serious 
 little man," she said. " Don't trouble yourself about 
 the packing. Baby dear. Don't you know grand- 
 father, and auntie, and I have had lots of packings to 
 do in our lives ? Why, we had to pack up two houses 
 when we came away from India, and that was much 
 much farther away than where we're going now ! 
 And you were such a tiny baby then — it was very 
 much harder, for mother was very very sad, and she 
 never thought you would grow to be a big strong boy 
 like what you are now." 
 
 " Was that when " began thoughtless Denny, 
 
 but Fritz gave her a tug. 
 
 " You hnow it makes mother unhappy to talk 
 
24 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 about that time," he whispered ; but mother heard 
 him. 
 
 "No, Fritz," she said; "I don't mind Denny 
 thinking about it. I am so glad to have all of you, 
 dears, happy and good, that my sorrow is not so bad 
 as it was. And I am so glad you and Celia can 
 remember your father. Poor Baby — he can't remem- 
 ber him," she said, softly stroking Baby's face. 
 
 " 'Cos he went to Heaven when him was so little," 
 said Baby. Then he put his arms round mother's 
 neck. '* Him and Fritz will soon grow big, and be 
 werry good to mother," he said. " And ganfather and 
 auntie are werry good to mother, isn't they ?" he 
 added. 
 
 " Yes indeed," said mother ; "and to all of you too. 
 What would we do without grandfather and auntie?" 
 
 " Some poor little boys and girls has no mothers 
 and ganfathers, and no stockings and shoes, and no 
 nothings" said Baby solemnly. 
 
 " There's some things I shouldn't mind not having," 
 said Fritz ; " I shouldn't mind having no lessons." 
 
 " O Fritz," said his sisters ; " what a lazy boy you 
 are!" 
 
 " No, I'm just 7wt lazy. I'm awfully fond of doing 
 everything — I don't even mind if it's a hard thing, so 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 25 
 
 long as it isn't anything in books," said Fritz, sturdily. 
 "Some people's made one way, and some's made 
 another, and I'm made the way of not liking 
 books." 
 
 " I wonder what Baby will say to books," said 
 mother, smiling. 
 
 " Is jography in books," said Baby. " Him wants 
 to learn jography." 
 
 " I think it's awfully stupid," said Denny. " I'm 
 sure you won't like it once you begin. Did you like 
 lessons when you were little, mother ?" 
 
 " Yes, I'm sure mother did," said Fritz. " People's 
 fathers and mothers were always far gooder than their 
 children are. I've noticed that. If ever big people 
 tell you about when they were little, it's always about 
 how good they were. And they say always, ' Dear 
 me, how happy children should be nowadays ; we 
 were never allowed to do so and so when we were 
 little.' That's the way old Mrs. Nesbitt always talks, 
 isn't it mother? I wonder if it's true. K people 
 keep getting naughtier than their fathers and mothers 
 were, the world will get very naughty some day. Is 
 it true r 
 
 "I think ifs true that children get to be more 
 spoilt," said Denny in a low voice. " Just look how 
 
26 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 Baby's clambering all over mother! Baby, you 
 nearly knocked over mother's cup ! / never was 
 allowed to do like that when / was a little girl." 
 
 Everybody burst out laughing — even mother — but 
 Denny had the good quality of not minding being 
 laughed at. 
 
 " Was the tea nice, and the bread and butter and 
 honey?" she said eagerly, as mother rose to put the 
 empty cup in a place of safety. 
 
 "Very nice, thank you," said mother. "But I 
 must go, dears. I have a good many things to talk 
 about with grandfather and auntie." 
 
 "Packing?" said Baby. 
 
 " How you do go on about packing !" said Denny 
 " Of course mother's not going to pack to-night." 
 
 Baby's face fell. 
 
 " Him does so want to begin packing," he said 
 dolefully. " 'Appose we forgottened somesing, and 
 we was over the sea !" 
 
 " Well, I must talk about it all, and write down 
 all we have to take," said mother. " So I must go to 
 auntie now." 
 
 " Oh, not yet, not yet. Just five minutes more !" 
 cried the children. " And, mother," said Celia, "you've 
 not answered my question. Is it true that children 
 
n, INSIDE A TRUNK 27 
 
 used to be so much better long ago? Were you 
 never naughty ?" 
 
 " Sometimes," said mother, smiUng. 
 
 "Oh, I'm so glad!" said Celia. "Often, mother? 
 I do hope you were often naughty. Do tell us a 
 story about something naughty you did when you 
 were little. You know it would be a good lesson 
 for us. It would show us how awfully good one 
 may learn to be, for, you know, you're awfully good 
 now." 
 
 " Yes, of course you are," said Fritz and Denny. 
 
 "Mother's dedfully good," said Baby, poking up 
 his face from her knee where he had again perched 
 himself, to kiss her. " Do teU him one story of when 
 you was a little girl, mother." 
 
 Mother's face seemed for a minute rather puzzled. 
 Then it suddenly cleared up. 
 
 " I will tell you a very little story," she said ; " it 
 really is a very Httle story, but it is as long as I have 
 time for just now, and it may amuse you. Baby's 
 packing put it in my head." 
 
 " Is it about when you were a little girl, mother ?" 
 interrupted Denny. 
 
 "Yes. Well, when I was a little girl, I had no 
 mother." 
 
28 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 The elder children nodded their heads. But Baby, 
 to whom it was a new idea, shook his sadly. 
 
 " Zat was a gate pity," he said. " Poor mother to 
 have no mother. Had you no shoes and stockings, 
 and nothing nice to eat?" 
 
 " You sill " began Denny, but mother stopped 
 
 her. 
 
 " Oh yes," she said, " I had shoes and stockings, 
 and everything I wanted, for I had a very kind father. 
 You know how kind grandfather is ? And I had a 
 kind sister whom you know too. But when I was a 
 little girl, my sister was not herself very big, and she 
 had a great deal to do for a not very big girl, you 
 know. There were our brothers, for we had several, 
 and though they were generally away at school there 
 seemed always something to do for them — letters to 
 write to them, if there was nothing else — and then, 
 in the holidays, there were all their new shirts, 
 and stockings, and things to get to take back to 
 school Helen seemed always busy. She had been 
 at school too, before your grandfather came back 
 from India, for five years, bringing me with him, 
 quite a wee little girl of four. And Helen was so 
 happy to be with us again, that she begged not 
 to go back to school, and, as she was really very 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 29 
 
 well on for her age, grandfather let her stay at 
 home." 
 
 " There, you see," whispered Celia, nudging Fritz. 
 "It's beginning — it always does — you hear how 
 awfully good auntie was." 
 
 Mother went on quietly. If she heard what CeHa 
 said she took no notice. " Grandfather let her stay 
 at home and have lessons there. She had a great 
 many lessons to learn for her age besides those that 
 one learns out of books. She had to learn to be 
 very active, and very thoughtful, and, above all, very 
 patient. For the little sister she had to take care of 
 was, I am afraid, a very spoilt little girl when she 
 first came home. Grandfather had spoiled her with- 
 out meaning it ; he was so sorry for her because she 
 had no mother, and Helen was so sorry for her too, 
 that it was rather difficult for her not to spoil her as 
 weU." 
 
 Here Baby himself " inrumpted." 
 
 " Him doesn't understand," he said, " Who were 
 that little girl? Him wants a story about mother 
 when her was a little girl;" and the comers of his 
 mouth went down, and his eyes grew dewy -looking, 
 in a very sad way. 
 
 " Poor Baby," said mother. " I'll try and tell it 
 
30 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 more plainly. / was that little girl, and auntie was 
 my sister Helen. I must get on with my little story. 
 I was forgetting that Baby would not quite under- 
 stand. Well, one day to my great delight, Helen told 
 me that grandfather was going to take her and me 
 and the two brothers, who were then at home, to 
 spend Christmas with one of our aunts in London. 
 This aunt had children too, and though I had never 
 seen them Helen told me they were very nice, for 
 she knew them well, as she used to go there for her 
 holidays before we came home. She told me most 
 about a Httle girl called Lilly, who was just about 
 my age. I had never had a little friend of my own 
 age, and I was always talking and thinking about 
 how nice it would be, and I was quite vexed with 
 Helen because she would not begin to pack up at 
 once. I was always teasing her to know what trunks 
 we should take, and if all my dolls might go, and I 
 am sure poor Helen often wished she had not told 
 me anything about it till the very day before. I 
 got in the way of going up to the big attic where the 
 trunks were kept, and of looking at them and wonder- 
 ing which would go, and wishing Helen would let 
 me have one all for myseK and my dolls and their 
 things. There was one trunk which took my fancy 
 
There was one trunk which took my fancy more than all the others. — p. 
 
II. INSIDE A TRUNK 31 
 
 more than all the others. It was an old-fashioned 
 trunk, but it must have been a very good one, for it 
 shut with a sort of spring, and inside it had several 
 divisions, some with little lids of their own, and I 
 used to think how nice it would be for me, I could 
 put all my dolls in so beautifully, and each would 
 have a kind of house for itself I don't remember 
 how I managed to get it open, perhaps it had been a 
 little open when I first began my visits to the attic, 
 for the lid was very heavy, and I was neither big nor 
 strong for my age. But it was open, and it stayed 
 so, for no one else ever went up to the attic but I. 
 The other people in the house were too busy, and no 
 one would have thought there was anything amusing 
 in looking at empty trunks in a row. But I went up 
 to the attic day after day. I climbed up the narrow 
 staircase as soon as I had had my breakfast, and 
 stayed there till I heard my nurse calling me to get 
 ready to go out, or to come to my lessons, for I was 
 beginning to learn to read, and I used to have a little 
 lesson every day. And at last one day I said to my 
 sister, 
 
 " * Helen, may I have the big trunk with the little 
 cupboards in it for my trunk V 
 
 " Helen was busy at the time, and I don't think 
 
32 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 she heard exactly what I said. She answered me 
 hurriedly that she would see about it afterwards. 
 But I went on teasing. 
 
 " ' May I begin putting Marietta and Lady Kegina 
 into the little cupboards inside V I said, 
 
 "*0h yes, I daresay you can if you like/ said 
 Helen. She told me afterwards that when I spoke 
 of cupboards she never thought I meant a trunk, she 
 thought I was speaking of some of the nursery 
 cupboards. 
 
 " It was just bed-time then, too late for me to go 
 to the attic, for I knew there was no chance of my 
 getting leave to go up there with a candle. But I fell 
 asleep with my head full of how nicely I could put 
 the dolls into the trunk, each with her clothes beside 
 her, and the very first thing the next morning I got 
 them all together and I mounted up to the attic. I 
 had never told nurse about my going up there. Once 
 or twice, perhaps, she had seen me coming down the 
 stair, but very likely she had thought I had only 
 been a little way up to look out of a window there 
 was there. I don't know why I didn't tell her, 
 perhaps I was afraid of her stopping my going. I 
 waited till she was busy about her work, fetching 
 coals and so on, and then I trotted off with I^pdy 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 33 
 
 Kegina under one arm and Marietta under the other, 
 and a bundle of their clothes tied up in my pinafore 
 before, to make my way upstairs to the delightful 
 trunk. It was open as usual, and after putting my 
 dolls and bundles down on the floor, I managed to 
 lift out the two top trays. One of them was much 
 larger than the other, and it was in what I called the 
 cupboards below the smaller one that I settled to put 
 Eegina and Marietta. There were two of these little 
 cupboards, and each had a lid. They would just do 
 beautifully. Under the larger tray there was just one 
 big space without a Hd, 'just a hole,' I called it. I 
 went on for a little time, laying in some of the clothes 
 first to make a nice soft place for the dolls to lie on, 
 but I soon got tired. It was so very far to reach 
 over, for the outside edges of the box were high, 
 higher of course than the inside divisions, for the 
 trays I had taken out, which lay on the top of the 
 lower spaces, were a good depth, and there had been 
 no division between them. It came into my head 
 that it would be much easier if I were to get into the 
 box myself — I could stand in the big hole, as I called 
 it, and reach over to the little divisions where I 
 wanted to put the doUs, and it would be far less tiring 
 than trying to reach over from the outside. So I 
 
 D 
 
34 THE ADVENTURES OF HEBE BABY chap. 
 
 clambered in — it was not very difficult — and when I 
 found myself really inside the trunk I was so pleased 
 that I sat down cross-legged, like a little Turk, to 
 take a rest before going on with what I called my 
 packing. , But sitting still for long was not in my 
 way — I soon jumped up again, meaning to reach over 
 for Lady Regina, who was lying on the floor beside 
 the trunk, but, how it happened I cannot tell, I sup- 
 pose I somehow caught the tapes which fastened the 
 lid ; any way down it came ! It did not hurt me 
 much, for I had not had time to stretch out my head, 
 and the weight fell mostly on my shoulders, sideways 
 as it were, and before I knew what had happened I 
 found myself doubled up somehow in my hole, with 
 the heavy lid on the top of me, all in the dark, except 
 a little line of light round the edge, for the lid had not 
 shut quite down ; the hasp of the lock — as the little 
 sticking- out piece is called — had caught in the fall, 
 and was wedged into a wrong place. So, luckily for 
 me, there was still a space for some air to come in, 
 and a little Ught, though very little. I was dreadfully 
 frightened at first ; then I began to get over my fright 
 a little, and to struggle to get out. Of course my 
 first idea was to try to push up the lid with my head 
 and shoulders ; I remember the feeling of it pushing 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 36 
 
 back upon me — the dreadful feeling that I couldn't 
 
 move it, that I was shut up there and couldn't get 
 
 out ! I was too little to understand all at once that 
 
 there could be any danger, that I might perhaps be 
 
 suffocated — that means choked, Baby — for want of 
 
 air; or that I might really be hurt by being so cramped 
 
 and doubled up. And really there was not much 
 
 danger ; if I had been older I should have been more 
 
 frightened than there was really any reason to be. 
 
 But I was big enough to begin very quickly to get 
 
 very angry and impatient. I had never in all my life 
 
 been forced to do anything I disliked ; often and often 
 
 my nurse, and sometimes Helen, had begged me to 
 
 try to sit still for a minute or two, but I never would. 
 
 And now the lesson of having to give in to something 
 
 much worse than sitting still in my nice little chair 
 
 by the nursery fire, or standing still for two minutes 
 
 while a new frock was tried on, had to be learnt ! 
 
 There was no getting rid of it; I kicked and I 
 
 pushed, it was no use ; the strong heavy L'd which 
 
 had been to India and back two or three times would 
 
 not move the least bit. I tried to poke out my fingers 
 
 through the little space that was left, but I could not 
 
 find the lock, and it was a good thing I did not, for if 
 
 I had touched the hasp, most likely the lid would 
 
36 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 have fallen quite into its place, crushing my poor 
 little fingers, and shutting me in without any air at 
 alL At last' I thought of another plan. I set to 
 work screaming. 
 
 " ' Nurse, nurse, Nelly, oh NeUy,' I cried, and at 
 last I shouted, ' Papa, Papa, Papa,* at the top of my 
 voice. But it was no use ! Most children would 
 have begun screaming at the very first. But I was 
 not di> frightened child, and I was very proud. I did 
 not want any one to find me shut up in a box like 
 that, besides, they would be sure to stop my ever 
 coming up to the attic again. So it was not till I 
 had tired myself out with trying to push up the lid 
 that I set to work to screaming, and that made it all 
 the more provoking that my calls brought no one. 
 At last I got so out of patience that I set to work 
 again kicking for no use at all, but just because I 
 was so angry. I kicked and screamed, and at last I 
 burst into tears and roared. Then I caught sight, 
 through the chink, of Lady Kegina's blue dress, 
 where the doll was lying on the floor near the 
 tnink. 
 
 " * Nasty Kegina,' I shouted, ' nasty, ugly Eegina. 
 You are Ijring there as if there was nothing the 
 matter, and it was all for you I came up here. 1 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 37 
 
 hate dolls — they never do nothing. If you were a 
 little dog you'd go and bark, and then somebody 
 would come and let me out/ 
 
 " Then I went on crying and sobbing till I was 
 perfectly tired, and then what do you think I did ? 
 Though I was so uncomfortable, all crushed up into 
 a little ball, I went to sleep ! I went to sleep as 
 soundly as if I had been in my own little bed, and 
 afterwards I found, from what they told me, that I 
 must have slept quite two hours. When I woke up 
 I could not think where I was. I felt so stiff and 
 sore, and when I tried to stretch myself out I could 
 not, and then I remembered where I was ! It seemed 
 quite dark ; I wondered if it was night, till I noticed 
 the little chink of Hght at the edge of the lid, and 
 then I began to cry again, but not so wildly as before. 
 All of a sudden I thought I heard a sound — some 
 one was coming upstairs ! and then I heard voices, 
 
 " ' Fallen out of the window,* one said. ' Oh no, 
 nurse, she couldn't f She could never get through.* 
 
 " But yet the person seemed to be looking out of 
 the window all the same, for I heard them opening 
 and shutting it. And then I called out again. 
 
 "*0h Nelly, NeUy. I'se here; I'se shut up in 
 the big box with the cupboards.' 
 
38 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 "They didn't hear me at first. My little voice 
 must have sounded very faint and squeaky from out 
 of the trunk, besides they were not half-way up the 
 attic-stairs. So I went on crying — 
 
 "'Oh Nelly, Nelly! Fse up here. Oh Nelly, 
 Nelly!' 
 
 " She heard me this time. Dear Nelly ! I never 
 have called to her in vain, children, in all my life. 
 And in half a minute she had dashed up the stairs, 
 and, guided by my voice, was kneeling down beside 
 the trunk. 
 
 " ' Little May, my poor little May,' Nelly caUed 
 out ; and do you know I really think she was crying 
 too ! I was— by the time Nelly and the servants 
 who were with her had got the Hd unhooked and 
 raised, and had lifted me out — I was in floods of 
 tears. I clung to Nelly, and told her how ' dedful ' 
 it had been, and she petted me so that I am afraid I 
 quite forgot it was all my own fault. 
 
 " ' You might have been there for hours and 
 hours, May,' Nelly said to me, * if it hadn't been for 
 nurse thinking of the window on the stair. You 
 must never go off by yourself to do things like that,* 
 and when I told her that I had asked her and she 
 had ^ven me leave, she said she had not at all 
 
n. INSIDE A TRUNK 39 
 
 known what I meant, and that I must try to remem- 
 ber not to tease about things once I had been told to 
 wait. Any way I think I had got a good lesson of 
 patience that day, and one that I never forgot, for it 
 really is not at all a pleasant thing to be shut up in 
 a big trunk." 
 
 Mother stopped. 
 
 Baby, who had been listening with solemn eyes, 
 said slowly, 
 
 " Him will not pack by hisself. Him will wait 
 till somebody can help him. It would be so dedful 
 sad if him was to get shuttened up like poor little 
 mother, and perhaps you'd all go away ac'oss the sea 
 and nebber find him." 
 
 The comers of his mouth went down at this 
 sorrowful picture, and his eyes looked as if they were 
 beginning to think about crying. But mother and 
 Celia set to work petting and kissing him before the 
 tears had time to come. 
 
 " As if we would ever go across the sea without 
 him*' said mother. 
 
 " Why, we should never know how to do anything 
 without Herr Baby," said Celia. 
 
 " Fritz and Baby will do all the fussy things in 
 travelling — taking the tickets, and counting the 
 
40 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 luggage, and all that — they're such big men, aren't 
 they?" said Denny, with mischief in her twinkling 
 green eyes. 
 
 " Now you, just mind what you're about," said 
 Fritz, gallantly. "You'll make him cry just when 
 mother's been comforting him up. Such stupids 
 girls are ! " he added in a lower voice, 
 
 " I really must go now," said mother, getting up 
 from her chair. " Auntie will not know what has 
 become of me. I have been up here, why a whole 
 half hour, instead of five minutes !" 
 
 "Auntie will think mother's got shut up in a 
 trunk again," said Denny, whose tongue never could 
 be still for long, and at this piece of wit they all 
 burst out laughing. 
 
 All but Herr Baby. He couldn't see that it was 
 any laughing matter. Mother's story had sunk deep 
 into his mind Trunks were things to be careful o£ 
 Baby saw this clearly. 
 
n. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 41 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 
 
 •' Sweet, eager promises bind him to this, 
 Never to do so again." 
 
 He woke early next morning. He had so much to 
 think of, you see. So much that even his dreams 
 were full of all he had heard yesterday. 
 
 " Him's been d'eaming him was in the big, big, 
 'normous boat, and zen him d'eamed of being 
 shuttened up in a funk like poor little mother," he 
 confided to Denny. 
 
 He was forced to tell Denny a good many things, 
 because they slept in the same room, and, of course, 
 everybody knows that whatever mammas and nurses 
 say, going-to-sleep-in-bed time is the time for talking. 
 Waking-up-in-the-morning time is rather tempting, 
 too, particularly in summer, when the sun comes in 
 at the windows so brightly and the birds are so lively, 
 
42 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap, 
 
 chattering away to each other, and all the world is up 
 and about, except " ws," who have to stay in bed till 
 seven o'clock ! Ah, it is a trial ! On the whole, I 
 don't think chattering in the mornings is so much to 
 be found fault with as chattering at night It is 
 only children who are so silly as to keep themselves 
 awake when the time for going to sleep has come. 
 The birds and the bees, and the little lambs even, all 
 know when that time has come, and go to sleep with- 
 out any worry to themselves or other people. But 
 children are not always so sensible. I could tell you 
 a story — only I am afraid if she were to read it in 
 this little book it would make her feel so ashamed 
 that I should really be sorry for her, so I will not 
 tell you her name nor where she lives — of a little 
 girl who was promised two pounds, two whole gold 
 pounds — fancy ! if for one month she would go 
 quietly to sleep at night when she was put to bed, 
 and let her sister do the same ; and she was to lose 
 two shillings every night she forgot or disobeyed. 
 Well, what do you think ? at the end of two weeks 
 the two pounds had come down already to nineteen 
 shillings ! She had forgotten already ten times, or 
 ten and a half times — I don't quite understand how 
 it had come to nineteen, but so it had ; and at the 
 
 
 
m. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 43 
 
 end of the month — no I don't think I will tell you 
 what it had come down to. Only this will show you 
 how much more difficult it is to get out of a bad 
 habit than to get into a good one, for this little girl 
 is very sweet and good in many ways, and I love her 
 dearly — only she had got into this bad habit, and it 
 was stronger, as bad habits so often are, than her real 
 true wish to do what her mother told her. 
 
 But I have wandered away from Herr Baby, and 
 I am afraid you won't be pleased. He was forced, I 
 was saying, to tell Denny a good many things, be- 
 cause he was most with her. I don't think he would 
 have told her as much but for that, for Denny's head 
 was a very flighty one, and she never cared to think 
 or talk about the same thing for long together, which 
 was not at all Herr Baby's way. He liked to think 
 a good deal about everything, and one thing lasted 
 him a good while. 
 
 "Him's been d'eaming such a lot," he said to 
 Denny this morning. 
 
 "I think dreams are very, stupid," said Denny. 
 " What's the good of them ? If they made things 
 come real they would be some good. Like, you know, 
 if I was to dream somebody gave me something 
 ftwi'ully nice, and then when 1 woke up 1 was to see 
 
44 THE ADVENTURES OF HEBE BABY chap. 
 
 the thing on my bed, tlien dreams would be some 
 good." 
 
 *' But if zou d'eamed somesing dedful, like being 
 shuttened up in a t'unk like poor little mother, zen it 
 wouldn't be nice for it to come zeal," said Baby, who 
 never forgot to look at things from both sides. 
 
 " No, of course it wouldn't. How stupid you are!" 
 said Denny. " And how your head does run on one 
 thing. I'm quite tired of you talking about mother 
 being shut up in the trunk. Do talk of something 
 else." 
 
 "Him can't talk of somesing else when him's 
 sinking of one sing," said Baby gravely. 
 
 " Well, then don't talk at all," said Denny sharply, 
 "and indeed I think we'd better be quiet, or Lisa 
 will be coming in, and scolding us. It's only half- 
 past six." 
 
 Baby did not speak for a minute or two. Then he 
 said solemnly, 
 
 " When us goes away ac'oss the sea in the 'normous 
 boat, him hopes him won't sleep in the same zoom as 
 you any more." 
 
 "I'm sure I hope not," said Denny snappishly. 
 There was some excuse for her this morning, she was 
 really rather sleepy, and it is very tiresome to be 
 
UL UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 46 
 
 wakened up at half-past six, when one is quite in- 
 clined to sleep till half-past seven. 
 
 But Baby could not go to sleep again. His mind 
 was still running on packing. If he could but have 
 a little box of his own to pack his own treasures in, 
 then he would be sure none would be forgotten. He 
 did not want a big trunk — not one in which he could 
 be shuttened up like mother, but just a nice little one. 
 If mother would give him one ! Stay — where had he 
 seen one, just what he wanted, was it in the nursery 
 or in the cupboard where Fritz kept his garden-tools 
 and his skates, and aU the big boy things which Baby 
 too hoped to have of his own some day ? No, it was 
 not there. It must have been — yes, it was in the 
 pantry when he went to ask James for a glass of water. 
 Up on a shelf, high up it stood, " a tiny sweet little 
 t'unk," said Herr Baby to himself, " wouldn't mother 
 let him have it?" He would ask her this morning as 
 soon as he saw her. Then he lay still and thought 
 over to himself all the things he would pack in the 
 tiny sweet little t'unk ; his best Bible with his name 
 
 ** Raymond Arthur Aylmer," 
 
 in the gold letters on the back, should have the nicest 
 corner, of course, and his " scented purse," as he called 
 the Kussia leather purse which grandfather had given 
 
46 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 liiTTi on his last birthday, that would go nicely beside 
 the Bible, and his watch that really ticked as long as 
 you turned the key in it — all those things would fit 
 in, nicely packed in "totton wool," of course, and 
 crushy paper. The thought of it all made Baby's 
 fingers fidget with eagerness to begin his packing. 
 If only mother would give him the box ! It must be 
 mother's, for if it was James's he would keep it in his 
 own room instead of up on the pantry shelf among 
 all the glasses and cups. If Baby could just see it 
 again he would know 'ezackly if it would do ! 
 
 Baby looked about him. Everything was per- 
 fectly still, he heard no one moving about the house 
 — Denny had said it was only half-past six. 
 
 " Denny," said Baby softly. 
 
 No reply. 
 
 " Denny" a very little louder. 
 
 Still no reply ; but Baby, by leaning over the edge 
 of his cot a little, could see that Denny's eyes were 
 shut, and her nose was half buried in the pillow in 
 the way she always turned it when she went to sleep. 
 Denny had gone to sleep again. 
 
 " Zes," said Herr Baby to himself ; " her's a'leep 
 — her's beazing so soft." 
 
 He looked about him again ; he stuck one little 
 
III. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 47 
 
 warm white foot out of bed— it did feel rather cold ; 
 he felt more than half inclined just to cuddle himself 
 up warm again and lie still till Lisa came to dress 
 him. But the thought of the little funk was too 
 much for him. 
 
 " Him would so like just to see it," he said to 
 himself. 
 
 Then he stood right up in bed and clambered over 
 the edge of the cot the way he had to do to get out 
 of it by himself. He did not make much noise — not 
 enough to waken Denny, and indeed he would not 
 much have minded if she had awakened, only that 
 perhaps she would have wanted to go too, and Baby 
 wished just to go down to the pantry this quiet time 
 of the morning before any one was there and take a 
 good look by himself. 
 
 It was cold on the stair — just at the edge, that is 
 to say, where the carpet did not cover, and where 
 he had stepped without thinking, not being used to 
 trotting about on bare feet, you see. But in the 
 middle, on the carpet, it was nice and soft and warm. 
 
 " It would be dedful to be poor boys wif no shoes 
 and stockings," he said to himself, " 'cept on the 
 carpet. Him would like to buy lots of lubly soft 
 carpets for zem poor boys." 
 
48 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 And he pitied the poor boys still more when he 
 got to the back passage leading to the pantry, where 
 there was no carpet at all, only oilcloth. He pattered 
 along as fast as he could ; there was no sound to be 
 heard but the ticking of the clock, and Baby won- 
 dered that he had never noticed before what a loud 
 ticking clock it was ; it did not come into his head 
 that it was very late for none of the sei'vants to be 
 down, for such matters were not his concern, and if 
 he had known the truth that Denny had made a 
 mistake of an hour, and that it was only half-past five 
 instead of half-past six, he would not have thought 
 much about it. 
 
 He got to the pantry at last. It was darker in 
 here than in the passage outside, which was a disap- 
 pointment. The shutters were shut, that was the 
 reason, and when Baby looked up at them and saw 
 how strong and barred they were, even he felt that it 
 would be no use to try to open them. He climbed 
 up on to the dresser that ran round one side of the 
 wall to see better. Yes, there it was — the tiny, sweet, 
 little t'unk — just as he had been fancying it. Not so 
 very high up either. If he could but give it a little 
 poke out he could almost reach it down — it could not 
 be heavy, it was such a tiay t'unk; and, oh, if he 
 
m. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 49 
 
 could carry it out to the passage, "where it was light, 
 how beautifully he could look at it ! He stood up on 
 tiptoe, and found he could almost reach it. A brush 
 with a sticking -out handle was lying beside him. 
 Baby took it, and found that by poking it in a little 
 behind the box he could make it move out, and if it 
 were moved out a very little way he could reach to Hft 
 it down. He moved it out enough, then he stretched 
 up his two hands to lift it down — it was not very 
 heavy, but still rather heavier than he had thought. 
 But with the help of his curly head, which he partly 
 rested it on, he got it out safely enough, and was just 
 slipping it gently downwards to the dresser when 
 somehow the brush handle, which he had left on the 
 shelf, caught him or the box, he could not tell which, 
 and, startled by the feeling of something pushing 
 against him, Baby lost his balance and fell ! Off the 
 dresser right down on to the hard floor, which had no 
 carpet even to make it softer, he tumbled, and the 
 little t'unk on the top of him. What a noise it made 
 — even in the middle of his fright Baby could not 
 help thinking what a tremendous noise he and the 
 box seemed to make. He lay still for a minute; 
 luckily the box, though it had come straight after 
 him, had fallen a little to one side, and had not hit 
 
 E 
 
50 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 him. He was bruised enough by the floor already — 
 any more bumps would have been too much, would 
 they not ? But the poor box itself was to be pitied ; 
 it had come open in the fall, and all that was in it had 
 naturally tumbled out. That explained the noise and 
 clatter. The box had held — indeed it had been made 
 on purpose to hold them — two beautiful glass jugs, 
 which had been sent to mother all the way from Italy! 
 Baby had never seen them, because they were only 
 used when mother and auntie wanted the dinner-table 
 to look very nice, and of course Baby was too little 
 ever to come down to dinner. And, alas, the beauti- 
 ful jugs, so fine and thin that one could almost have 
 thought the fairies had made them, were both broken, 
 one of them, indeed, crushed and shivered into mere 
 bits of glass lying about the pantry floor, and the box 
 itself had lost its lid, for the hinges had been broken, 
 too, in the fall 
 
 For a minute or two Baby could not make out 
 what had happened. He felt a little stupid with the 
 fall, and sore too. But he never was ready to cry for 
 bumps or knocks ; he would cry much more quickly 
 if any one spoke sharply to him than if he hurt him- 
 self. So at first he lay still, wondering what was the 
 matter. Then he sat up and looked about him, and 
 
For a minute or two Baby could not make out what had happened. — p. 50. 
 
m. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 5) 
 
 then, seeing the broken box and the broken glass, he 
 understood that he had done some harm, and he burst 
 into piteous sobbing. 
 
 ** Him didn't mean," he cried ; " him didn't kno\^ 
 there was nufl&n in the tiny t'unk. Oh, what shall 
 him do?" 
 
 He cried and sobbed, and, being now very frightened, 
 he cried the more when he saw that there was blood 
 on his little white nightgown, and that the blood 
 came from one of his little cold feet, which had been cut 
 by a piece of the broken glass. Baby was much more 
 frightened by the sight of blood than by anything else 
 —when he climbed up on the nursery chest of drawers, 
 and Denny told him he'd be killed if he fell down, he 
 didn't mind a bit, but when Lisa said that he might hurt 
 his face if he fell, and make it Ueed, he came down at 
 once — and now the sight of the blood was too much. 
 
 "Oh, him's hurt hisself, him's all bleeding!" he 
 cried. " Oh, what shall him do ?" 
 
 He dared not move, for he was afraid of lifting the 
 cut foot — he really did not know what to do — when 
 he heard steps coming along the passage, pattering 
 steps something like his own, and before he had time 
 to think who it could be, a second little white-night- 
 gowned figure trotted into the room. 
 
62 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap 
 
 " Baby, poor Baby, what's the matter ?" and, look- 
 ing up, Baby saw it was Fritz. 
 
 " Him's hurt hisself, him's tumbled, and the tiny 
 t'unk is brokened, and somesing else is brokened. 
 Him didn't mean," he sobbed ; and Fritz sat down on 
 the floor beside him, having the good sense to keep 
 out of the way of the broken glass, and lifted the 
 little bleeding foot gently. 
 
 "Must have some sticking-plaster," said Fritz. 
 " There's some in mother's pocket-book in her room. 
 We must go to mother. Baby." 
 
 "But him C£in't walk," said Baby piteously. 
 " Him's foot bleedens dedful when him moves it." 
 
 " Then I must carry you," said Fritz, importantly. 
 
 With some difficulty he got Baby on to his back 
 and set off with him. Baby had often ridden on 
 Fritz's back before, in the nursery, for fun, and it 
 seemed very nice and easy. But now, though he had 
 only his nightgown on, Fritz was surprised to find 
 how heavy he seemed after going a little way. He 
 was obliged to rest after he had gone up a few steps, 
 and Baby began to cry worse than before when he 
 saw how tired poor Fritz was. I really don't know 
 how they ever got to the door of mother's room, and, 
 when their knocking brought her out, it was rather a 
 
m. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 63 
 
 frightemng sight for her — Baby perched on Fritz's 
 back, both little boys looking white and miserable, 
 and the wounded foot covered with blood. 
 
 But mother knew better than to ask what was the 
 matter till she had done something to put things to 
 rights again. 
 
 "Him's foot" was the first thing Baby said, 
 stretching out his poor little toes. 
 
 And the foot looked so bad that mother felt quite 
 thankful when she had bathed it and found that the 
 cut was not really a very deep one after all. And 
 when it was nicely plastered up, and both little boys 
 were tucked into mother's bed to get warm again, then 
 mother had to hear all about it. It was not much 
 Fritz could tell. He, too, had wakened early, and 
 had heard Denny and Baby talking, for he slept in a 
 little room near theirs. He had fallen half asleep 
 again, and started up, fancying he heard a noise and 
 a cry, and, getting out of bed, had found his way to the 
 pantry, guided by Baby's sobs. But what Baby was 
 doing in the pantry, or why he had wandered off there 
 all alone so early in the morning, Fritz did not know. 
 
 So Baby had to tell his own story, which he did 
 straight on in his own way. He never thought of not 
 telling it straight on ; he was afraid mother would be 
 
64 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 sorry when she heard about the " somesing " that was 
 broken, but it had never entered his little head that 
 one could help telling mother "ezackly" aU about 
 anything. And so he told the whole — how he had 
 been " sinking " about trunks and packing, and 
 "d'eaming" about them too, how Denny had been 
 " razer c'oss " and wouldn't talk, and how the thought 
 of the tiny sweet t'unk had come into his head all of 
 itself, and he had fancied how nice it would be to go 
 downstairs and look at it on the pantry shelf, and 
 then how all the misfortunes had come. At the end 
 he burst into tears again when he had to tell of the 
 " somesing brokened," now lying about in shiny frag- 
 ments on the pantry floor. 
 
 Poor mother ! She knew in a minute what it was 
 that was broken, and I cannot say but that she was 
 very sorry, more sorry perhaps than Baby could 
 understand, for she had had the pretty jugs many 
 years, and the thoughts of happy days were mingled 
 with the shining of the rainbow glass. Baby saw the 
 sorry look on her face, and stretched up his two arms 
 to clasp her neck. 
 
 " Him is so sorry, so werry sorry," he said. " Him 
 will take all the money of him's money-box to buy 
 more shiny jugs for mother. ' 
 
in. UP IN TEE MORNING EARLY 55 
 
 Mother kissed him, but told him that could not be. 
 
 "The jugs came from a far-away country, Baby 
 dear," she said, " and you could not get them here. 
 Besides, I cared for them in a way you can't under- 
 stand. I had had them a long time, and one gets to 
 care for things, even if they are not very pretty in 
 themselves, when one has had them so long." 
 
 " Oh ses, him does understand," said Baby. " Him 
 cares for old 'sings, far best." 
 
 "Yes," said Fritz, "he really does, mother. He 
 cries when Lisa says she must put away his old 
 shoes, and his old woolly lamb is dreadful — really 
 dreadful, but he won't give it away." 
 
 " It has such a sweet face," said Baby. 
 
 " Well I don't care ; I wish it was burnt up. He 
 mustn't take it in the railway with us when we go 
 away ; must he, mother?" 
 
 " Couldn't it be washed ?" said mother. 
 
 " I don't think so, and I don't believe Baby would 
 like it as much if it was. Would you, Baby ?" said 
 Fritz. 
 
 Baby would not answer directly. He seemed 
 rather in a hurry to change the subject. 
 
 "Mother," he said, "when we go away in the 
 'normous boat, won't we p'raps go to the country 
 
56 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 where the shiny jugs is made ? And if him takes all 
 the money in him's money-box, couldn't him buy 
 some for you?" 
 
 " They wouldn't be the same ones," said Fritz. 
 
 Baby's face fell. Mother tried to comfort him. 
 
 " Never mind about the jugs any more just now," 
 she said. " Some day, perhaps, when you are a big 
 man you will get me some others quite as pretty, that 
 I shall like for your sake. What will please me more 
 than new jugs just now. Baby, is for you to promise 
 me not to try to do things like that without telling 
 any one. Just think how very badly hurt you might 
 have been. If only you had waited to ask me about 
 the little box all would have been right, and my 
 pretty jugs would not have been broken." 
 
 " And mother told us that last night, you know, 
 dear," said Fritz, in his proper big brother tone. 
 " Don't you remember in the story about her when 
 she was little 1 It all came of her not waiting for 
 her big sister to see about the trunk." 
 
 Baby gave a deep sigh. 
 
 '* If God hadn't put so much 'sinking into him's 
 head, it would have been much better," he said. 
 " Him 'sinks and 'sinks, and zen him can't help wa,nt- 
 ing to do 'sings zat moment minute." 
 
in. UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 57 
 
 " Then ' him * must learn what patience means," 
 said mother with a little smile. " But I'll tell you 
 what rve been thinking — that if we don't take care 
 somebody else may be hurting themselves with the 
 broken glass on the pantry floor." 
 
 " P'raps the cat," said Baby, starting up, " oh 
 poor pussy, if her was to cut her dear little foots. 
 Shall him go downstairs again, mother, to shut the 
 door? Why, him's foot's still zather bleedy," he 
 added, drawing out the wounded foot, which had a 
 handkerchief wrapped round it above the plaster. 
 
 " No," said his mother, " it will be better for me 
 to tell the servants myself," so she rang the bell, and 
 as it was now about the time that Denny had thought 
 it when Baby first woke up, in a few minutes her 
 maid appeared, looking rather astonished. She looked 
 still more astonished, and a little afraid too, when 
 she caught sight of the two curly heads, one dark 
 and one light, on mother's pillow. 
 
 " Is there anything wrong with the young gentle- 
 men ?" she said. " Shall I caU Lisa, my lady ?" 
 
 " No, not quite yet," said mother. " I rang to 
 tell you to warn James and the others that there is 
 some broken glass on the pantry floor, and they must 
 be careful not to tread on it, and it must be swept up," 
 
68 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 "Broken glass, ma'am," repeated the maid, who 
 was rather what Demiy called " 'quisitive." " Was 
 it the cat? I did think I heard a noise early this 
 morning." 
 
 " No, it wasn't the cat," said mother. " It was an 
 accident. James will see what is broken." 
 
 The light curly head had disappeared by this time 
 under the clothes, for Baby had ducked out of sight, 
 feeling ashamed of its being known that he had been 
 the cat. But as soon as the maid had left the room 
 he came up again to the surface like a little fish, and 
 a warm feeling of thanks to his mother went thiough 
 his heart. 
 
 "You won't tell the servants it were him, will 
 you ?" he whispered, stretching up for another kiss. 
 
 " No, not if * him ' promises never to try to do 
 things like reaching down boxes for himself. Herr 
 Baby must ask mother about things like that, mustn't 
 he ?" she said. 
 
 Mother often called him "Herr Baby" for fun. 
 The name had taken her fancy when he was a very 
 tiny child, and Lisa had first come to be his nurse. 
 For Lisa was very polite ; she would not have 
 thought it at all proper to call him " Baby " all by 
 itself. 
 
m, UP IN THE MORNING EARLY 59 
 
 Herr Baby kissed mother a third time, which, as 
 he was not a very kissing person, was a great deal in 
 one morning. 
 
 " Ses," he said, " him will always aks mother. 
 Mother is so sweet," he added coaxingly. 
 
 " He calls everything he likes * sweet,' " said 
 Fritz. " Mother and the cat and the tiny trunk — 
 they're all sweet.' " 
 
 But mother smiled, so Baby didn't mind. 
 
60 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 GOING AWAY 
 
 '■^ She did not say to the sun good-night, 
 As she watched him there like a ball of light, 
 For she knew he had God's time to keep 
 All over the world, and never could sleep." 
 
 How, I can't tell, but, after all, soT^how the packing 
 got done, and everything was ready. They left a few 
 things behind that Herr Baby would certainly have 
 taken had he had the settling of it. They didn't take 
 the horses, nor the fireplaces, and, of course, as the 
 horses weren't to go, Thomas and Jones had to be left 
 behind too to take care of them, which troubled Babv 
 a good deaL And no doubt Thomas and Jones would 
 have been very unhappy if it hadn't been for the nice 
 way Baby spoke to them about coming back soon, and 
 the letters he would send them on their birthdays, and 
 that he would never like any other Thomases and 
 Joneses as much as them. It was reaUy quite nice 
 
Zou will p'omise, Betsy, p'omise certain sure, nchber to forget."— P. 6i. 
 
nr. QOINQ AWAY 61 
 
 to hear him, and Jones had to turn his head away 
 a little — Baby was afraid it was to hide that he was 
 crying. 
 
 It was a very busy time, and Baby was the busiest 
 of any. There was so much to thiuk of. The rabbits 
 too had to be left behind, which was very sad, for one 
 couldn't write letters to them on their birthdays ; 
 neither Denny, whom he asked about it, nor Baby 
 himself, could tell when the rabbits' birthdays were, 
 and besides, as^aby said, " what would be the good 
 of writing them letters if they couldn't read them ?" 
 The only thiag to do was to get the little girl at the 
 lodge to promise to take them fresh cabbages every 
 morning — that was one of the things Herr Baby had 
 to see about, himself. Lisa lost him one morning, 
 and found him at the lodge, after a great hunt, talking 
 very gravely to the little girl about it 
 
 "Zou will p'omise, Betsy, p'omise certain sure, 
 nebher to forget," he was saying, and poor Betsy looked 
 quite frightened, Herr Baby was so very solemn. 
 Fritz wanted to make her kiss her mother's old Testa- 
 ment, the way he had seen men do sometimes in his 
 grandfather's study when they came to tell about 
 things, and to promise they would speak the truth ; 
 but Betsy, though she was ready enough to promise, 
 
62 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 didn't like the other idea at all. She might be had 
 up to the court for such like doings, she said, and as 
 neither Fritz nor Baby had any idea what sort of place 
 the court was, though they fancied it was some kind 
 of prison for people who didn't keep their word, they 
 thought it better to leave it. 
 
 The " calanies " and the " Bully " were to go, that 
 was a comfort, and Peepy-Snoozle and Tim, the two 
 dormice, also, another comfort. Baby's own packing 
 was a serious matter, but, on the whole, I think 
 mother and Lisa and everybody were rather glad he 
 had it to do, as it gave other people a chance of get- 
 ting theirs done without the little feet pattering along 
 the passage or up the stairs, and the little shrill voice 
 asking what was goiag to be put into this trunk or 
 LQto that carpet-bag. He gave up thinking so much 
 about the other packing after a while, for he found 
 his own took all his time and attention. Mother had 
 found him a box after alL Not the box of course — 
 that was left empty, by Baby's wish, till some day 
 when he was a big man, he should go to the country 
 of the fairy glass and buy mother some new jugs — 
 but a very nice little box, and she gave him cotton 
 wool and crushy paper too, and everything was as 
 Eieat as possible, and the box quite packed and ready, 
 
IV. GOING AWAY 63 
 
 the first evening. But it was very queer that every 
 day after that Herr Baby found something or other 
 he had forgotten, or something that Denny and he 
 decided id their early morning talks, that it would be 
 silly to take. Or else it came into his head in the 
 night that his best Bible would be better in the other 
 corner, and the scenty purse on the top of it instead 
 of at one side. Any way it always happened that the 
 box had to be unpacked and packed again, and the 
 very last evening there was Herr Baby on his knees 
 before it on the floor, giviug the finishing touches, 
 long after he should have been in bed. 
 
 " And we have to be up so early to-morrow morn- 
 ing," said mother, "my dear little boy, you really 
 should have been fast asleep by this time." 
 
 " And he wakes me so early in the morning," said 
 Denny, who was standing before the fire giving her- 
 self little cross shakes every time poor Lisa, who was 
 combing out her long fair hair, came to a tuggy bit. 
 "Zisa, you're hurting me; Lisa, do take care," she 
 added snappishly. 
 
 " My dear Denny, how very impatient you are !" 
 said her mother. " I don't know how you will bear 
 all the little discomforts of a long journey if you can't 
 bear to have your hair combed." 
 
64 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 On this, Denny, as Fritz would have said, " shut 
 up." She could not bear it to be thought that she 
 was babyish or " silly." Her great, great wish was to 
 be considered quite a big girl. You could get her to 
 do anything by telling her it would be babyish not to 
 do it, or that doing it would be Hke big people, which, 
 of course, showed that she was rather babyish in 
 reality, as sensible children understand that they 
 cannot be like big people in everything, and that 
 they wouldn't be at all nice if they were. 
 
 Baby always felt sorry for Denny or any of them 
 when mother found fault with them. He jumped up 
 from the floor — at least he got up, his legs were too 
 short for him to spring either up or down very 
 actively — and trotted across to his sister. 
 
 " Poor Denny," he said, reaching up to kiss her. 
 " him won't wake her up so early to-mollow morn- 
 mg. 
 
 "But we'll have to wake early to-morrow," said 
 Denny, rather crossly still, " it's no use you beginning 
 good ways about not waking me now, just when 
 everything's changed." 
 
 Baby looked rather sad. 
 
 "Is your box quite ready now, dear?" said his 
 mother. " Well then, let Lisa get you ready for bed 
 
nr. GOING AWAY 65 
 
 as quick as she can, and you and Denny must go to 
 sleep without any talking, and wake fresh in the 
 morning." 
 
 But Baby stiU looked sad ; his face began work- 
 ing and twisting, and at last he ran to mother and 
 hid it in her lap, bursting into tears. 
 
 " Denny makes him so unhappy," he said. " Him 
 doesn't like everysing to be changed like Denny says. 
 Him is so sorry to go away and to leave him's house 
 and Thomas and Jones, and oh ! him is so sorry to 
 leave the labbits!" 
 
 "And him's a tired little boy. I think it's 
 because he's so tired that he's so sad about going 
 away," said mother. "Think, dear, how nice it is 
 that we're all going together^ not Celia or Fritz or 
 anybody left behind. For you know Thomas has his 
 old mother he wouldn't like to leave, and Jones has 
 his wife and children. And if the rabbits could 
 talk, I'm quite sure they would tell you that they'd 
 far rather stay here in their own nice little house, 
 with plenty of cabbages, than be bundled into a box 
 and taken away in the railway ever so far, without 
 being able to run about for ever so many days." 
 
 Baby's face cleared a little. 
 
 " Betsy has p'omised," he said to himself. Then 
 
66 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap 
 
 he added, " Rim won't like the railway neither if it's 
 Uke that." 
 
 "But him^s not going to be put in a box or a 
 basket," said mother, laughing. "Him will have a 
 nice little corner all to himself in a cushioned railway 
 carriage, only just now he really must go to bed." 
 
 So she kissed him for good-night, and Denny too, 
 who, by this time, had recovered her good-humour in 
 the interest of listening to the conversation between 
 her mother and Herr Baby, and soon both little sister 
 and brother were fast asleep in their cots, dreaming 
 about the journey before them I daresay, or perhaps 
 forgetting aU about it in the much queerer and 
 stranger journeys that small people are apt to fly 
 away upon at night, when their tired little bodies 
 seem to be lying quite still and motionless in bed. 
 
 It was strange enough — almost as strange as a 
 dream — the next morning when, long before it was 
 light, they had all to get up and be dressed at once 
 in their going-out things — that is to say their thick 
 boots and gaiters, and woollen under-jackets (for it 
 was very cold, though not yet far on in November), 
 while their ulsters and comforters and caps, and the 
 girls' sealskin coats and muSs and hats, were all 
 laid out in four little heaps by Lisa, so that they 
 
IT. QOINQ AWAY 67 
 
 should be ready to put on the moment breakfast was 
 over. 
 
 What a funny breakfast ! Candles on the table, 
 for it was not, of course, worth while to light the 
 lamp, and everything looking more like a sort of 
 "muddley tea," Fritz said, than their usual trim 
 nursery breakfast. 
 
 " I can't eat," said Fritz, throwing down his bread 
 and butter ; " it's no use." 
 
 "And there's eggs!" said Denny, who was com- 
 fortably at work at hers, looking across at Fritz as if 
 it wouldn't be very difficult to eat up his egg too. " I 
 think it's very kind of cook to have got up so early 
 and made us eggs 'cos we were going away, and— — " 
 
 "'Twasn't cook. Was Abigail," said Fritz. "I 
 saw her coming up with the eggs all in a pan with 
 hot water, so that they shouldn't get cold, she said to 
 Lisa." 
 
 " WeU then it was very kind of Abigail, and '* 
 
 said Denny. 
 
 " 'Twasn't Abigail that made the eggs," said Baby, 
 " 'twas the hens zat laid them, Denny should say 
 the hens was werry kind." 
 
 "Oh bother," said Denny, "I wish you'd not 
 interrupt me. I don't care who it was. I only want 
 
68 THE ADVENTURES OF SEER BABY chap. 
 
 to say it's very stupid of Fritz not to eat his egg, 
 when somebody made them for us, extra you know, 
 because we're going away, and I think Fritz is very 
 stupid." 
 
 "Come, Herr Fritz," said Lisa, encouragingly, 
 " try and eat. You will be so hungry." 
 
 "I can't," said Fritz, "I've got a horrid feeling 
 just like when mother took me to have that big tooth 
 out. I feel all shaky and cruddley." 
 
 "Yes, / know," said Denny, going on with her 
 breakfast all the same, " but eating's the best thing 
 to make it go away. I felt just that way the day I 
 broke grandfather's hotness measure, and mother said 
 I must tell him myself. I couldn't eat a bit of 
 dinner, and I sat on the stair all screwged up, waiting 
 for him to go to the study." 
 . "How dedful!" said Baby, with great feeling. 
 But neither Fritz nor CeHa seemed to think much of 
 Denny's sufferings. No one had ever seen her nerves 
 disturbed, and they did not therefore much believe 
 in her having any. 
 
 " Grandfather's what did you say?" asked CeKa. 
 
 " His hotness measure — the little glass pipe thing 
 with a blob that goes up and down. He's got 
 another now, you know." 
 
IV. GOING AWAY 69 
 
 "You mean his thermometer; you really should 
 learn the proper names of things," said Celia, " you're 
 quite big enough." 
 
 Denny would probably not have taken this in 
 good part, though the " quite big enough " at the end 
 was very much to her taste, but there was no time 
 this morning for squabbling. 
 
 "Quick, quick, mine children," said Lisa, "the 
 cart with the luggage is 'way, and the Herr Grand- 
 papa is buttoning his coat." 
 
 "And Fritz hasn't eaten his egg\" said Denny, 
 eyeing it dolefully, as Lisa was fastening her jacket. 
 
 " I covIdnH'^ said Fritz. " There'll be sandwiches 
 or something in the train — sure to be. Now come 
 on ; let's see what have I got to look after. Only 
 Tim and Peepy-Snoozle. I couldnH lose my satchel, 
 you see, for its strapped on me. Much more sensible 
 than girls, who have to carry their bags over their 
 arms," 
 
 And Fritz, in a new ulster, very long and rather 
 stiff, and feeling, to tell the truth, a little uncomfort- 
 able at first, as new things generally do, stalked off — 
 I don't think he could have run . — with the air of a 
 very big man indeed. 
 
 Celia and Denny had a slight dispute as to which 
 
70 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap 
 
 was which of the bird's cages. For it had been 
 settled that, for the journey at least, the canaries 
 were to be Celia's charge and the " Bully " Denny's, 
 though, hitherto, these three little birds had belonged 
 to all the children together. 
 
 " You've got my cage, Denny," said Celia, sharply. 
 
 "I haven't," said Denny, holding hers the more 
 tightly. It was not very easy to see, for both were 
 covered up with dark blue stuff wrappers, to keep 
 the birds warm, " and to make them think if s night 
 all the way," said Baby. 
 
 "I haven't," repeated Denny, "there, don't you 
 see two yellow tails in yours ? Peep through." 
 
 And Denny proved to be right, so Celia had to 
 give in. 
 
 And at last they were off ! The drive to the station 
 safely over without any misadventures, the luggage 
 all locked up in the van, the children and the dormice 
 and the birds — far more important things, of course, 
 than the big people ! — all comfortably settled at one 
 end of the nice big saloon carriage, which grandfather 
 had had sent down on purpose from London. 
 
 " Dear me,'* said Denny, jigging up and down on 
 her seat, " so we're really off ! How nice and springy 
 these cushions are ! And this carriage is as big as a 
 
IV. GOING AWAY 71 
 
 little house. I could 'never be tired of travelling in a 
 carriage like this." 
 
 " Him zought we'd riehher get away," said Baby, 
 with his usual solemnity. " Dear, dear, what dedful 
 lots of boxes there is! Him's box is 'aside the 
 'normous big straw one; did zou know, Denny?" 
 
 "Poor grandfather," said Celia, "what a lot of 
 times he said over, 'three black portmanteaux, four, 
 no five canvas-covered, four carpet bags, one — fourteen 
 in alL Is tliat right, Helen?' Grandfather's some- 
 thing like Baby, he thinks no one can do anything 
 right but himseK ; and there's Peters come on purpose 
 to bother about these things." (Peters was grand- 
 father's own servant.) " I wish grandfather wouldn't 
 fuss so. I hate people to think he's a fussy old man, 
 something like Mr. Briggs in Punch. As if he had 
 never travelled before !" 
 
 As may be imagined, these remarks of Celia's were 
 made in a low voice, for, of course, they were intended 
 for the nursery party alone. Fritz flew up in grand- 
 father's defence. 
 
 "Very fine. Miss Celia," he said. "You may 
 laugh at grandfather for fussing, but suppose he didn't, 
 and suppose that when we get to — oh, bother, I can't 
 say those French names — wherever it is we're going 
 
72 THE ADVENTURES OF EERR BABY chap. 
 
 to, suppose that Madamazelle Celiacs trunk was lost, 
 and Madamazelle Celia hadn't any best frocks oi 
 flounces, or Sunday hats, how would Madamazelle 
 Celia look then ? Perhaps she'd wish then that 
 grandfather had fussed a little." 
 
 Celia turned to look for her bag, and having found 
 it, she took out the book which she had brought with 
 her to read on the way. 
 
 " You're too silly to speak to, Fritz," she said ; 
 " I'm going to read." 
 
 " So am I," said Denny, who had likewise armed 
 herself with a book, though she was rather a dunce 
 for her age, and couldn't read " runningly " as French 
 people say. But big people always had books to read 
 in the railway — that was enough for Denny, of course, 
 to try to do so too. 
 
 "Fm going to take a nap, then," said Fritz, who was 
 really looking rather white and tired. He had been 
 wakened out of a very sound sleep this morning, and 
 had not been able to eat any breakfast. Lisa thought 
 that taking a nap was the best thing he could do, so she 
 got down a bundle of the rugs to make him a pillow, 
 and helped him to tuck up his legs comfortably, and 
 Fritz settled himself for his little sleep, making Lisa 
 promise to waken him when they came to a big station. 
 
IV. GOING AWAY 73 
 
 So everybody seemed inclined to be quiet Hen 
 Baby's corner was by the window. He looked about 
 him. Celia and Denny were buried in their books, 
 Fritz seemed asleep already ; of the big people at the 
 other end, grandfather's face was quite hidden in his 
 newspaper, which he had kept over from last night on 
 purpose to have something to read in the train, know- 
 ing that they would start before the postman came in 
 the morning, and mother and auntie were talking 
 together, softly, not to disturb him. 
 
 "Should you Like the window more open?" said 
 grandfather, suddenly looking up. 
 
 " No, thank you," said auntie. " I think that little 
 chink is enough. It is really very cold this morning." 
 
 " How good the children are !" said mother. She 
 spoke in a lower voice than auntie ; but Baby heard 
 her, for he had quick ears. " One could almost fancy 
 they were all asleep." 
 
 " Yes," said auntie, " if it would last all the way to 
 Santino, or even to Paris !" 
 
 " Or even to London !" said mother. " But theyll 
 all be jumping about like grasshoppers before long." 
 
 Then they went on talking softly again about other 
 things ; and Baby didn't hear, and didn't care to hear; 
 Besides, he had already been taught a lesson that boys 
 
74 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 and girls cannot learn too young, which is, that to 
 listen to things you are not meant to hear is a sort of 
 cheating, for it is like taking something not meant for 
 you. Of course, while auntie and mother were talking 
 in a louder voice he could not help hearing, and it was 
 no harm to listen, as if they had minded his hearing 
 they would have spoken more in a whisper. 
 
 Baby turned to his window to amuse himself by 
 looking out. First he tried to count the telegraph 
 wires, but he could never be sure if there were eight 
 or nine — he had not yet learnt to count higher than 
 ten — for the top ones were so tiresome, they danced 
 away out of sight, and all of a sudden danced down 
 again, and sometimes they seemed to join together, so 
 that he could not tell if thev were one or two. He 
 wondered what made them wave up and down so ; 
 whether there were men down in the ground that 
 pulled them, and what they did it for ; he had heard 
 of " sending telegrams," and Denny had told him it 
 meant sending messages on wires, but he did not 
 know that these were the wires used for that. He 
 fancied these wires must have something to do with 
 the railway ; perhaps they were to show the people 
 living in the fields that the trains were coming, so that 
 they shouldn't get in the way and be " runned over." 
 
IV. GOINO AWAY 76 
 
 This made Baby begin to think of the people living in 
 the fields ; they were just then passing a little cottage 
 standing all by itself. It looked a nice cottage, and 
 it had a sort of little garden round it, and some cocks 
 and hens were picking about. Baby looked back at 
 the little cottage as long as he could see it ; he won- 
 dered who lived in it, if there were any little boys and 
 girls, and what they did all day. He wondered if they 
 went to school, or if perhaps they sometimes went 
 messages for their mother, and if they weren't fright- 
 ened if they had to pass through the wood, which by 
 this time the train was running along the edge of. 
 Could this be Red Riding Hood's wood, perhaps? 
 Baby shuddered as this idea came into his mind. Or 
 it might be the wood that Hop-o'-my-thumb and his 
 six brothers had to make their way through, where the 
 birds would pick the crumbs they dropped to show the 
 path. It would be very " dedful " for seven little boys 
 to be lost in a wood Like that, and stiU worse for one 
 little boy all alone. Baby was very glad that when 
 little boys had to go through woods now it was in nice 
 railway carriages with mothers and aunties land every- 
 bodies with them. But even in this way the wood 
 made him feel a very little frightened ; just then it got 
 so much darker. He looked up to see if they were all 
 
76 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 still reading or asleep ; he almost thought he would 
 ask Lisa to take him on her knee a little, when, all of 
 a sudden, the " railway," as he called it, screamed out 
 something very sharp and loud, the rattle and the noise 
 got " bummier " and yet sharper ; Baby could see no 
 trees, no fields, " no nothing." What could it be ? It 
 was worse than the wood. 
 
 " Oh, Lisa," cried poor Herr Baby, " the railway 
 horses must have runned the wrong way. We's 
 going down into the cellars of the world." 
 
 Lisa caught him up in her arms and comforted 
 him as well as she could. It was only a tunnel, she 
 told him, and she explained to him what a tunnel 
 was, just a sort of passage through a hill, and that 
 there was nothing to be frightened at. And she per- 
 suaded him to look up and see what a nice little lamp 
 there was at the top of the carriage, on purpose to 
 light them up while they were in the dark. Baby 
 was quite pleased when he saw the little lamp. 
 
 " Who put it 'zere ?" he said. " Were it God ?" 
 
 He was rather disappointed when Lisa told him 
 that it was the railway men who put it up, but then 
 he thought again that it was very kind of the railway 
 men, and that it must have been God who taught 
 them to be so kind, which Lisa quite agreed in. But 
 
17. GOING AWAY 77 
 
 even though the little lamp was very nice, Baby was 
 very pleased to get out of the tunnel, and out of the 
 rumbly, rattly noise, into the open daylight again, 
 with the beautiful sun shining down at them out of 
 the sky. For the day was growing brighter as it 
 went on, and the air was a little frosty, which made 
 everything look clear and fresh. 
 
 "Nice sun," said Baby, glancing up at his old 
 friend in the sky, " that's the bestest lamp of all, isn't 
 it ? and it were God put it up there." 
 
 After that he must, I think, have taken a little 
 nap in Lisa's arms almost without knowing it, for he 
 didn't seem to hear anything more or to think where 
 he was or anything, till all of a sudden he heard 
 mother's voice speaking. 
 
 "Won't Baby have a sandwich, Lisa? And 
 Denny, why, have you been asleep too, Denny ?" 
 
 And sitting up on Lisa's knee, aU rosy and 
 dimpled with sleeping, his fair curls in a pretty 
 tumble about his eyes. Baby saw Denny, looking 
 very sleepy too, but trying hard to hide it. 
 
 "Oh," she said, smoothing down her hair and 
 sitting up very straight, " I've been reading such a 
 long time that my eyes got quite tired ; that was 
 why I shut them," 
 
78 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap 
 
 "Oh indeed!" said mother, but Baby could see 
 that she was smiling at Denny, though she didn't 
 laugh right out like Fritz and CeHa. 
 
 They were all very happy, however, with their 
 sandwiches and buns, and after they had eaten as 
 much as they wanted, auntie taught them a sort of 
 guessing game, which helped to pass the time, for 
 already Denny and Fritz were beginning to think 
 even the big saloon carriiige rather a small room to 
 spend a whole day in. 
 
 They passed two or three big stations, and then 
 they were allowed to get out and walk up and down 
 the platform a little, which was a nice change. But 
 Baby was so dreadfully afraid of any of them being 
 left behind that he could hardly be persuaded to get 
 out at all, and once when he and Lisa were waiting 
 alone in the carriage while the others walked about, 
 and the train moved on a little way to another part, 
 he screamed so loudly — 
 
 " Oh, mother, oh, auntie, oh, ganfather, and Celia, 
 and Fritz, and Denny! AU, aU is left behind!" — 
 chat there was quite a commotion in the station, and 
 when the train moved back again, and they all got in, 
 he was obliged to kiss and hug each one separately, 
 several times over, before he could feel quite sure he 
 
nr. GOING AWAY 79 
 
 had them all safe and sound, and that " not nobody " 
 was missing. 
 
 It seemed a long time after it got dark, even 
 though the little lamp was still lighted. But it wa? 
 not light enough to see to read, and " the big lamp 
 up in the sky," as Baby said, " was kite goned away." 
 It puzzled him very much how the sun could go 
 away every night and come back every morning, and 
 the queerest thing of all was what Celia had told hiTn 
 — that "away there," in the far-off country where 
 they were going, there would still be the same sun, 
 the very same sun, that they had seen every morning 
 peeping up behind the kitchen -garden wall, and 
 whose red face they had said good-night to on the 
 winter evenings, as he slipped away to bed down 
 below the old elms in the avenue, where the rooks 
 had their nests. Somehow as Baby sat in his comer., 
 staring out now and then at the darkness through 
 which they were whizzing, blinking up sometimes at 
 the little lamp shining faintly in the roof, there came 
 before his mind the pictures of all they had left 
 behind ; he seemed to see the garden and the trees so 
 plain, and he thought how very, very quiet and lonely 
 it must seem there now, and Baby's little heart grew 
 giad. He felt so sorry for all the things they had 
 
80 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY ohap. 
 
 left — the rabbits and the pussy most of all, of course, 
 but even for the dear old trees, and the sweet, 
 " denkle " flowers in the garden ; even for the tables 
 and chairs in the house he felt sorry. 
 
 " Him's poor little bed will be so cold and lonely," 
 he said to himself. "Him sinks going away is 
 werry sad," 
 
V. BY LAND AND SEA 81 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 BY LAND AND SEA 
 
 *' So the wind blew softly, 
 
 And the snn shone bright." 
 
 Grandfather had fixed that it would be best to go 
 straight through at once to the seaport, where, the next 
 morning, they would find the 'normous boat waiting 
 to take them over the sea. They had to pass through 
 London on the way, and, by the time they got to the 
 big London station, Baby was very tired — so white 
 and quiet that mother was a little frightened. 
 
 " I almost wish," she said, " that we had fixed to 
 stay all night in London. Baby has never had a 
 long railway journey before, since he was a real 
 Baby, you know, and he is not very strong." 
 
 She was speaking to auntie. It was just when 
 they were getting near the big London station. 
 Auntie looked at Baby. He was lying on Lisa's 
 knee with his eyes shut, as if he were asleep, but he 
 
 6 
 
83 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap 
 
 wasn't. He heard what they said, and he was 
 rather pleased at them talking about him. In 
 some ways he was very fond of being made a fuss 
 about. 
 
 " He does look a little white shrimp," said auntie. 
 " But then you know. May, he is so fair. He looks 
 more quickly white if he is tired than other children. 
 And he has been such a good Httle man aU day — not 
 one bit of trouble. He is really a capital traveller — 
 ever so much quieter than the others." 
 
 She said these last few words in a low tone, not 
 caring for the other children to hear ; but if she had 
 spoken quite loud I don't think they would have 
 heard, and, indeed, it seemed as if they wanted to 
 show that auntie's words were true ; for just at that 
 moment there came such a scream from Denny that 
 everybody started up in a fright. 
 
 What could be the matter ? everybody asked. 
 
 " It's all Denny," said Fritz, in a^great fuss. 
 
 " It's not ; it's all Fritz and Celia," said Denny. 
 
 " It's both of them," said Celia. " Mother, I wish 
 you wouldn't let them be near each other. Denny 
 put her hand into the dormice's cage when Fritz 
 wasn't looking, and she poked out Tim, who was just 
 beginning to come awake for the night, and she as 
 
BY LAND AND SEA 83 
 
 nearly as could be got his tail pulled off, and then, 
 when Fritz caught her, she screamed." 
 
 " Fritz snipped my hand in the little door of the 
 cage," sobbed Denny. "And CeHa always takes 
 Fritz's part." 
 
 Celia was beginning to "answer back," when 
 auntie stopped her by a look — the children were 
 sometimes rather afraid of auntie's " looks." 
 
 " Dear me, young people," said grandfather from 
 his end of the carriage, " you might be peaceable for 
 iSve minutes, and then we shall be in London, and 
 you shall have a good tea before we go on again." 
 
 The children all grew quiet. They were glad to 
 hear of tea, and they were a little ashamed of them- 
 selves. Auntie moved over to their end of the 
 carriage. 
 
 " Him would like some tea too, p'ease," said Baby, 
 as she passed him, and auntie patted his head. 
 
 "They are all tired, I suppose," said mother; 
 • but it really is too silly, the way they quarrel about 
 abthing." 
 
 " Auntie," said Celia softly, " I think it was partly 
 It, lault. Denny and Fritz asked me to teU them a 
 iS^ory, and I wouldn't. It would have kept them 
 quiet" 
 
84 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 "Well, never mind now," said auntie. "You 
 must all try and be very good to-morrow. This is 
 only the first day, you know. You can't be expected 
 to be very clever travellers yet. And the very first 
 lesson to learn in travelling is — do you know what?" 
 
 " Not to lose your things ? " said CeUa. 
 
 " To be ready in time ? " said Fritz. 
 
 " To sit still in the railway ? " said Denny, rather 
 meekly. 
 
 "All those are very good things," said auntie; 
 " but they're not the thing I was thinking of. It was 
 to keep your temper." 
 
 The children got rather red, but I don't think any 
 one noticed, for already the train was slackening, and 
 in another minute or two they all got out and were 
 standing together on the bustling platform, dimly 
 lighted up by the gas lamps, which looked yeUow and 
 strange in the foggy air of a London November 
 evening. 
 
 " Is zit London ? " said Baby, and when CeHa said 
 " yes," he added rather mournfully, " Him doesn't 
 sink London's pitty at aU." 
 
 Poor little boys, for, after aU, Fritz himseK wasn't 
 very big ! They stood together hand in hand on the 
 station platform, looking, and feeling, rather desolate. 
 
Poor little boys, for after all, Fritz himself wasn't very big! They stood 
 together hand in hand on the station platform, looking, and feeling, rather 
 desolate. — p. 84. 
 
V. BY LAND AND SEA 86 
 
 Lisa was busy helping with the rugs and bags that 
 had been in the carriage ; mother and auntie, as well 
 as grandfather and Peters and the maid, were all busy 
 about the luggage. 
 
 " Stay there a moment, children," said somebody ; 
 but Denny had no idea of staying anywhere. Off she 
 trotted to have a look at the luggage too, and Celia 
 was half inclined to follow her, when her glance fell 
 on her two little brothers. 
 
 " Celia," said Baby, catching hold of her, " don't 
 go away too. Fritz is taking care of him, but we 
 might be lostened." 
 
 He spoke rather timidly, and Celiacs heart was 
 touched. She was a good deal older than the others 
 — nearly twelve — Fritz and Denny were very near in 
 age, and sometimes Celia was a little cross at mother 
 for not making difference enough, as she thought, and 
 for keeping her still a good deal in the nursery. 
 Mother had her own good reasons, and it is not al- 
 ways wise for big people to tell children their reasons, 
 as Celia got to know when she grew wiser and bigger 
 hersel£ She sometimes spoke rather crossly to the 
 younger ones, and it made them a very little afraid 
 of her, but in her heart she was kind. Just now she 
 stooped down to kiss Baby. 
 
86 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY ohap. 
 
 "Don't be frightened, poor old man," she said, 
 " you won't be lost. Fritz wouldn't let you be lost, 
 would you, Fritz ? " 
 
 Fritz brightened up at that, as Celia had meant 
 he should. He, too, had been feeling a little strange 
 and queer — the long journey and the sleeping in the 
 day, all so different from their life at home, had 
 rather upsethim — but he would not have liked to say so! 
 And now he was quite pleased at Celia telling Baby 
 that, of course, Fritz was big enough to take care of 
 him. It is so easy for children — bigger ones above all 
 — to please each other and give nice feelings, when they 
 really try to feel with each other and/(?r each other. 
 
 The little boys looked much happier a few minutes 
 later, when they were seated at tea in a comfortable 
 comer of the refreshment room. Grandfather had 
 sent Peters on, as soon as they had got the luggage 
 aU safe, to see that a table was placed for them by 
 themselves. He, himself, went off to get some real 
 dinner, for, of course, it was not to be expected that 
 a gentleman, and especially an old gentleman, would 
 be contented with tea, and bread and butter, and 
 buns, however nice, but, to the children's great plea- 
 sure, mother and auntie said they would far rather 
 stay and have tea with the little people. 
 
7. BY LAND AND SEA 87 
 
 " It is a good thing, isn't it, for them to stay with 
 us ? " said Fritz to Celia, confidentially, " for we are 
 none of us very big, are we ? And you know we 
 might get lost somehow, as Baby says, though I 
 wouldn't say so to him for fear of frightening him, 
 you know." 
 
 " No, of course not," said Celia, and looking up 
 she was pleased to see mother smiling at her. 
 Mother saw that Celia was trying to be kind and 
 helpful, and she did so like to see the way the little 
 ones clung to Celia when she was gentle. Mother 
 must have been something like Baby in her mind, I 
 think, for when she looked at the boys sitting there 
 in the strange, big station -room, their little faces 
 grave and rather tired looking, a sort of sorry feeling 
 came over her too, as she thought of the snug, cosy 
 nursery at home, and the neat nursery tea, with the 
 pretty pink and white cups she had chosen, and the 
 canaries and "Bully" twittering in the window. 
 Poor " calanies *' and poor Bully ! they didn't know 
 where they had got to ! They had slept nearly all 
 day, thinking, as they were meant to think, that it 
 was night, I suppose, but now they must have given 
 up thinking so, for they were fidgeting about in their 
 cages in an unhappy, rCvStless sort of way. They 
 
88 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap, 
 
 had plenty of seed, and Celia and Lisa took care that 
 they should have fresh water, but still, poor little 
 things, they were not very happy. 
 
 " Going away from their own home is really a trial 
 for children," thought mother. She was a little tired 
 herself, and being tired makes everything seem the 
 vvTong way. 
 
 But there was no help for it. They had all to 
 make the best of things, and to set off again in 
 another train and be rattled away to the sea. It was 
 quite dark by now, of course, and it seemed very 
 queer to start on another journey with so little rest 
 between. I think, however, once they were all 
 settled in the railway carriage, that the children slept 
 the most of the way; Baby, at any rate, knew nothing 
 more till he woke up to find himseK in lisa's arms, 
 with a cold, fresh air — the air of the sea — blowing in 
 his face, and making him lift up his head and look 
 about him. 
 
 "Where is him?" he said. "Is him in the 
 'normous boat?" 
 
 " Not so, Herr Baby," said Lisa. " He shall first 
 be imdressed and have a nice sleep all night in bed, 
 to rest him welL Lie still, mine child, and Lisa will 
 keep you warm." 
 
7. BY LAND AND SEA 89 
 
 "Him likes the wind," said Baby. "It blowed 
 his eyes open ; him is quite awake now," and he tried 
 to sit straight up in Lisa's arms. 
 
 " Oh, Herr Baby, I cannot hold you so," said Lisa. 
 
 "There is such a little way to go," said his 
 mother, who was just behind, " lie still, dear, as Lisa 
 tells you." 
 
 " Him would like to walk, him's legs is so *tiff," 
 said Baby. " P'ease let him walk if it's such a little 
 way!" 
 
 His voice was so piteous that mother told Lisa to 
 let him walk ; they were going from the station to the 
 hotel, a very little way, as mother had said. Lisa put 
 Baby down on the ground ; at first he really tumbled 
 over, his legs felt so funny, but with Lisa's hand he 
 soon got his balance again. It was a very dark night; 
 they could not have seen their way but for the lights 
 of the station and the town. 
 
 "What a dark countly zit is!" said Herr Baby. 
 " Is there no moon in zit countly ? Denny says in 
 her hymn * the moon to shine by night,' is there no 
 moon 'cept in him's own countly?" 
 
 " What are you chattering about, little man?" said 
 auntie. 
 
 "He's asking about the moon, auntie; he wants 
 
90 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohap 
 
 to know if there isn't any moon here. He thinks 
 we've left it behind at home," said Denny. 
 
 A sort of roar from poor Baby interrupted her. 
 
 " Oh, Denny, don't, don't say that," he cried, " it 
 makes hiTn sink of the labbits, and Thomas, and 
 Jones, and the trees, and the flowers, and him's dear 
 little bed, and all the sings we'se leaved behind. 
 Him doesn't like you to speak of leaved behind." 
 
 "Poor Baby," said Denny, "I'm so sorry." She 
 stooped down to kiss him, but it was so dark it wasn't 
 easy to find his mouth, and she only managed to kiss 
 the tip of his nose, which was as cold as a little dog's. 
 This made Herr Baby begin laughing, which was a 
 good thing, wasn't it ? And he was so taken up in 
 explaining to Lisa how funny it felt when Denny 
 kissed his nose, that he had not time to think of his 
 sorrows again till they were at the foot of the large 
 flight of steps leading up to the big hotel where they 
 were to sleep. 
 
 " Nice big house," said Baby, looking round ; and 
 as he caught sight of some of the waiters running 
 about, he asked Lisa if "them was new servants 
 instead of Thomas and Jones." 
 
 " Him likes Thomas and Jones best," he went on, 
 the comers of his mouth going down again, so that 
 
V. BY LAND AND SEA 91 
 
 Lisa was obliged to assure him the servants were not 
 going to be instead of Thomas and Jones, they were 
 all only just going to stay one night at this big house, 
 and to-morrow they would set off in the great ship to 
 cross the sea. 
 
 The mention of the ship fortunately gave a new 
 turn to Baby's thoughts ; and he allowed Lisa to take 
 him upstairs and warm him well before a good fire 
 before she undressed him and put him to bed. The 
 other children thought it great fun to sleep in strange 
 roonis, in beds quite unlike those they had at home, 
 and to have to hunt for their nightgowns and brushes 
 and sponges in two or three vrrong carpet bags before 
 they came to the right one ; but Baby's spirits were 
 rather depressed, and it was not easy to keep him from 
 crying in the sad little way he had when his feelings 
 were touched. 
 
 " He is tired, poor little chap," said auntie, as she 
 kissed him for good-night. " It is ever so much later 
 than he has ever been up before. It is nearly ten." 
 
 " Him wtrt up tiU ten o'clock on Kissmass," said 
 Herr Baby, brightening up. " Him were up dedfvl 
 late, till, tiU, p'raps tiU near twenty o'clock." 
 
 Auntie would have liked to laugh, but she took 
 care not, for when Baby was in this sort of humour 
 
92 THE ADVENTURES OF EERR BABY chap. 
 
 there was no telling whether other people's laughing 
 might not make him take to crying, so she just said, 
 
 " Indeed ! That must have been very late ; well, go 
 to sleep now, and sleep till twenty o'clock to-morrow 
 morning, if you like. We don't need to start early," 
 she added, turning to Lisa ; and I think poor Lisa was 
 not sorry to hear it ! 
 
 If I were to go on telling you, bit by bit, all about 
 the journey, and everything that happened big and 
 little, it would take a good while, and I don't know 
 that you would find it very interesting. Perhaps it is 
 better to take a jump, as people do in real big story 
 books, and to go on with Herr Baby's adventures a 
 few days later, when he, and Denny, and Fritz, and 
 Celia, and Lisa, and mother, and auntie, and grand- 
 father, and the " bully," and the " calanies," and Tim, 
 and Peepy-Snoozle, and Linley, mother's maid, and 
 Peters, grandfather's man, and I forget if there was 
 any one else, but I think not ; and all the boxes and 
 carpet-bags, and raUway-rugs, were safely arrived at 
 Santino, the pretty little town with mountains on one 
 side and the sea on the other, where they were all 
 going to spend the winter. I must not forget to 
 teU you one thing, however, which, I daresay, some 
 of you who may have crossed " over the sea," and not 
 
7. BY LAND AND SEA 93 
 
 found it very delightful, may be anxious to know about. 
 I mean about the voyage in the 'normous boat, which 
 Baby had been so looking forward to, poor Httle fellow. 
 
 Well, wasn't it lucky, he was not at all disap- 
 pointed ? They had the loveliest day that ever was 
 seen, and Baby thought 'normous boats far the nicest 
 way of travelling, and he couldn't understand why 
 grandfather couldn't make them go all the way to 
 Santino in the nice boat, and when they explained to 
 hiTti that it couldn't be, because there was no sea for 
 boats to go on all the way, he thought there must have 
 been some great mistake in the way the world was 
 made. And when they got to Santino, and the first 
 thing he saw was the sea, blue and beautiful like a 
 fairy dream. Baby was quite startled. 
 
 "Mother, auntie!" he said, reproachfully, "you 
 toldened him there weren't no sea." 
 
 " We didn't mean that. Baby, dear," said mother ; 
 " we meant that there was no sea to come the shortest 
 way ; we would have had to come all round the land, 
 and it would have been much longer. Look, it is 
 like this," and mother traced with her parasol a sort 
 of map on the sand, to show Baby that they had 
 come a much nearer way. Eor they were standing 
 by the sea-shore at the time. 
 
94 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 " Yes," said Herr Baby, after lookLng on without 
 speaking for a minute or two, "him understands 
 now." 
 
 "So youVe had your first lesson in geography," 
 ?aid auntie. 
 
 Baby stared up at her. 
 
 "Are that jography?" he said. "Him thought 
 jography were awful, dedful difficult. Denny is so 
 werry c'oss when her has jography to learn." 
 
 " Oh, because, of course, you know," said Denny, 
 getting rather red, "my jography is real jography, 
 with books and maps and ever so long rows of names 
 to learn. Baby's so stupid — he always takes up 
 things so ; he'll be thinking now that if he makes 
 marks on the sand, he'll be learning jography." 
 
 Denny turned away with a very superior air. 
 Baby looked much hurt. 
 
 " Him's not stupid, are him ?" he said ; and in a 
 moment Celia and Fritz were hugging him and calling 
 Denny a naughty, unkind girl to tease him. Mother 
 and auntie had walked on a little, so things might 
 have gone on to a quarrel if Lisa hadn't stopped it. 
 
 "Mine children," she said, "it is too pity to be 
 not friendly together. See what one beautifullest 
 place this is — sky so blue and sea so blue, and aU so 
 
Are //£«/ jography ? " he said. — p. 94. 
 
V, BY LAND AND SEA 96 
 
 bright and sunny. One should be nothing but happy 
 here." 
 
 " Yes," said Celia, looking round, " it is an awfully 
 pretty place." 
 
 CeUa, you see, was just beginning to be old enough 
 to notice really beautiful things in a way that when 
 children are ver^/ little, they cannot quite understand, 
 though some do much more than others. 
 
 " It is a very pretty place," she said again, as if 
 she were speaking to herself, for Fritz and Denny 
 had taken it into their heads to run races, of which 
 Lisa was very glad, and Celia stood still by herseK, 
 looking round at the lovely sea and sky, and the 
 little white town perched up above, with the moun- 
 tains rising behind. Suddenly a little hand was 
 slipped into hers. 
 
 "Him would like to live here everways," said 
 Baby's voice ; " it are so pitty — somefin Hke Heaven, 
 p'raps." 
 
 " I don't know," said CeHa, " I suppose Heaven 
 must be prettier than anything we could fancy," 
 
 " There's gold streets in Heaven, Lisa says," said 
 Baby ; " him sinks blue sky streets would be much 
 pittier." 
 
 "So do I," said CeHa. 
 
96 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 Then they walked on a little, watching Fritz and 
 Denny, already like two black specks in front — they 
 had run on so far — and, somehow, in the very bright 
 sunshine, one seemed to see less cleariy. Mother and 
 auntie were in front too, and when Fritz and Denny 
 raced back again, quite hot and out of breath, mother 
 said it was time for them aU to go in; it was still 
 rather too hot to be out much near the middle of the 
 day, though it was already some way on in November, 
 and next month would be the month that Christmas 
 comes in ! 
 
 " How funny it seems," said Celia. " Why, when 
 we left home it was quite winter. Just think how 
 we were wrapped up when we started on the journey, 
 and now we're quite warm enough with nothing at 
 aU over our frocks." 
 
 " It may be cold enough before long," said mother, 
 who was more accustomed to hot climates than the 
 children; "sometimes the cold hereabouts comes 
 quite suddenly, and it even seems colder from having 
 been so warm before. I daresay you will be glad of 
 your thick clothes before Christmas. But we must 
 get on a little quicker, or else grandfather will be in 
 a hurry for his breakfast." 
 
 •* Ganfather's werry lazy not to have had him's 
 
V. BY LAND AND SEA 97 
 
 breakfast yet," said Baby. " Him's had him's break- 
 fast ever so long ago, hundreds of years ago." 
 
 " Oh, Baby," said Denny, " how you do 'saggerate ! 
 It couldn't have been hundreds of years ago, because, 
 you know, you weren't born then." 
 
 " Stupid girl !" said Baby, " how does you know ? 
 you wasn't there." 
 
 " Well, you weren't there," said Denny again. 
 
 " Children, don't contradict each other. It*s not 
 nice," said auntie. 
 
 "Him didn't begin," said Baby, "t'were Denny 
 beginned." 
 
 " I didn't. I only said once that Baby wasn't 
 bom hundreds of years ago," said Denny, " and then 
 he " 
 
 " Onst is as wurst as twicet," said Baby. 
 
 Mother turned round at this. There was a funny 
 look on her face, but still she spoke rather gravely. 
 
 " Baby, I don't know what's coming over you," she 
 said. " It isn't like you to speak like that." 
 
 Baby's face grew red, and he turned his head 
 away. 
 
 "Him didn't mean zeally that ganfather were 
 lazy," he said, in a low voice. 
 
 " It wasn't that I was vexed with you for," said 
 
 H 
 
98 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 mother. " I kuow you were joking when you said 
 that. I meant what you said to Denny." 
 
 " Him's werry sorry," said Baby, on the point of 
 tears. 
 
 " Never mind. Don't cry about it," said mother, 
 who really wanted the children to be very good and 
 happy this first day. And she was a little afraid of 
 Baby's beginning to cry, for, sometiTnes, once he had 
 begun, it was not very easy to stop him. 
 
 " You don't understand about grandfather and his 
 breakfast," said auntie. " Here nobody has big break- 
 fast when they first get up except you children, who 
 have the same that you have at home." 
 
 " No we don't," said Denny. " At home we have 
 bread and milk every day except Sunday — on Sunday 
 we have bacon or heggs, because that's the nothing- 
 for-breakfast day." 
 
 Auntie stared at Denny. 
 
 " Eeally, Denny," she said, " it is sometimes a little 
 difficult to be sure that you have got all your senses. 
 How can you have ' nothing for breakfast ' when you 
 have bacon, and — who in the world ever taught you 
 to say * heggs ' ? " 
 
 " I meant to say * neggs,'" said Denny very humbly. 
 ''Grandfather laughed at me because I didn't say 
 
V. BY LAND AND SEA 99 
 
 * hippotamus ' right — I called it a ' nippotamus/ and 
 he made me say ' hi-hi-hip/ and that's got me into 
 the way of saying it to everything, like calling a negg, 
 a hegg." 
 
 "A negg" repeated auntie slowly. "Can't you 
 hear any difference between * a negg/ and ' an egg '? 
 Spell, a-n an, e-g-g egg." 
 
 Denny repeated it. 
 
 " What dedfiil jography Denny^s having," observed 
 Baby ; " I can say a negg, quite right." 
 
 " And so you too call ' a negg * nothing for break- 
 fast ?" said auntie. 
 
 " Neggs and bacon is nothing for breakfast," an- 
 swered Baby. 
 
 " Auntie," said Fritz, " you don't understand. We 
 call it nothing for breakfast when there's not bread- 
 and-milk, you know, for on bread-and-milk days we 
 have just one little cup of tea and a bit of bread-and- 
 butter after the bread-and-milk. But on Sundays, 
 and birthdays, there's nothing for the first, and so we 
 get better things, more like big people, and tea, and 
 whatever there is, as soon as we begin. That's why 
 we like * nothing for breakfast,' do you see, auntie ?** 
 
 "I see," said auntie, "but I certainly couldn't 
 have guessed. I hope there's something for breakfast 
 
100 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 to-day for us, for I'm very hungry, and look, there's 
 grandfather coming out to meet us, which looks as if 
 he were hungry too. And what have you to say to 
 it, old man ?" she added, as Herr Baby came up the 
 steps, one foot at a time, of course, " aren't you hungry 
 after your walk ?" 
 
 " Him's hungry for him's dinner, but not for him's 
 breakfast; in course not," said Baby, with great 
 dignity. 
 
▼I. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 101 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 
 
 " Innocent face with the sad sweet eyes, 
 Smiling on us through the centuries." 
 
 Baby and Fritz went out a walk that afternoon in 
 the town with auntie and Lisa. Celia and Denny 
 had gone for a drive with mother and grandfather, 
 which the big people thought would make a good 
 division. Grandfather was very fond of children, 
 but in a carriage, he used to say, two small people 
 were enough of a good thing. So Celia and Denny 
 worried Lisa to get out their best hats and jackets — 
 which were not unpacked, as grandfather had not 
 yet decided whether they should stay at the hotel or 
 get a house for themselves — and set off in great 
 spirits on the back seat of the carriage. 
 
 Fritz and Baby were in very good spirits too, 
 Fritz wanted to walk along the sort of front street of 
 
102 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 the town whicli faced the sea, for he was never tired 
 of looking at boats and ships. Baby liked them too, 
 but what he most wanted to see was the shops. 
 Baby was very fond of shops. He was fond of buying 
 things, but before he bought anything he used to like 
 to be quite sure which was the best shop to get it at 
 — I mean to say at which shop he could get it best — 
 and he often asked the price two or three times before 
 he fixed. And he had never before seen so many 
 shops or such pretty and curious ones as there were 
 at Santino, so he was quite delighted, though if you 
 hadn't known him well you would hardly have 
 guessed it, for he trotted along as grave as a little 
 judge, only staring about him with aU his eyes. 
 
 And indeed there were plenty of things to stare at. 
 Fritz's tongue went very fast. He wanted auntie to stop 
 every minute to look at something wonderful. The 
 carts drawn by oxen pleased him and Baby very much, 
 
 "That's the working cows they told us about," 
 said Fritz. " The/re very nice, but I think I like 
 horses best, don't you, Baby ?" 
 
 "No, him Ukes cows best," said Baby, "when 
 him's a man him will have a calliage wif hundreds 
 of cows to pull it along, and wif lots and lots of gold 
 bells all tinkling. Won't that be lubly 1" 
 
n. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 103 
 
 " Not half so nice as a lot of ponies, all with bells," 
 said Fritz, " they'd make ever so much more jingling, 
 'cos they go so fast. Isn't it funny to see all the 
 women with handkerchers on their heads and no 
 bonnets, Baby?" 
 
 " When him's a man," said Baby again — he was 
 growing more talkative now — "when him's a man, 
 him's going to have auntie and Lisa," auntie and 
 Lisa came first, of course, because they happened to 
 be in his sight, " and mother, and Celia, and Denny 
 cdl for his wifes, and them shall all wear most bootly 
 hankerwifs on them's heads, red and blue and pink 
 and every colour, and gold — lots of gold." 
 
 " Thank you," said auntie, " but by that time my 
 hair, for one, will be quite gray ; I shall be quite an 
 old woman. I don't think such splendid trappings 
 would suit me." 
 
 "Him said handkerwifs, not traps — ^him doesn't 
 know what traps is," said Baby. " And him will be 
 werry kind to you when you're old. Him will always 
 let you come in and warm yourself, and give you 
 halfpennies." 
 
 " Thank you, dear, I'm sure you will," said auntie. 
 But she and Fritz looked at each other. That was 
 one of Herr Baby's ideas, and they couldn't get idm 
 
104 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 to understand, so mother settled it was better to 
 leave it and he'd understand of himself when he 
 grew bigger. He thought that everybody, however 
 rich and well off they might be, had to grow quite, 
 quite poor, and to beg for pennies in the streets before 
 they died. Wasn't it a funny fancy ? It was not 
 till a good while afterwards that mother found out 
 that what had made him think so was the word 
 "old." He couldn't understand that growing old 
 could mean only growing old in years — he thought 
 it meant as well, poor and worn-out, like his own 
 little old shoes. Just now it would have been no 
 good trying to explain, even if mother had quite 
 understood what was in his mind, which she didn't 
 tUl he told her himself long after. For it only made 
 him cry when people tried to explain and he couldn't 
 explain what he meant. There was nothing vexed 
 him so much! And I think there wa5 something 
 rather nice mixed up with this funny idea about 
 getting old. It made Baby wish to be so kind to all 
 poor old people. He would look at any poor old 
 beggar in such a strange sad way, and he always 
 begged to be allowed to give them a penny. And, 
 though no one knew of it, in his own mind he was 
 thinking that his dear Httle mother or his kind 
 
71. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 105 
 
 auntie would be like that some day, and he would 
 Hke rich little boys to be kind to them then, just as 
 he was now to other poor old people. Of course, he 
 said to himself, " If him sees dear little mother and 
 auntie when they get old, him will take care of them 
 and let them rest at his house every time they come 
 past, but pWaps him might be far away then." 
 
 And sometimes, when grandfather spoke about 
 getting old and how white his hair was growing, 
 Baby would look at him very gravely, for in his own 
 mind he was wondering if the time was very soon 
 coming for poor grandfather to be an old beggar-man. 
 Baby thought it had to be, you see, he thought it 
 was just what must come to everybody. 
 
 Just as auntie and he had finished talking about 
 getting old they turned a comer and went down a 
 street which led them away from the view of the sea. 
 This street had shops at both sides, and some of them 
 were very pretty, but they were not the kind of shops 
 that the little boys cared much for — they were mostly 
 dressmakers' and milliners* and shawl shops. Lots 
 of grand dresses and hats and bonnets were to be 
 seen, which would have pleased Celia and Denny 
 perhaps, but which Fritz said were very stupid. 
 Auntie did not seem to care for them either — she was 
 
106 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 in a hurry to go to an office where she was going to 
 ask about a house that might do for them. So she 
 walked on quickly, as quickly at least as Baby's 
 short legs could go, for she held him by the hand, 
 and Fritz and Lisa came behind. They left this 
 street in a minute and crossed through two or three 
 others before auntie could find the one she wanted. 
 Suddenly Baby gave her a tug. 
 
 " Oh auntie," he said, " p'ease 'top one minute. 
 Him sees shiny glass jugs like dear little mother's. 
 Oh, do 'top." 
 
 Auntie stopped. They were passing what is 
 called an old curiosity shop ; it was a funny looking 
 place, seeming very crowded even though it was a 
 large shop, for it was so very full of all sorts of queer 
 things. Some among them were more queer than 
 pretty, but some were very pretty too, and in one 
 comer of the window there were several jugs, and 
 cups, and bottles, and such tilings, of very fine glass, 
 with the same sort of soft-coloured shine on it that 
 Baby remembered in the two jugs that he had pulled 
 down in the tiny trunk. Baby's eyes had spied them 
 out at onca 
 
 "Look, look, auntie," he said, again gently tug- 
 ging her. 
 
"Oh, auntie," he said, " p'ease 'top one minute. Him sees shiny glass jugs like 
 dear little mother's. Oh, do 'top." — R, io6. 
 
VL AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 107 
 
 "Yes, Baby dear, very pretty," said auntie, but 
 without paying much attention to the glass, for she 
 was not thinking of Baby's adventure in the pantry 
 at the moment, and did not know what jugs of his 
 mother's he meant. 
 
 " There is two Just like mother's," said Baby, but 
 he spoke lower now, almost as if he were speaking to 
 himself. An idea had come into his mind which he 
 had hardly yet understood himself, and he did not 
 want to speak of it to any one else. He just stood at 
 the window staring in, his two eyes fixed on the glass 
 jugs, and the great question he was saying to himself 
 was, "How many pennies would they cost?" 
 
 " Them's a little smaller, him sinks," he murmured, 
 " but p'raps mother wouldn't mind." 
 
 It was a mistake of his that they were smaller ; 
 they were really a little larger than the broken ones. 
 Besides Baby had never seen the broken ones till 
 they were broken. One of them had been much less 
 smashed than the other, and mother had examined it 
 to see if it could possibly be mended so as to look 
 pretty as an ornament, even though it would never 
 do to hold water, and, when she found nothing could 
 be done, she had told Thomas to keep the top part of 
 it as a sort of pattern, in case she ever had a chance 
 
108 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 of getting the same. I think I forgot to explain this 
 to you before, and you may have wondered how Baby 
 knew so well what the jugs had been like. 
 
 " Them is a little smaller," he said again to him- 
 sell He did not understand that things often look 
 smaller when they are among a great many others of 
 the same kind, and though there was not a very great 
 deal of the shiny glass in the shop window, there 
 was enough to make it rather a wonder that such a 
 little boy as Baby had caught sight of the two jugs 
 at aU, for they were behind the rest. He had time 
 to look at them well, for, though auntie had been 
 rather in a hurry, she, too, stood still in front of the 
 shop, for something had caught her eyes too. 
 
 " How ^'ery pretty, how sweet!" she said to her- 
 self, " I wish I could copy it. It seems to me beauti- 
 fully done," and when Fritz, who had not found the 
 shop so interesting as the others had done, in his 
 turn gave her a tug and said, "Auntie, aren't you 
 coming?" she pointed out to him what it was she 
 was so pleased with. 
 
 " Isn't it sweet, Fritz ?" said auntie. 
 
 "Yes," said Fritz, "but it's rather dirty, auntie, 
 isn't it r 
 
 Fritz was very, what is called, practical. The 
 
VL AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 109 
 
 " it " that auntie was speaking about was an old pic- 
 ture, hanging up on the wall at the side of the door. 
 It was the portrait of a little girl, a very little girl, of 
 not more than three or four years old. She had a 
 dear little face, sweet and bright, and yet somehow a 
 very little sad, or else it was the long-ago make of 
 the dress, and the faded look of the picture itself, 
 beside the baby-like face that made it seem sad. You 
 couldn't help thinking the moment you saw it, " Dear 
 me, that little girl must be a very old woman by now 
 or most likely she must be dead ! " I think it was 
 that that made one feel sad on first looking at the 
 picture, for, after aU, the face was bright and happy- 
 looking : the rosy, roguish, little mouth was smiling, 
 the soft blue eyes had a sort of twinkling fun in 
 them, though they were so soft, and the fair hair, so 
 fair that it almost seemed white, drawn up rather 
 tight in an old-fashioned way, fell back again on one 
 side as if little Blue-eyes had just been having a good 
 run. And one fat, dimpled shoulder was poked out 
 of the prim white frock in a way that, I daresay, had 
 rather shocked the little girl's mother when the painter 
 first showed her his work, for our little, old, great- 
 great-grandfathers' and great -great -grandmothers', 
 children, must have had to sit very, very stiU in 
 
110 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap 
 
 their very best and stiffest frocks and suits when 
 their pictures were painted, poor little things ! They 
 were not so lucky as you are nowadays, who have 
 only to go to the photograph man's for half an hour, 
 and keep your merry faces still for a quarter of a 
 minute, if your mothers want to have a picture of 
 you! 
 
 But Blue-eyes must have had some fun when her 
 picture was painted, I think, or else that little shoulder 
 wouldn't have got leave to poke itself out of its sleeve, 
 and there wouldn't have been that mischievous look 
 about the comers of her mouth, 
 
 " Isn't it a little dirty, auntie ?" said Fritz. 
 
 " Wouldn't your face look a little dirty if it had 
 been hanging up in a frame for over a hundred 
 years ?" said auntie, laughing, at which Fritz looked 
 rather puzzled. 
 
 Then auntie's eyes went back to the picture again. 
 
 " It is sweet," she said, " very, very sweet, and so 
 perfectly natural" 
 
 All this time, as I told you, Herr Baby's whole 
 mind had been given to the shiny glasses. Suddenly 
 the sound of his aunt's voice caught his ear, and he 
 looked up. 
 
 "What is it that is so 'weet, auntie ?" he said. 
 
VI, AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 111 
 
 "The picture over there, dear. Hanging up by 
 the door. The little girl" 
 
 Baby looked up, and in a moment his eyes 
 brightened. 
 
 " Oh, what a dear little baby !" he said. " Oh, her 
 is Veet ! Auntie, him would so like to kiss her." 
 
 "You darling!" said auntie, her glance turning 
 from the sweet picture face above to the sweet living 
 face beside her. " I wonder if you will ever learn to 
 paint like that, Baby. / should very much like to 
 copy it if I could have the loan of it. It would be 
 sure to be very dear to buy," she added to herself. 
 " But we must hurry, my little boys," she went on. 
 " I was tempted to waste time admiring the picture, 
 but we must be quick." 
 
 Fritz and Lisa turned away with auntie, but Baby 
 waited one moment behind He pressed his face 
 close against the shop window and whispered softly, 
 
 "Pitty little girl, him would like to kiss you. 
 Him will come a 'nother day. Fease, pitty little girl, 
 don't let nobody take away the shiny glasses, for him 
 wants to buy them for mother." 
 
 Then, quite satisfied, he trotted down the street 
 after the others, who were waiting for him a fev 
 doors off. 
 
112 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 " Were you saying good-bye to the picture, Baby?" 
 said auntie, smiling. 
 
 " Yes," said Baby gravely. 
 
 Auntie soon found the office where she was to 
 hear about the house they were thinking of taking. 
 The little boys stood beside her and listened gravely 
 while she asked questions about it, though they 
 couldn't understand what was said. 
 
 " Him wishes the people in this countly wouldn't 
 talk lubbish talk," said Herr Baby to Fritz with a sigh. 
 " Him would so like to know what them says." 
 
 " / want to know if we're going to have a house 
 with a garden," said Fritz. " That's all /care about," 
 and as soon as they were out in the street again, he 
 asked auntie if "the man" had said there was a 
 garden to the house. 
 
 " There are several houses that I have to tell your 
 grandfather about," said auntie. " Some have gardens 
 and some haven't, but the one we like the best has 
 a garden, though not a very big one." 
 
 " Not as big as the one at home ?" said Fritz. 
 
 " Oh dear no, of course not," said auntie. " It is 
 quite different here from at home. People only come 
 to stay a short time, they wouldn't care to be troubled 
 with big gardens." 
 
n. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 113 
 
 " I don't mind," said Fritz amiably, " if only it's 
 big enough for us to have a comer to dig in, and some- 
 where to play in when Lisa's in a fussy humour." 
 
 "Mine child," said Lisa mildly. Poor Lisa, she 
 was not a very fussy person ! Indeed she was rather 
 too easy for such lively young people as Fritz and 
 Denny. 
 
 "And do you want a garden, too, very much. 
 Baby?" said auntie. 
 
 Baby had hardly heard what they were saying. 
 His mind was still running on the shiny jugs and 
 the blue-eyed little girL 
 
 " Him wants gate lots of pennies," he said, which 
 didn't seem much of an answer to auntie's question. 
 
 "Lots of pennies, my little man," said auntie. 
 " What do you want lots of pennies for ?" 
 
 But Baby would not telL 
 
 Just then they saw coming towards them in the 
 street two very funny looking men. They had no 
 hats or caps on their heads, so the children could see 
 that they had no hair either, at least none on the top, 
 where it was shaved quite off, and only a sort of fringe 
 all round left. Then they had queer loose brown coats, 
 with big capes, something like grandfather's Inverness 
 cloak, Fritz thought, and silver chains hanging down 
 
 I 
 
114 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 at their sides, and, queerest of all, no stockings oi 
 proper boots or shoes, only things like the soles of 
 shoes strapped on to their bare feet. These were 
 called sandals, auntie said, and she told the boys that 
 these funny looking men were monks, " Franciscans." 
 she said they were called. They all lived together, 
 and they never kept any money, and people said — but 
 auntie thought that was not quite true — that they 
 never washed themselves. 
 
 "Nasty dirty men," said Fritz, making a face. 
 " I shouldn't like to be a Franciscan." 
 
 "Not in winter, Fritz?" said Baby. "Him 
 wouldn't mind in winter when the water are so cold- 
 Lisa," he went on, turning round to his nurse, " 'mem- 
 Der — when the werry cold mornings comes, him's 
 going to be a Frantisker — will you 'member, Lisa?" 
 
 " But what about the pennies ?" said auntie, laugh- 
 ing. "If you are a Frantisker, Baby, you won't 
 have any pennies, and you said just now you wanted 
 a great lot of pennies." 
 
 Baby looked very grave. 
 
 "Then him won't be a Frantisker," he said de- 
 cidedly. 
 
 After that he spoke very little all the way home. 
 He had a great deal on his mind, you see. And his 
 
▼L AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 115 
 
 last thought that night as he was falling asleep was, 
 " Him are so glad him asked the little pitty girl to 
 take care of the shiny jugs." 
 
 Funny Httle Herr Baby ! How much was fancy, 
 how much was earnest in his busy baby mind, who 
 can tell ? 
 
 A few days after this, they all moved from the 
 Hotel to the pretty house with a garden which auntie 
 had gone to ask about. It was a pretty house. I 
 wish I could show it to you, children ! It had not 
 only a garden but a terrace, and this terrace over- 
 looked the sea, the blue sunny sea of the south. And 
 from one side, or from a little farther down in the 
 garden, one could see the white-capped mountains, 
 rising, rising up into the sky, with sometimes a soft 
 mist about their heads which made them seem even 
 higher than they were, "high enough to peep into 
 heaven," said Baby; and sometimes, on very clear 
 days, standing out sharply against the blue behind, 
 so that one could hardly believe it would take more 
 than a few minutes to run to the top and down again. 
 
 There were many interesting things in this garden 
 — things that the children had not had in the old 
 garden at home, nice though it was. It was not so 
 beautifully neat as the flower part of the garden at 
 
116 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap 
 
 home, but I do not think the children liked it any the 
 less for that. The trees and bushes grew so thickly 
 that down at the lower end it was really like a wilder- 
 ness, a most lovely place for hide-and-seek. Then 
 there was a fountain, a real fountain, where the water 
 actually danced and fell all day long ; and all round 
 the windows of the house and the trellised balcony 
 there were the most lovely red shaded leaves, such as 
 one never sees in such quantities in the north. And in 
 among the stones of the terrace there lived Hzards — 
 the most delightful lizards. One in particular grew 
 so friendly that he used to come out at meal-times to 
 drink a little milk which the children spilt for him on 
 purpose ; for the day nursery, or school-room, as Celia 
 liked it to be called, opened on to the terrace too, 
 though at the other end from the two drawing-rooms 
 and grandfather's " study," and the windows were long 
 and low, opening like doors, so that Lisa had hard 
 work to keep the children quiet at table the first few 
 days, for every minute they were jumping up to see 
 some new wonder that they caught sight of. Alto- 
 gether it was a very pretty home to spend the winter 
 in, and every one seemed very happy. Bully and the 
 " calanies ** were as merry as larks, if it is true that 
 larks are merrier than other birds, and Peepy-Snoozle 
 
TL AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGEE 117 
 
 and Tim, mistaking the bright warm sunshine for 
 another summer, I suppose, got in the habit of being 
 quite lively about the middle of the day as well as in 
 the middle of the night, instead of spending all the 
 daylight hours curled up like two very sleepy fairy 
 babies with brown fur coats on, in their nice white 
 cotton-wool nests. 
 
 There was so much to do and to think of the first 
 few days that I think Baby forgot a little about what 
 he had seen in the old curiosity shop. Auntie, too, 
 was too busy to give any thought to the picture which 
 had so taken her fancy, though neither she nor Baby 
 really forgot the dear little face with its loving, half- 
 merry, half-sad blue eyes. But auntie had to help 
 mother to get everything settled ; and of course there 
 was a good deal to explain to the strange servants, for 
 neither Peters nor Linley the maid knew " lubbish 
 talk," as Baby would call it, at all, and it was very 
 funny indeed to hear Peters trying to make the 
 cook understand how grandfather liked his cutlets, 
 or Linley "pounding" at the housemaid, as Fritz 
 caUed it, to get it into her head that she didn't caU it 
 cleaning a room to sweep all the dirt into a corner 
 where it couldn't be seen ! Peters was more patient 
 than Linley. When Linley couldn't make herself 
 
118 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 understood she used to shout louder and louder, as ii 
 that would make the others know what she meant, and 
 then she used to say to Celia that it really was " a 
 very hodd thing that the people of this country seemed 
 not to have all their senses." And however Celia 
 explained to her, she couldn't be got to see that she 
 must seem just as stupid to them as they seemed 
 to her I Peters was less put about. He had been 
 in India with grandfather, so he said he was used 
 to " furriners." He seemed to think everybody that 
 wasn't English could be put together as " furriners " ; 
 but he had brought a dictionary and a book of little 
 sentences in four languages, and he would sit on the 
 kitchen table patiently trying one language after 
 another on the poor cook, just as when one can*t 
 open a lock, one tries all the keys one can fiAd, to 
 see if by chance one will fit. The cook was a very 
 mild, gentle man ; he had a nice wife and two Httle 
 children in the town, and he was inclined to be very 
 fond of Herr Baby, and to pet him if ever he got a 
 chance. But that wasn't for a good while, for Baby 
 was at first terribly frightened of him. He had a 
 black moustache and whiskers and very black eyes, 
 and they looked blacker under his square white cook's 
 cap, and the first time Baby saw him through the 
 
VI. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 119 
 
 kitchen window, the cook happened to be standing 
 with a large carving-knife in one hand, and a chicken 
 which he was holding up by the legs, in the other. 
 Off flew Herr Baby. A little way down the garden he 
 ran against Denny, who was also busy examining 
 their new quarters. 
 
 " Oh, Denny, Denny !" he cried, "this is a dedful 
 place — there's a' ogre, a real tellable ogre in the house. 
 Him's seen him in one of the windows under the 
 dimey-room. Oh, Denny, Denny, p'raps him'll eaten 
 us up." 
 
 Denny for the first moment was, to tell the truth, 
 a little bit frightened herself. Common sense told 
 her there were no such things as ogres, not now-a-days 
 any way, at least not in England, their own country. 
 But a dreadful idea struck her that this was not 
 England ; this might be one of the countries where 
 ogres, like wolves and bears, were still occasionally 
 to be found. There was no telling, certainly ; %ut not 
 for a good deal would Miss Denise Aylmer, a young 
 lady of nine years old past, have owned to being 
 frightened as long as she could possibly help it. 
 
 She caught Baby by the hand. 
 
 "What sail we do?" he said; "sail we go and 
 tell mother?" 
 
120 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 Denny considered. 
 
 "We'd better go and see again," she said very 
 bravely. " You must have made a mistake, I think, 
 Baby dear. I don't think there can be any ogres 
 here." 
 
 Baby was much struck by Denny's courage. His 
 hand slipped back a very little out of hers. 
 
 "Will you go and see, Denny?" he said. "Him 
 will stay here till you comes back." 
 
 " Oh, no, you'd better come with me," said Denny, 
 who felt that even Baby was better than nobody. " I 
 shouldn't know where you saw the ogre," and she kept 
 tight hold of his hand. " Which window was it ?" 
 
 " It were at a tiny window really under the 
 ground. Him was peeping to see if there was f owers 
 'side of the wall," said Baby. "Him'll show you, 
 Denny ; him are so glad you isn't fightened." 
 
 They set off down the path, making their way 
 rather cautiously as they got near the house. 
 Suddenly Denny felt Baby squeeze her hand more 
 tightly, and with a sort of scream he turned round 
 and hid his face against her. 
 
 "There! There!" he cried. "Him sees the 
 ogre coming." 
 
 Denny looked up. She saw a rather little man 
 
Baby ventured to peep round. The little black -eyed, white • capped man came 
 towards them smiling, — p. 121. 
 
vt AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGRE 121 
 
 with a white apron and a white cap, carrying a couple 
 of cackling hens or chickens in his arms, coming 
 across the garden from the house. He was on his 
 way to a little sort of poultry-yard, where he had 
 fastened up half-a-dozen Kve chickens he had bought 
 at the market that morning, meaning to kill two of 
 them for dinner, but finding them not so fat as he 
 had expected, he was putting them back among their 
 friends for a day or two. Very like a real ogre, if 
 Denny and Baby had understood all about it, which 
 they didn't. Denny herself, for a minute or two, felt 
 puzzled as to who this odd -looking man could be. 
 But he was no ogre, that was certain, any way. 
 
 "Don't be frightened, Baby, it's not a' ogre/' she 
 said. " Look up, he's far too little." 
 
 Baby ventured to peep round. The little black- 
 eyed, white-capped man came towards them smiling. 
 
 "Bon jour. Mademoiselle, bon jour. Monsieur 
 B^b6," he said, looking quite pleased. And then he 
 stroked down the ruffled feathers of the poor chickens, 
 and held them out to the two children, chattering 
 away at a great rate in Baby's " lubbish talk," hardly 
 a word of which they understood. 
 
 " Can he be wanting to sell the chickens ?" said 
 Denny. 
 
122 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 The cook, who had before this lived with families 
 from England, understood the children's language 
 better than they did his, which, however, is not say- 
 ing a great deal. 
 
 " Yes, Mees, pairfectly," he said. " Me sell zem 
 at ze march^ the morning. Fine poulets, goot 
 poulets, not yet strong — wait one, two, 'ree days — be 
 strong for one grand dinner for Madame." 
 
 "Who are you? What's your name, please?" 
 said Denny, still a little alarmed. 
 
 " Jean - Georges, Mademoiselle," said the little 
 man, with a bow. " Jean-Georges compose charming 
 plates for Mademoiselle and Monsieur B^b6. Jean- 
 Georges loves little messieurs and little 'demoiselles. 
 Madame permit Monsieur and Mademoiselle visit 
 Jean-Georges in his cuisine one day." 
 
 Denny caught the word "cuisine,* which, of 
 course, children, you will know means " kitchen." 
 
 " He's the cook, Baby," she said, with great relief ; 
 " don't you remember grandfather said he must have 
 a man cook ? Good morning, Mr. Cook, we'll ask 
 mother to let us go and see you one day in your 
 kitchen, and you must make us very nice things to 
 eat, please Mr. Cook." 
 
 "Pairfectly, Mademoiselle," said Jean -Georges, 
 
Ti. AN OLD SHOP AND AN OGEE 123 
 
 with as magnificent a bow as he could manage, con- 
 sidering the two chickens in his arms, and then he 
 walked away. 
 
 " What a very nice man !" said Denny, feeling very 
 proud of herself, and quite forgetting that she, too, 
 had not been without some fears. " You see, Baby 
 dear, how foolish it is to be frightened. I told you 
 there couldn't be any ogres here." 
 
 Herr Baby did not answer for a moment. He had 
 certainly very much admired Denny's courage, but 
 still he wasn't quite sure that she had not been a very 
 little afraid, just for a minute, when he had called out 
 "There he is!" 
 
 " What would you have done if there had been a' 
 ogre, Denny?" he said. 
 
 "Oh, bother," said Denny, "what's the good of 
 talking about things that covIdnH be ? Talk of some- 
 thing sensible. Baby." 
 
 Baby grew silent again. They walked on slowly 
 down the garden path. 
 
 " Denny," said Baby, in a minute or two, " didn't 
 the little man say somefin about mother having a 
 party?** 
 
 Denny pricked up her ears at this. Parties of all 
 kinds pleased her very much/ 
 
124 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap 
 
 "Did he?" she said, "I didn't notice. He said 
 something about Madame's dinner, but I didn't think 
 he meant a dhuieT -party. Perhaps he did though. 
 We'll ask. I'd like mother to have some parties ; it 
 seems quite a long time since I had one of my best 
 frocks on to come down to the drawing-room before 
 dinner, the way we did at home. And I know mother 
 and auntie have friends here. I heard that stupid 
 little footman asking Lin ley what day ' Miladi ' would 
 ' receive,' that means have visitors. Baby." 
 
 Denny's tongue had run on so fast, that it had left 
 Baby's wits some way behind. They had stopped 
 short at the first idea of a party. 
 
 " Mother likes to make werry pitty dinners when 
 she has parties," he said. " Mother told him that 
 were why she were so solly when him breaked her's 
 pitty glasses." 
 
 " I don't know what you're talking about, Baby," 
 said Denny. "Let's have a race. I'll give you a 
 start." 
 
 i 
 
vn. BABrS SECRET 126 
 
 CHAPTEE VIL 
 
 baby's secret 
 
 ' Pussy, only you I'll tell, 
 For you can keep secrets well ; 
 Promise, pussy, not a word.' 
 Pussy reared her tail and purred." 
 
 There was a cat at the Villa D^sirde, Baby's, and 
 Denny's, and " all of them's house," as Baby would 
 have called it. Where the cat came from I don't 
 know — whether it belonged to the villa and let itself 
 out with it every winter, like the furniture, or whether 
 it was really the cat of Madame Jean-Georges, and 
 had followed Monsieur Jean- Georges back one even- 
 ing when he had been home to see his " good friend " 
 (that was what he called his wife), and his two "b^b^," 
 is what I cannot telL I only know the cat was there, 
 and that when Baby could get a chance of playing 
 with it he was very pleased. He didn't often have a 
 chance, in his own room, for " Mademoiselle," as Celia 
 
126 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap, 
 
 was always called by the new servants, a title which 
 she thought much nicer than "Miss Aylmer," or 
 "Miss Celia," Mademoiselle, said "the stupid little 
 footman," had given strict orders that " Minet " was 
 not to be allowed upstairs for fear of the " pets," the 
 "calanies," and the Bully, and Peepy - Snoozle, and 
 Tim, all of whom would have been very much to 
 Minet's taste, I fear. It was very funny to see the 
 way the little footman went " shoo-ing " at the poor 
 cat the moment Celia appeared, for Celia had rather 
 grand manners for her age, and the servants thought 
 her very " distinguished," especially the stupid little 
 footman. But Heir Baby was very sorry for poor 
 Minet; he had no particular pet of his own here, 
 nothing to make up for his " labbits," and so he took 
 a great fancy to the pussy. 
 
 " Poor little 'weet darling," he would call it ; 
 "Celia's a c'uel girl to d'ive Minet away, Minet 
 wouldn't hurt the calanies, or the BuUy, or the sleepy- 
 mouses ; Minet is far too good." 
 
 "Pray, how do you know. Baby?" Celia would 
 say. "Cats are cats all the world over, every one 
 knows that." 
 
 " Minet aren't," Baby would have it, " Minet has 
 suts a kind heart. Him asked Minet if her would 
 
vn. BABY'S SECRET 127 
 
 hurt the calanies and the sleepy-mouses, and her said 
 ' no, sairtingly not.' " 
 
 "Baby!" said Denny, "what stories! Cats can't 
 talk. You shouldn't tell stories." 
 
 " Minet can talk," said Baby. " When him asks 
 for somefin, her says ' proo-proo-oo,' and that means 
 ' yes,* and if her means ' no,' her humps up her back 
 and s'akes her tail. When him asked Minet if her 
 would like to hurt the calanies, her humped up her 
 back never so high, and sook and sook her tail, for no, 
 no, NO !" 
 
 Celia could not find an answer to this. Baby went 
 on stroking Minet with great satisfaction, as if there 
 was nothing more to be said. 
 
 " All the same," said Celia at last, " I don't want 
 Minet to come upstairs. She's quite as happy down- * 
 stairs, and, you see, it would frighten the birds and 
 the dormice if they saw her, for they mightn't under- 
 stand that she wouldn't, on any account, hurt them." 
 
 " Werry well," said Baby, and he went on playing 
 with his new pet. 
 
 "Herr Baby," said Lisa coming into the room a 
 moment or two later; "mine child, how is it that 
 your coat is so dirty ? All green, Herr Baby, as if 
 you had rubbed it on the wet grass." 
 
128 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 " It's with his poking in among the bushes by the 
 kitchen window," said Denny of the ready tongue; 
 " yesterday, you know, Baby, when you thought " 
 
 " Hush," said Baby, " don't talk to me. You dis- 
 tairb me and the cat — we'se busy." 
 
 Denny and Lisa looked at each other and smiled. 
 
 " Pussy, pitty pussy, dear Minet," went on Baby 
 who wanted to stop Denny's account of his fears. 
 
 " We're going out, Herr Baby," said Lisa. " There 
 are commissions for your lady mamma. We are to 
 go to the patissier and " 
 
 " Who are the pattyser ?" said Baby, 
 
 " The cumfectioner," said Denny. 
 
 Baby pricked up his ears. 
 
 "We are to go to the patissier," said Lisa, "to 
 order some cakes for Miladi for to-morrow, when 
 Miladi's friends come to dine ; and perhaps we will 
 buy some little cake for Herr Baby's tea. Come, 
 mine child, leave Minet, and come." 
 
 Herr Baby got up from the corner of the room 
 where he had been embracing the cat ; there was a 
 grave look on his face, but he did not say anything 
 till he was out on the road with Lisa. Denny was 
 not with them ; she had got leave to go a walk with 
 Celia and the lady who came every day to give her 
 
vn. BABY'S SECRET 129 
 
 French lessons, which Denny thought much more 
 grand than going out with Baby and Lisa. 
 
 " Lisa," said Baby, after a few minutes, " are 
 mother going to have a party ? " 
 
 "Not one very big party," said Lisa, "just some 
 Miladis and some Herren — some genkelmen — to 
 dine." 
 
 "Will it look very pitty ?" asked Baby. 
 
 " Not so pretty as at home,'* said Lisa, who. now 
 that she was away from it, of course looked upon The 
 Manor — that was the name of " home " — as the most 
 lovely place in the world ; " there's no nice glass, no 
 nice pretty dishes here. And rran9ois, he is so 
 dumm — how you say ' dumm,' Herr Baby ?" 
 
 "Dumm," repeated Baby, exactly copying Lisa's 
 voice, staring up in her face. 
 
 "No, mine child, how you say it of English? 
 Ah — I knows — stupid. Frangois, he is too stupid. 
 Peters and I, we will make the table so pretty as 
 might be. Lisa will command some bon-bons." 
 
 " Mother will want the shiny jugs," thought poor 
 Baby. " Him should have brought him's pennies. 
 Him would like to know if him has 'nuff pennies ; 
 perhaps him could go to the little girl's shop when 
 Lisa is at the pattyser's." 
 
130 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 But he said nothing aloud. How it was that he 
 kept his thoughts to himself, why he had such a dis- 
 like to any one knowing what was in his mind, I 
 cannot exactly tell ; but so it was, and so it often is 
 with very little children, even though quite frank 
 and open by nature. Baby had, 1 think, a fear that 
 mother might not like him to spend all his pennies 
 on the shiny jugs, perhaps she might say she would 
 pay them herself, and that would not have pleased 
 him at alL Deep down in his honest little heart was 
 the feeling that he had broken the glasses and he 
 should pay for the new ones. But he said nothing to 
 Lisa — he had never spoken of the jugs to her — mother 
 had been " so kind," never to tell any one about what 
 a silly little boy he had been, for mother knew that 
 he didn't like being laughed at. Perhaps " they " 
 would laugh at him now if he told about wanting to 
 buy the shiny jugs — he wouldn't mind so much if he 
 had bought them, but " 'appose they wouldn't let him 
 goto the shop to get them?" Poor little mother! 
 She wouldn't have her pitty glasses then for the party 
 — no, it was much best to settle it all his own selt 
 Whom he meant by " they " I don't think Baby quite 
 knew, he had a sort of picture in his mind of grand- 
 father and auntie and mother all talking together, and 
 
yn. BABY'S SECRET 131 
 
 Celia and Fritz and Denny all joining in, and saying 
 that " Baby was far too little to go to shops to buy 
 things." And by the time he had thought this all 
 over, Herr Baby glancing up — for till now he had 
 been walking along with Lisa's hand, seeing and 
 noticing nothing — found that they were already in 
 the street of the town where the biggest shops were, 
 and that Lisa was looking about to find the shop 
 where she was to give the orders for his mother. 
 
 It was a very pretty shop indeed — Baby had never 
 seen such a pretty shop. The cakes and bon-bons 
 were laid out so nicely on the tables round the wall, 
 and they were all of such pretty colours. Baby 
 walked round and round admiring, and, I think, con- 
 sidering he was such a very little boy, that it was 
 very good of him not to think of touching any of the 
 tempting dainties. In a few minutes Lisa had 
 ordered all she wanted — then she chose some nice 
 biscuits and a very few little chocolate bon-bons, which 
 she had put up in two paper parcels, and when they 
 came out of the shop she told Herr Baby that they 
 were for him, his mother had told her to get him 
 something nice. Baby looked pleased, but still he 
 seemed very grave, and Lisa began wondering what 
 he was thinking of. 
 
138 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap 
 
 "Are you tired, mine child?" she said. 
 
 No, Herr Baby was not at all tired. He wanted 
 to walk down the street to the other end to see aU the 
 shops, he wanted to see all the streets and cUl the 
 shops before they went home. Lisa was rather 
 amused. She had not known Herr Baby was so 
 very fond of shops, she said, and it would take far too 
 long to see them all. But she went to the end of that 
 street with him, and then back again down the oppo- 
 site side, and then he begged her to turn down the 
 other street they had crossed on their way to the con- 
 fectioner's, and they had gone quite to the end of it, 
 Baby staring in at all the shop windows in a way that 
 really made Lisa smile, for he looked so grave and 
 solemn, when aU of a sudden, just as Lisa was think- 
 ing of sa)dng they must go home, Baby gave a sort 
 of little scream and almost jumped across the street. 
 
 '*Hjm sees it, him sees it," he cried, and when 
 Lisa asked him what he meant, all he would say 
 was, 
 
 " That's the little street we went down with auntie 
 the 'nother day," and Lisa, who had forgotten all about 
 the old shop window with the shiny glass and the 
 blue-eyed picture, wondered why he was so eager 
 about it 
 
vn. BABY*S SECRET 133 
 
 " Is that tlie way we came ?" she said, " I am not 
 sure. I not quite remember." 
 
 But "him wants to go home that way," persisted 
 Baby, and he tugged Lisa along. They passed at the 
 other side, but Baby did not mind that. He could 
 see across quite plainly, for the street was narrow, 
 and there were still the glasses in the comer and the 
 sweet baby-girl face up on the wall, looking down 
 on them. 
 
 And after that he was quite satisfied to go quietly 
 home ; he did not speak much on the way, but Lisa 
 was accustomed to his grave fits, and did not pa^ 
 much attention to them. He only asked her one 
 question — just as they were getting close to the 
 Villa. 
 
 " Is it to-morrow mother's going to have all the 
 pitty things for dinner ?" he said. 
 
 " Yes, Herr Baby, and Lisa will be busy, to show 
 Francois how Miladi likes everything. Herr Baby 
 and Fraulein Denny will be goot and play peacefully 
 in the garden to-morrow, so she can be busy," said 
 Lisa, who was very proud of being of so much con- 
 sequence. 
 
 " Yes,'* said Herr Baby, " him won't want you to 
 take care of him." 
 
134 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 After tea he got out his money-box This he 
 often did. He was such a careful little boy that 
 mother let him keep his money himself, and it was a 
 great pleasure to him to count over the different kinds 
 of " pennies ;" he called them aU " pennies," brown, 
 white, and even yellow pennies, for Baby had a pound 
 and a ten shilling piece that had been given him on 
 his last birthday, and that he had never been able to 
 make up his mind how to spend. He looked at them 
 now with great satisfaction. 
 
 "See, Denny," he said, "him has two yellow 
 pennies, a big and a little, and free white pennies, a 
 big and a little and a littler, and five brown pennies. 
 Him knows there's five, for him can count up to five, 
 *cos five's just as old as him is going to be. See, 
 Denny, isn't there a lot ? And the yellow pennies 
 could be turned iato lots and lots of white pennies 
 Lisa says, and the white pennies could be turned into 
 lots of brown pennies, isn't it funny 1 Isn't him 
 werry rich, Denny ?" 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so," said Denny, " I really don't 
 know. I wish you wouldn't chatter so. Baby. I 
 can't learn my lessons." 
 
 Poor Baby I It was not often he was to blame for 
 ** ciiattering so." But he looked with great respect at 
 
m. BABY'S SECRET 136 
 
 Denny for having lessons to do, and was not at all 
 offended. Denny was proud of being with Celia and 
 the new governess, but I think her pleasure was a 
 little spoilt by finding that the new governess had no 
 idea of taking care of a little girl who didn't do any 
 lessons, and this evening she was rather cross at a 
 row of French words which she had to learn to say 
 the next morning. Baby went quietly off iato the 
 comer with his money-box, but finding it rather dull 
 to have no one to show his pennies to, he went out of 
 the room, which you remember was downstairs, and, 
 opening a door which led to the kitchen, peeped about 
 in hopes of seeing his friend Minet. He had not 
 long to wait — Minet had a comer of her own by the 
 kitchen wall, on the other side of which was the stove, 
 and where she found herself almost as warm as in the 
 kitchen, when Monsieur Jean-Georges objected to her 
 company. She was curled up in this corner when 
 she heard Baby's soft voice calling her — " Minet, 
 Minet, pussy, pussy," and up she got, slowly and 
 lazily, as cats do when they are half asleep, but still 
 willingly enough, for she dearly loved Herr Baby. 
 
 "Minet," said Baby, when she appeared, and 
 coming up to him rubbed her furry coat against his 
 little bare legs, " Minet, dear, come and sit wif him 
 
136 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 on the 'teps going down to the garden, and him'll tell 
 you about his money." 
 
 But Lisa, coming by just then, said it was too 
 cold now to sit on stone steps ; for warm as it was in 
 the day at Santino the evenings got quickly chilly. 
 
 " Us can't go back to the 'coolroom," said Baby ; 
 " Denny won't let dear Minet come there, and him 
 must stay wif Minet, 'cos her waked up when him 
 called her." 
 
 "Miss Denny must let you stay in the school- 
 room," said Lisa. " There is no little birds there for 
 Minet to touch." 
 
 She opened the door, and Denny was too busy 
 with her lessons to scold. 
 
 " You will be very quiet, Herr Baby," said Lisa. 
 So Baby and Minet went off into a comer with the 
 money-box. 
 
 "Minet, dear," said Baby, in a low voice, "see 
 what lots of pennies him has. Yellow pennies, and 
 white pennies, and brown pennies." 
 
 Minet purred, naturally, for Baby was stroking 
 her softly with one hand all the time he was holding 
 up his pennies with the other. 
 
 " Dear Minet," said Baby, much gratified, " you is 
 pleased that him has so many pennies. Now, Minet, 
 
vn. BABY'S SECRET 137 
 
 him will tell you a secret, a gate, gate secret, about 
 what him's going to do wif all him's pennies." 
 
 Here Minet purred again. Baby looked round. 
 There was no one listening. Lisa was going back- 
 wards and forwards, putting away the tea-thiugs ; 
 Denny was still groaning and grumbling over her row 
 of words ; Baby might safely tell Minet his secret. 
 Stni he lowered his voice so low that certainly no one 
 but Minet could hear. And when he left off speaking, 
 Minet purred more than ever. Only Baby thought it 
 just as well to say to her, before Lisa took him away 
 up to bed, " Minet, dear, you'll be sure not to teU 
 nobody ; " and I suppose Minet promised, for Baby 
 seemed quite pleased. 
 
 He woke in the momiug with his head quite full 
 of his great idea. They were not to go a regular walk 
 that day, Lisa told him, for in the afternoon she would 
 be busy, and Herr Baby would be good and play 
 quietly in the garden, would he not ? 
 
 "All alone?" asked Baby. 
 
 " Perhaps Miss Denny will stay, too, if Herr Baby 
 wishes," said Lisa ; " she was going again with Miss 
 Celia, but " 
 
 " Oh no," said Baby, " him would rather be alone, 
 kite alone, 'cept Minet. Fritz is very good to him, 
 
138 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 but Fritz will be at school Fritz is never at home 
 now *cept Thursdays." 
 
 " No," said Lisa ; " but Herr Fritz is very happy 
 at school, and when Herr Baby is big he will go 
 too." 
 
 "Yes," said Baby; but he didn't seem to think 
 much what he was saying. Lisa thought he was dull 
 about Fritz being at school — I forgot to tell you that 
 Fritz went every day now to a very nice school in the 
 town, where there were a few boys about his own age 
 — but Lisa was mistaken. 
 
 That afternoon, any one passing the low hedge 
 which at one side was all that divided the ViQa garden 
 from the road, would have seen a pretty little picture. 
 There was Baby, seated on the grass, one arm fondly 
 clasping Minet's neck, while with the other he firmly 
 held the famous money-box. He was dressed in his 
 garden blouse only, but for some reason he had his 
 best hat on. And he kept looking about him, first 
 towards the house and then towards the garden gate, 
 in a funny considering sort of way. 
 
 At last he seemed to have made up his mind. 
 
 " Minet," he said to the cat, " him thinks we'U go 
 now. 'Amember, Minet, you've promised to go wif 
 hiin< If you get werry tired, Minet, himTl try to cany 
 
There was Baby, seated on the grass, one arm fondly clasping Minet's neck, while 
 with the other he firmly held the famous money-box. — p. 138. 
 
▼n. BABY'S SECRET 139 
 
 you. If you could carry the money-box, and him 
 could carry you, then it would be kite easy. What 
 a pity you haven't got two more paws, that would 
 do for hands, Minet !" 
 
 Minet purred. 
 
 " Yes, poor Minet. Nebber mind, dear ; but we 
 must be going." And closely followed by the cat, 
 who had no idea, poor thing, of what was before her, 
 Baby made his way down the path to the garden 
 gate. It was open, at least not latched. Baby easily 
 pushed it wide enough for his little self to go through, 
 and stood, with Minet and the money-box, triumphant 
 on the highroad. 
 
 " It were the best way, thit way," he said to him- 
 self. For there was another gate to the Villa, leading 
 out to the upper road. But this gate was guarded by 
 a lodge, and the "concierge," as they called the 
 lodge-keeper, came out to open it for every one who 
 went in and out. And " p'raps," thought Baby, '* the 
 concierge mightn't have let him through, 'cos, of 
 course, her didn't know why him was going out 
 alone with Minet." 
 
 So Minet and he and the money-box found them- 
 selves out on the road on their own account. 
 
 All the family was scattered that afternoon. Celia 
 
140 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 and Denny had gone a long walk with their gover- 
 ness, Fritz was at school, mother and auntie had 
 driven to see some friends a good way off, meaning 
 to call for Fritz at his school on their way home. 
 The servants, too, were all more busy than usual on 
 account of the ladies and gentlemen coming to dinner. 
 Lisa and Linley and Ptters were all trying to make 
 the strange servants understand just how they were 
 used to have the table at home, and giving them- 
 selves a great deal more trouble than grandfather or 
 mother would have wished had they known about it. 
 Lisa was very clever at arranging flowers prettily, 
 and she was so sure of Baby's quiet ways when he 
 was left to himself, that she never gave a thought to 
 him once she saw him safely settled in the garden 
 with Minet. It was such a safe garden. There 
 really was no part of it where a child could get into 
 any trouble, for though there was a little water in the 
 basin from which rose the fountain, it was so little, 
 that not even Minet could have wetted much more 
 than her paws in it. So Lisa went on quite comfort- 
 ably doing the flowers and ananging the dessert in 
 the pantry, by way of giving FrauQois a lesson, and 
 now and then she would glance out of the window 
 which looked on to the garden, and, seeing Baby 
 
▼IL BABY*S SECRET 141 
 
 there with Minet, she felt quite easy. She did once 
 say to herself, 
 
 " I wonder why Herr Baby begged so to have his 
 best hat to-day — but he is one good child, one should 
 please him sometimes." 
 
 I am afraid the truth was that Lisa spoilt her 
 dear Baby a little ! 
 
 After a while she looked out again. She did not 
 see Herr Baby this time, but she did not think any- 
 thing of it. 
 
 " They will have gone to play among the bushes," 
 she said to herself, meaning by "they" Baby and 
 Minet of course, and she went on with what she was 
 doing, and got so interested in helping Peters to 
 explain to Frangois that in England people always 
 changed the wine glasses at the end of dinner, and 
 put clean ones for dessert, that the time went on 
 without it ever entering her head to say to herself, 
 " What can have become of Herr Baby ?" 
 
 Mother and auntie were later than they had ex- 
 pected of returning from their drive. They had gone 
 a long way, and coming back it was mostly up-hill. 
 
 " Fritz will be thinking we have forgotten him," 
 said mother, looking at her watch, " but I told hiTn to 
 be sure to wait till we came. He is too little to go 
 
142 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 home alone yet, at least till he knows his way quite 
 well or can speak enough to ask." 
 
 " We might have told Celia and Denny to call 
 for him, as they are out with Mademoiselle," said 
 auntie. 
 
 Just then in turning a comer, for they were quite 
 in the town now, auntie's eyes caught sight of the 
 narrow street where the old curiosity shop was. 
 
 " By the by," she said, " I should so like to ask 
 about that picture. I told you about it, you remem- 
 ber, May?" — May, you know, was the children's 
 mother's name — "have we time to go that way ?" 
 
 " I'm afraid not ; we are late already," said mother. 
 " I'm so sorry." 
 
 " Oh, never mind, another day will do quite weU," 
 said auntie, cheerfully. 
 
 So they drove home, quickly, just stopping a 
 moment to pick up Fritz, who was waiting for them 
 at the gate of his school. 
 
 If they had happened to go round by the old 
 curiosity shop, how surprised they would have been ; 
 but what a great deal of trouble it would have saved 
 them, as you shall hear. 
 
 Lisa met them as they got home, with a long story 
 about the table and the flowers and the stupidness of 
 
vn. BABY'S SECRET 142 
 
 Francois, which mother and auntie could hardly help 
 laughing at. 
 
 "Never mind, Lisa," said mother; "it will do 
 very well, I am sure. Where are the children ?" 
 
 " UpstaiTs, Miladi, taking off their things. They 
 have just come in," said Lisa, never thinking, somehow, 
 as mother said the " children," but that she was talking 
 of Celia and Denny. For, somehow, in this family — 
 in every family there are little habits of the kind — 
 Baby was not often spoken of among " the children." 
 They had all got so used to the name of Herr Baby, 
 which Lisa had called him by since he was quite a 
 wee baby, that he was seldom spoken of by any other, 
 and often Baby himself would talk gravely about " the 
 children," without any one seeming to think it odd. 
 
 "Upstairs, are they?" said mother. "Well, run 
 off, Fritz, dear, and try and get some of your lessons 
 done before tea. Mademoiselle will help you a little, 
 I daresay, before she goes." 
 
 Off ran Fritz. He was a very good boy about his 
 lessons, and anxious to get on weU. More to please 
 Lisa and the others than that they cared, mother and 
 auntie went into the dining-room. They were stand- 
 ing looking at the pretty flowers and leaves, when 
 suddenly Fritz put his head in at the door again. 
 
144 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 " Lisa," he said, " where's Baby ? He's not up- 
 stairs, and he's not in the garden. Linley said you 
 told hinrt to play there this afternoon, but he's Tiot 
 there." 
 
 Lisa started, and her face grew white, 
 
 " Mine child ! " she cried. " Ah, but he must be in 
 the garden, Master Fritz ! I saw him there so happy, 
 with the cat, just — ah, how long ago was it ? Have I 
 forgotten him for so long ? He must be hiding — to 
 play, to — how do you say ?" for Lisa's English was 
 very apt to fly away when she got frightened or upset. 
 " Ach, where can he be ?" and off darted poor Lisa. 
 
 Mother and auntie and Fritz looked at each other. 
 
 " Can he be lost ?" said Fritz, with a very fright- 
 ened face. 
 
 " Oh no, no," said auntie. " Lisa is so easily 
 startled. But still " 
 
 "Let us all go and look for him at once," said 
 mother. " What a good thing poor grandfather isn't 
 back yet !" 
 
vm, FOUND 146 
 
 CHAPTEK VIII. 
 
 r 
 
 FOUND 
 
 " he was not there : 
 
 We Bearched the house, the grounds — in vain ; 
 We searched the green in our despair, 
 And then we searched the house again." 
 
 It was a good thing grandfather was out, for — and 
 this was what mother was thinking of — poor grand- 
 father, though he looked such a fine, tall, gray-haired 
 old gentleman, was not really very strong or well. 
 It was a great deal for him that they had all come 
 abroad this winter, and the doctors had told mother 
 and auntie that anything to startle or distress him 
 might make him very ill indeed. Poor grandfather ! 
 I can't tell you what a kind, good man he was. He 
 had stayed a great many years in India, though he 
 would have L'ked dreadfully to come home, because it 
 was " his duty " he said, and this had made him seem 
 older than he really was, for a hot country is very 
 
 L 
 
146 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohap. 
 
 wearing out to people who are not born to it. And, 
 though he was so fond of his grandchildren, I think 
 if he had a pet among them, it was little Herr Baby. 
 The mere idea of his tiny Eaymond — Baby was 
 named Raymond after grandfather — being lost, even 
 for an hour or two, would have troubled him dread- 
 fully, and thinking of this, auntie, too, repeated after 
 mother, 
 
 " Yes, indeed, what a good thing grandfather isn't 
 in. We rmbstrCt let him know, May, till Baby's found." 
 
 They didn't stay to say anything more. Off they 
 all set into the garden, for, though Fritz said he had 
 looked all over, they couldn't feel sure that they might 
 not find Baby in some comer, hiding, perhaps, for 
 fun, even. But when they had all been round and 
 round the garden in every direction — mother, and 
 auntie, and Celia, and Denny, and Fritz, and Made- 
 moiselle Lucie, and Lisa, and Linley, and Peters, and 
 Francois, and, even at the end I believe, Monsieur 
 Jean -Georges himself, and the rest of the French 
 servants — when they had all looked, and peeped, and 
 shouted, and whistled, and begged, and prayed Baby 
 to come out if he was hiding, and there was no 
 answer, then they gave it up. It was impossible 
 that the little man could be in the garden. 
 
▼ra. FOUND 147 
 
 Where could he be ? 
 
 Fortunately there was nowhere in the garden 
 where he could have hurt himself — no pit or pond 
 into which he could have fallen. And it was surely 
 impossible that any one could have come into the 
 garden and stolen him away, as Celia, with a pale 
 face, whispered to auntie. Where could he be, and 
 what should they do ? 
 
 Time was passing — the friends who were coming 
 to dinner would be at the villa before long ; grand- 
 father was sure to appear in a few minutes. What 
 could they do ? 
 
 "We must not tell grandfather, that is certain," 
 said auntie. " May, dear, it is very hard on you, 1 
 know, but I'll tell you how it must be. You must 
 stay here quietly and be ready for the friends who are 
 coming, and I will go off at once and do all, every- 
 thing I can think of. Mademoiselle Lucie, you know 
 the town, and you can tell me all about the police, 
 and where to go to in case we don't find our darling 
 at once, though I quite think we shall. I can't take 
 you, Peters," for Peters was eagerly coming forward^ 
 " Sir Eaymond would miss you, nor you, Lisa, for 
 you must take care of the other children," at which 
 Lisa all but broke out crying ; " It was too good of 
 
148 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 Mademoiselle H^Une to trust her ; she didn't deserve 
 it." *' And Francois would be no good. You and I, 
 Mademoiselle Lucie, will go at once. And you must 
 tell grandfather that I was obliged to go out, for an 
 hour or two, unexpectedly." 
 
 " I am afraid he will think it very strange," said 
 mother, " but I will do my best." 
 
 Mother spoke quietly, but her face was very white. 
 
 " Do go, Nelly," she said, " as quick as you can." 
 
 And CeUa and Denny, who had been thinking of 
 bursting into tears, took example by her and auntie, 
 and tried to look cheerful. 
 
 "Auntie," said Celia, running after her to the 
 gate, " I'll be very good and try to comfort mother. 
 And we'll not let grandfather think there's anything 
 wrong. But oh, auntie dear, I hope you'll soon bring 
 dear Baby safe home." 
 
 "So do I, darling," said auntie, stooping to kiss 
 her, even though she was so hurried, and, for the first 
 time, there was a little quiver in her voice, and Celia 
 ran back to the others, thinking even more than 
 before how good and brave auntie was. 
 
 They hastened down the road, auntie and little 
 Mademoiselle Lucie, I mean. But when they had 
 gone some little way, auntie stopped short. 
 
vra. FOUND 149 
 
 " He may have gone by the other road, and we 
 may miss him that way ;" for, without thinking, 
 auntie had hurried out by the little gate opening on 
 to the lower road. 
 
 '* I think not," said Mademoiselle Lucie, " at least 
 the concierge would have been sure to see him, and 
 we did ask her, and she had not seen him at all." 
 
 "To be sure," said auntie, "I forgot about the 
 concierge." 
 
 " Besides," Mademoiselle Lucie continued, " to get 
 to the town he must pass the way we are going, a 
 little farther on where the two roads run together." 
 
 " To be sure," said auntie, again. 
 
 "It is to the town we are going?" asked Made- 
 moiselle Lucie. 
 
 "Yes," said auntie, "I have an idea, but I did 
 not like to say it to my sister for fear it should lead 
 to nothing. There is a shop in the town where there 
 is a picture that Baby took a great fancy to the other 
 day. At least it was I that noticed it first, and he 
 was so pleased with it. There was something else in 
 the shop that he was looking at — I don't remember 
 what — when we noticed the picture." 
 
 " Do you know where the shop is ? Can we 
 easily find it ?" 
 
150 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohap. 
 
 " I think so ; yes, I am sure I can find it/' said 
 auntie. " It is a shop of curiosities, a shop at a comer, 
 the street is narrow." 
 
 " I know it," said Mademoiselle Lucie, " though it 
 is not very well known. There are grander shops 
 of curiosities which are more visited, but I know that 
 shop, as I often pass it." 
 
 She told auntie the name of the owner of the 
 shop, and of the street, and then auntie fixed, as they 
 were now near the town, that she would go on alone 
 to the shop, while Mademoiselle Lucie went to her 
 brother, who, she hoped, would be at home at this 
 hour, and get him to go with her to the police office, 
 so that no time should be lost. 
 
 Auntie hurried on by herself, but though she went 
 so fast that the easy-going peasants driving their 
 sleepy bullocks, whom she met, looked after her in 
 surprise, she did not, for one moment, leave off look- 
 ing about her on every side, to see if by any chance 
 she could discover the well-known little figure it 
 would have given her such joy to see. But no. Once 
 or twice a child in the distance made her heart beat a 
 little quicker, but, as soon as she got near enough to 
 see it clearly, her hopes sank again. There were very 
 few houses on the country road leading from the villa 
 
vm. FOUND 161 
 
 till one was quite in the town. So auntie thought it 
 not worth while to ask, for, in a street of houses and 
 shops standing close together, and people constantly- 
 passing, it was much less likely that any one would 
 have noticed a little tot like Herr Baby making his 
 way. 
 
 " No," said auntie to herself, " it is no use stopping 
 to ask. The best thing I can do is to find the shop 
 at once, and if they can tell me nothing there, to 
 follow Mademoiselle Lucie to the police office." 
 
 And, with a deep sigh, for, somehow, every step 
 she took farther without seeing anything of the little 
 truant, made auntie's heart feel heavier — she hurried 
 on again. 
 
 She soon found the wide street — the street with 
 the dressmakers' and milliners' shops, which Fritz 
 had not cared to look at — then she turned one corner 
 and went on a little farther, then another, and — yes, 
 there was the little old shop, looking just the same as 
 the day they had all stood there so happily. Auntie 
 had been walking very quickly, almost running, but 
 when she saw the shop just before her she stood still 
 . — she felt so anxious — what should she do if she 
 could hear nothing of Baby ? 
 
 When she got to the door she stopped and looked 
 
152 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohaf. 
 
 in ; there seemed to be no one in the shop. Auntie 
 glanced up to the side of the door where the little 
 portrait had hung. It was gone ! Could that have 
 anything to do with Baby ? auntie asked herself in 
 a sort of puzzled way. Could Baby have thought 
 of buying it ? how much money had he ? But it 
 was stupid and foolish to stand there puzzling and 
 wondering, instead of boldly going in to ask. Auntie 
 took her courage in her two hands, as the saying is, 
 and went in. 
 
 No one there ; where could the owner of the shop 
 be ? The last time he had come forward at once 
 when they were only looking in — a little-dried up old 
 man, just the sort of person one would expect to find 
 in such a shop, sitting in a dark comer like an old 
 spider, watching to see what flies were passing his 
 way. Auntie went right in without seeing any one, 
 but she heard voices not far off, and, in her anxiety, 
 she went forward to a door slightly open, leading into 
 rooms behind the shop. She knocked — but for a 
 moment no one took any notice. They were talking 
 so eagerly inside that she had to knock again, and in 
 the moment or two that had passed without them 
 hearing her, she heard one or two words that made 
 her eager to hear more. 
 
Tm. FOUND 163 
 
 " No, no," some one was saying, " much better go 
 a,t once to the office. We may get into trouble." 
 
 " He seems so sensible," said another voice. " 1 
 say, better go with him and carry the things, and we 
 shall soon see if he knows his way, and " 
 
 Auntie could not wait any more. She pushed 
 open the door and went in. There was, however, no 
 Herr Baby to be seen, as she had almost expected 
 there would be. There was the old man that she 
 remembered having seen before, looking like a very 
 startled spider this time, as he raised his two 
 shrivelled old arms in surprise at her appearance, and 
 beside him was a very pleasant, bright-faced, young 
 woman, with a baby in her arms, talking, or at least 
 looking as if she had just been talking very eagerly. 
 
 " Is he here ?" said auntie, quite breathless, " my 
 little boy, my little nephew, I mean. Is Baby here ?" 
 
 The young woman looked at the old man with a 
 sort of little cod of triumph. 
 
 " You see," she said quickly, " I said there was no 
 need to frighten the poor darling by taking him to the 
 poKce office." " Yes, Madame," she went on, turning 
 to auntie, " the dear b^b^ is here — that is to say, he 
 cannot but be the one you are looking for. I sent 
 hiTTi out into the little garden with his cat and my 
 
164 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 little girl, while my grandfather and I talked about 
 what to do. I would have sent him home, I mean 
 we would have tried to find his home, if my husband 
 had been here, but he is away." 
 
 "And I am too feeble, Madame, as you see, to 
 walk far," said the old man, who seemed now anxious 
 to be very amiable. 
 
 " But you talked of taking him to the police 
 office," said the young woman, in a low voice, " the 
 idea ! to frighten a b^b^ like that." 
 
 '* Hush, hush," said the old man, " all was to be 
 done for the best. You shall see him, your dear 
 child, Madame," he went on, bustling about. 
 
 " But tell me first — a moment " said auntie, 
 
 " What did he come for ? Did he buy the picture ?" 
 
 '* The picture," repeated the old man, " no, surely. 
 It was the glass jugs, the little gentleman wanted, 
 and he had his money all right — I took but the jusi 
 price, Madame — I would not deceive any one." 
 
 " They are very dear to my mind," said the young 
 woman, "but there — I know nothing about old 
 things. This is not our shop, Madame — I look in 
 in passing, to see the grandfather sometimes, that 
 is all" 
 
 " And Baby came to buy some Jugs, you say," 
 
Auntie stooJ still a moment to listen. — p. 155. 
 
vra, FOUND 166 
 
 repeated auntie. There was a confused remembrance 
 in her mind of something Baby had said about jugs, 
 something he had asked her to look at the day they 
 had stood at the shop window, but which she had 
 since forgotten. Her only idea in coming to the little 
 old shop had been the picture. " You said he came 
 to buy some jugs ?" she said again. 
 
 " Yes, Madame," said the old man " two glass jugs 
 — Venetian glass." 
 
 "Ah!" said auntie, and then she remembered it 
 all — about the glass jugs that Baby had broken at 
 home, and what he had said to her about those in the 
 shop window being like them. "And the picture?" 
 she said, " is it no longer there ? But first, let me 
 have my little boy. He is in the garden, you say V* 
 
 She looked round, for there was no sign of a 
 garden. The window of the little room in which they 
 were, looked out only on to a blank wall 
 
 "This way, Madame," said the young woman, 
 opening a door at the side. It led into a little dark 
 passage, and, at the end of it, there was another door, 
 standing open, and through this door came the sound 
 of children's voices. 
 
 Auntie stood still a moment to listen — the first 
 words made her smile. 
 
156 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 " Him wants tx) go home now," said the well- 
 known voice. "Little girl, why won't you listen '{ 
 Him wants to go home, and so does Minet. Doesn't 
 you hear ?" 
 
 The little girl must have been very much puzzled, 
 for auntie heard her trying her best, in her baby talk, 
 to make this queer little stranger understand that 
 they were to stay out in the garden till her mother 
 called them in. 
 
 " Him wants to go home, and so does Minet," re- 
 peated poor Baby, and his voice began to quiver and 
 shake, as if he were going to cry. Auntie could stand 
 it no longer. She hurried out into the Httle garden. 
 
 " You shall go home now, Baby dear." she said. 
 '' Auntie has come to fetch you." 
 
 Baby looked up eagerly at the sound of a well- 
 known voice. He ran to her and held up his little 
 face for a kiss. He looked very pleased, but not at 
 all surprised It was one of Herr Baby's funny ways, 
 that he almost never seemed surprised. 
 
 " Him is so glad you's come," he said. " You'U 
 help him to carry home the shiny jugs, for Minet's 
 raver tired, and him might have to carry her and the 
 money-box. But you won't tell mother about the 
 jugs, will you? You'll let him run in wif them 
 
▼m. FOUND 157 
 
 him's self, won't you, auntie? WonH mother b« 
 pleased ?" 
 
 " But you must teU me all about it, dear," said 
 auntie; "did you come off all alone to get the 
 glasses? Why didn't you ask some one to come 
 with you?" 
 
 Baby looked a little troubled. 
 
 "Him didn't come alcme" he said. "Him told 
 Minet, and Minet corned too, only her's werry tired. 
 And it were for the party, auntie," he added, looking 
 up wistfully, " Lisa said mother had no pitty jugs for 
 her's party. And oh, auntie, p'ease do be kick, 'fear 
 we shall be too late," 
 
 Auntie took his hand and led him back into the 
 shop, where the old man was wrapping up the jugs 
 with a great show of soft paper, that auntie should 
 see how careful he was. 
 
 "Has my little boy paid you ?" she asked. 
 
 " Oh yes," said Herr Baby, understanding, though 
 she did not speak English. " See in him's money- 
 box ;" he held out the money-box with some difficulty 
 for, having Minet under the other arm, it was not 
 easy for him to get his hands free ; " him had two 
 yeUow pennies, one big and one little, him gived the 
 big one for the shiny jugs/' 
 
168 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap, 
 
 " Was that the price of the jugs V auntie asked 
 the man. 
 
 " No, Madame, I have the change to give the little 
 gentleman. See here," and he held out two large 
 silver coins, the size of crowns, which auntie took. 
 
 " I don't think the jugs are dear," she said, with a 
 smile, turning to the young woman, who looked 
 pleased. " And some day," she went on, " we will 
 come to see you, and bring you some little thing for 
 your little girl, as you have been so kind to my little 
 boy. Come now. Baby dear, we must get home as 
 quick as we can." 
 
 " But the little girl, the pitty little girl," said Hen 
 Baby, " him must say good-bye to her." 
 
 ** There she is beside you," said auntie, thinking, 
 of course, that he meant the young woman's little girl, 
 " say good-bye to her." 
 
 "No, no," said Baby, "him doesn't mean her. 
 Him means the pitcher little girl, her" he went on, 
 pointing to the young woman, " her gottened her down 
 for him to see, 'cos him were trying to reach up to 
 kiss her." 
 
 That was why the picture was no longer in the 
 window then ? Where was it ? Auntie turned round 
 as she felt Baby pulling her. 
 
ym. FOUND 169 
 
 "Her's there," he said, pointing to a chair on 
 which the picture had been set down hurriedly with 
 the face the other way. Auntie turned it round. 
 Dear little face ! It smiled at her again with the 
 pretty half wistful, half wise expression, which had so 
 taken her fancy. Now it seemed to her to be saying — 
 
 " I am so glad you have found him. I knew 
 where he was. I am so glad to have helped you to 
 find him ;" and when Baby lifted his little face to 
 kiss, with his rosy living lips, the picture of the child, 
 who had once been living and loving like him, I can 
 hardly tell you the strange feeling that went through 
 auntie's heart. 
 
 " She must have been a dear good little girl, who- 
 ever she was," she thought to herself. " It would be 
 nice to leave a sweet feeling behind one in the world 
 long after one is dead, such as that little face gives. 
 I should like to have that picture. I must see 
 about it." 
 
 But to-day there was no time to be wasted. 
 
 Auntie took Baby by the hand, persuading him to 
 let her carry the precious jugs, as Minet and the 
 money-box were already more than enough for hiTr>. 
 And, even with her help, it was not so easy to manage 
 at aU, and auntie was very glad to meet Mademoiselle 
 
160 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohap 
 
 Lucie a little way down the street, and get her to 
 carry part. 
 
 Mademoiselle Lucie was delighted, as you can 
 fancy, to see Herr Baby again. She had been coming 
 back in great trouble to look for auntie ; for very un- 
 luckily, as she thought, she had found that her brother 
 was out, and she had not therefore gone to the police 
 ofl3.ce. 
 
 " A very good thing, after all," said auntie ; " it 
 would only have been giving trouble for nothing, as 
 we have found him." 
 
 But she said to Mademoiselle Lucie, in a low 
 voice, to say nothing about the police before Hen- 
 Baby, as it might frighten him. 
 
 " Would it not, perhaps, be a good thing to frighten 
 him a little?" said Mademoiselle Lucie; "he would 
 not run off again." 
 
 Auntie shook her head. 
 
 " Not in that way," she said. " We will make him 
 understand how he has frightened us. That will be 
 the best way." 
 
 " How did he mean to get home alone, I wonder,** 
 said Mademoiselle Lucie ; " how could he have carried 
 aU he had, and Minet too ?* 
 
 "I don't know, I'm sure," said auntie. "How 
 
vin. FOUND 161 
 
 did you mean to carry everything home, Baby 
 dear?" 
 
 Baby looked puzzled. 
 
 " Him doesn't know," he said. " P'r'aps him thought 
 Minet would carry some," he added, with a snule. 
 
 Auntie smiled too. Mademoiselle Lucie looked up 
 for auntie to explain to her, for she did not under- 
 stand Baby's talk any better than he did hers. 
 
 Suddenly another idea struck auntie. 
 
 " How did you manage to tell the old man in the 
 shop what you wanted to buy ?" she said. 
 
 Baby considered. 
 
 " Him sawed the pitty little girl," he said ; " her 
 was looking at the shiny glasses — always — her was 
 keeping them for him. Him asked her to. Then 
 him touched them ; him climbed up on a chair in the 
 shop and touched them, and then him showed all 
 him's pennies to the old man ; but the lady wif the 
 baby knowed the best what him wanted. Her were 
 very nice, but the pitty little girl were the goodest, 
 weren't her?" 
 
 Auntie listened quietly, for Baby spoke quite 
 gravely. 
 
 "It would be nice to have that pretty picture, 
 wouldn't it, Baby?" 
 
 M 
 
162 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY ohap. 
 
 " Yes," said Baby ; but he didn't look quite pleased. 
 " Auntie," he said, " him doesn't like you to caU her a 
 pitcher. Him thinks her's a zeal little girl, a zeal 
 fairy little girl. Her tookened care of the shiny 
 glasses so nice for him, didn't her ?** 
 And auntie smiled again. 
 
IX. ""EAST OB WEST, HAME IS BEST" 163 
 
 CHAPTEK IX 
 
 " EAST OK WEST, HAME IS BEST " 
 
 '• But home is home wherever it is, 
 When we're all together and nothing amiss." 
 
 Irish Ballad. 
 
 By this time, of course, it was quite dark. It had 
 been quite light when auntie and Mademoiselle Lucie 
 set off, but at Santino the darkness comes on very 
 quickly. Poor Baby, he would have been in trouble 
 if auntie had not come to look for him — that is to say 
 if the old man and the young woman had allowed 
 him to set off on his journey home alone. I don't 
 think he would ever have got there, for in the dark 
 he could not have found his way, and he certainly 
 could never have got the shiny jugs and Minet and 
 the money-box all home in safety ! 
 
 The ladies and gentlemen who were coming to 
 dine at the Villa had all arrived. Mother was sitting 
 
164 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap. 
 
 in the drawing-room talking to them, and trying her 
 best to look as if there was nothing the matter, to 
 prevent grandfather finding out that there was. Poor 
 mother, it was not very easy for her, was it ? Grand- 
 father was a good deal put out, as it was, at auntie's 
 being so late. He, too, tried not to look cross, poor 
 old gentleman, but any one who knew him at aU well 
 could not help seeing as he moved about the room, 
 sometimes giving a poke to the wood fire which was 
 burning quite brightly as it was, sometimes sharply 
 pulling open one of the window-shutters and looking 
 out, as if he could see anythiag with the Hght inside 
 and the dark out of doors ! — any one could see that 
 he was very much put out. He sat down now and 
 then for a minute or two and spoke very politely — for 
 grandfather was a very poKte old gentleman — to one 
 or other of the stranger ladies, but even to them he 
 could not help showing what was in his mind. 
 
 "It is very strange, reaUy most exceedingly 
 strange, of my eldest daughter," he said, " not to be 
 in before this. I really feel quite ashamed of it, my 
 dear Madam." 
 
 " But you are not uneasy, I hope," said the lady, 
 kindly. " There cannot be anything the matter with 
 Miss Leonard ?" (" Miss Leonard " was what Fritz 
 
IX. ''EAST OB WEST, HAME IS BEST" 165 
 
 called auntie's " stuck-up name," and " Lady Aylmer" 
 was mother's.) " You don't feel uneasy about her ?" 
 
 (This lady did not know there was anything the 
 matter, for she was quite at the other end of the room 
 from mother. Mother had whispered to the lady 
 beside her, who was an old and dear friend, how 
 frightened she was about Herr Baby, and the old 
 lady, who was very kind and nice, was talking 
 and smiling as much as she could to help poor 
 mother.) 
 
 "Uneasy," said grandfather, rather sharply, and 
 not quite so politely as he generally spoke, " oh no, 
 of course I'm not uneasy. My daughter Helen 
 can take care of herself. I am only very much 
 surprised at her doing such an extraordinary thing 
 as forgetting the hour like this." 
 
 But in his heart I fancy what the lady said did 
 make grandfather begin to think there might be 
 something to be uneasy about, and this made him 
 still crosser. She was not such a sensible lady as 
 old Mrs. Bryan in the arm-chair opposite, who 
 chattered the more the more she saw grandfather's 
 worried look grow worse, and the pain grew plainer 
 on poor mother's white face. 
 
 " May," he called out at last, " I think it is non- 
 
166 THE ADVENTURES OF EERR BABY chap. 
 
 sense waiting dinner any longer. Tell one of the 
 children to ring and order it up at once. Why, 
 they're not here ! Why are none of the children 
 down, May? Everything seems at sixes and 
 sevens." 
 
 " We are not waiting for Nelly, father dear," said 
 mother. " I don't know why dinner isn't ready yet, 
 but I think it can't be long. I will hurry them," 
 and she got up to ring herseK. 
 
 "But the children — why aren't they down?" said 
 grandfather again. 
 
 Mother hesitated — 
 
 " It is rather late for them," she said. " The girls 
 have been a long walk and are tired." 
 
 She did not know what to say, poor thing. She 
 had not dared to let the three children come into the 
 drawing-room, for fear their white faces and red eyes 
 should make grandfather find out that there was 
 something wrong, and indeed neither Celia, nor 
 Denny, nor Fritz, would have been able to stay still 
 in the room for five minutes. They were peeping 
 out of the nursery every few seconds, running along 
 to the end of the balcony, and straining their eyes 
 and ears in trying to see or hear anything coming in 
 the shape of good news. 
 
IX. '*EAST OR WEST, HAME IS BEST" 167 
 
 Long, long afterwards they used to speak in the 
 nursery, with deep breaths, of " that terrible evening 
 when Herr Baby was lost." 
 
 But it was, of course, the worst for poor mother. 
 It was bad enough in the nursery, where the tea, that 
 nobody had cared to touch, was set out as neatly as 
 usual on the table ; the chairs drawn round, the one 
 that Baby always had with a footstool on it — to make 
 up for there being no high chair at the Villa — in its 
 place, though the well-known, funny little figure was 
 not perched on it. And Lisa, with a face swollen so 
 that no one would have known her, fussing away to 
 have the kettle boiling, so that her darling should 
 have some hot tea as soon as ever he came in — for 
 she wouldn't allow but that he would soon come in, 
 though sad little stories kept running through Celia's 
 and Denny's heads about children that had been lost 
 and never found, or found only when it was no longer 
 they themselves but only their poor little bodies, 
 drowned, perhaps, or "choked in the snow," as 
 Denny said. And she got rather cross when Celia 
 reminded her that there was no snow, so it couldn't 
 be that, any way. 
 
 All this was bad enough, but still they were free 
 to talk about their fears, and to cry if they felt 
 
168 THE ADVENTURES OF EERR BABY chap 
 
 inclined, and to keep running to the window or the 
 door. But for poor mother, as you can fancy, it was 
 miLch worse. There she had to sit smiling and talk- 
 ing as if everything were quite nice and comfortable, 
 not only for the sake of the friends who had come to 
 dine with them, but still more for poor grandfather's 
 sake, who kept growing more and more fidgety and 
 put out, and at the bottom of his heart, though he 
 would not own it even to himseK, really frightened 
 and anxious. 
 
 At last his patience was exhausted. 
 
 "May," he said, speaking across the fireplace to 
 mother. She was talking to the lady beside her, and 
 did not at first hear him. " May" said grandfather 
 again, and if the children had been in the room I 
 think his voice would have made them jump, " it is 
 using our friends very badly to keep them waiting 
 so long for dinner. Be so good as to ring again and 
 tell the servants we will not wait any longer." 
 
 Poor mother — she looked up — it was all she could 
 do not to burst into tears ! 
 
 " Yes," she said, " I will teU them." 
 
 She was half rising from her seat, whispering to 
 the lady beside her (the lady who did know aU about 
 it), " I don't know how I shaU get through dinner," 
 
IX. "EAST OR WEST, HAME IS BEST'' 169 
 
 when — what was it? — no bell had rung, there was 
 no sound that any one else heard, what could it have 
 been that mother heard ? I don't know what it was, 
 and I daresay mother herself could not have told, but 
 something she did hear. For she stopped short, and 
 a sort of eager look came into her eyes and a flush 
 into her cheeks. And then the other people in the 
 room seemed to catch the infection, and everybody 
 else looked up to see what was coming, and in 
 the silence a sort of fumbling was heard at the door. 
 It only lasted a second or two, then somehow the 
 handle turned, much more quickly than was usually 
 the case when it was Baby's small hands that were 
 stretching up to reach it — I rather think some one 
 must have been behind to help him — the door opened 
 and — oh such a funny little figure came in ! You 
 know who it was of course, but it would be very diffi- 
 cult to tell you exactly what he looked like. He was 
 dressed just as he had been for playing in the garden 
 — a little short thick jacket over his holland blouse, 
 which was no longer very clean; his short scarlet 
 socks and oldest boots on his legs, the bare part of 
 which looked very red and cold, and what had been 
 his best straw hat with part of the brim dangling 
 down, on his curly head. But he seemed quite 
 
170 THE ADVENTURES OF HERR BABY chap, 
 
 pleased with himself — that was another of Hen 
 Baby's "ways"; he always did seem quite pleased 
 with himself, best of all, I think, when he had his 
 oldest clothes on — he trotted into the room just as he 
 would have trotted into the garden, even though there 
 were a good many rather finely-dressed ladies and 
 gentlemen sitting round — for his whole mind was 
 filled with the thoughts of two big paper parcels 
 which he carried in his arms. They could not have 
 been as heavy as they were big, or else he could not 
 possibly have carried them ! And close at his heels, 
 making him look still funnier, came Minet, very 
 pleased, I am sure, to find herself again in sight of 
 a fire. 
 
 Herr Baby looked round him for a moment, only 
 for a moment, for though the lights in the room and 
 the number of people dazzled and puzzled him a little, 
 he did not need to look round for which was mother. 
 Forgetting all about everything, except that her baby 
 was found, up jumped mother, a rosy flush coming 
 over her face which had looked so white and sad, 
 pretty mother with her silvery silky dress and her 
 sweet eyes filled with tears, and rushing over to Baby 
 caught him up in her arms, poor little cold, tired, red- 
 legged Herr Baby, and for a minute or so, greatly to 
 

 
 ifir' 
 
 
 ■N 
 
 r^m-r////^/Mm'lW/'J,\i:->i\ 
 
 
 Forgetting all about everything, except that her babj- was found, up jumped 
 
 mother. — p. 170. 
 
IX. "EAST OR WEST, EAME IS BEST" 171 
 
 grandfather's surprise, she hid her face somehow 
 among the wee man's curls without speaking. 
 
 Grandfather was surprised but not alarmed, for 
 just behind in the open doorway stood auntie, who 
 came quietly forward and explained to him that Baby 
 had gone out on his own account and they had been 
 afraid of his losing his way, that was what had kept 
 her out so late, and she was so sorry. Auntie had 
 such a nice clear simple way of speaking, grand- 
 father's vexation seemed to melt away as he listened. 
 He glanced at the little figure still clasped in mother's 
 arms, and a queer look came into his eyes. 
 
 " Poor children !" he said, " poor children ! May 
 you should have told me." 
 
 But he knew why they hadn't told him. The 
 ladies and gentlemen came round auntie to hear 
 what she was saying. They were all very kind and 
 very sorry and very glad. But it was difficult not 
 to smile when a little voice was heard saying, 
 
 " Mother, p'ease put him down. Him's got some- 
 sing so pitty, but him's afraid of breaking them." 
 
 And sliding down to the ground, he managed 
 somehow to set the two parcels safely on the floor, 
 and began undoing them. They all watched him, but 
 he didn't care, and he would let nobody help him 
 
172 TEE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 He got one out at last, and held it up with a beautiful 
 happiness in his little face. 
 
 "See, mother!" he cried, "shiny jugs! Him'a 
 got them all himself wif him's own pennies. Two ! 
 Them's for you, mother, 'cos him boked you's 'nother 
 ones. Him founded them himself in a shop. Him's 
 been as quick as him could, 'cos of mother's party, to 
 make the table pitty." 
 
 "My darKng," said mother, hugging him again, 
 and when she looked up half smiling, half crying, and 
 tried to say to the ladies and gentlemen that she 
 hoped they would not think her silly, there were tears 
 in some other eyes besides in hers. 
 
 But Herr Baby was quite himself. 
 
 "You is p'eased," he said contentedly. "Then 
 him'll go to tea, for him's raver hungry. But p'ease 
 put the shiny jugs on the table to make it pitty." 
 
 He held up his face for another kiss. Then 
 grandfather came forward and in his turn lifted the 
 little truant into his arms. 
 
 " He is tired, the poor little man," he said, looking 
 round : " you are so kind ; I should ask you to forgive 
 our want of politeness, but I am sure you wilL I 
 will be back in a moment." 
 
 And it was grandfather himself who carried off 
 
LX. "EAST OR WEST, HAME IS BEST'' 173 
 
 Herr Baby and gave him over to Lisa, weeping for 
 joy now, as she caught her darling in her arms. 
 
 There was a happy tea in the nursery that night 
 after all. Baby was very tired, but so exceedingly 
 pleased with himself that his face grew rosy and his 
 eyes bright, as if he had only just wakened up in the 
 morning, as he sat at the table answering all the 
 questions of Celia and Denny and Fritz and Lisa 
 about his adventures. How had he found his way ? 
 How had he made the old man understand what he 
 wanted ? Hadn't he been frightened ? Had he 
 been pleased to see auntie ? Had he carried Minet 
 all the way ? Oh, there were more questions than 
 I could tell you — almost more than Herr Baby could 
 answer; and Minet, too, came in for a share of the 
 petting. 
 
 When they had got most of their questions 
 answered, they all found out they were very hungry, 
 and they set to work at their tea, and for a while 
 there was silence in the nursery. Suddenly Baby 
 leant his two elbows on the table and looked 
 round. 
 
 " It were all the pitty little girl that keeped the 
 shiny glasses for him. Her are so pitty." 
 
 " What little girl ?" said the children, all together. 
 
174 THE ADVENTURES OF HERB BABY chap. 
 
 " Do you mean the young woman's little girl in the 
 shop r 
 
 "No," said Herr Baby, "not that kind of little 
 girL Him means a Kttle girl up on the wall — a 
 pitcher girl ; but him thinks her are a fairy." 
 
 And having thus given his opinion, Baby looked 
 round again with great satisfaction, and Celia and 
 Denny whispered to each other that really Baby some- 
 times said very funny things for such a little boy ! 
 
 They were all dressed as usual, and Denny and 
 Baby went in to dessert, while Ceha and Fritz waited, 
 as became such big young people, in the drawiag-room. 
 Everybody was very kind to the children, and Baby, 
 had he been any one else hut Herr Baby, would have 
 been spoilt by all the petting the ladies wanted to give 
 him. But his eyes were fixed on one thing, or rather 
 on two things, on the table, one in front of mother at 
 one end, one in front of grandfather at the other, there 
 they stood, two queerly-shaped glass jugs, sparkling 
 and shining with many colours like a rainbow, filled 
 with the brightest and clearest water which might 
 have been drawn at a fairy well And what pleasure 
 shone lq Baby's face as he looked at them. 
 
 " You is p'eased ?" he said again to mother, as he 
 bade her good-night. 
 
IX. ''EAST OR WEST, HAME IS BEST** 175 
 
 It was a Kttle difficult for mother to have to make 
 " him " understand that much as she loved him for 
 remembering how sorry she had been to have the first 
 jugs broken, and how sweet she thought it of him to 
 have got her new ones, that still he must never 
 again think of doing such things by himself and 
 Ytdthout telling or asking any one. 
 
 She did not say anything to him that night ; she 
 could not bear to spoil his pretty pleasure, but the 
 next day she made him understand ; and Baby 
 " p'omised " he would never again set off on his own 
 account, or settle any plan without asking mother or 
 auntie, or perhaps Celia, about it. 
 
 And so the end of the story of the broken jugs 
 
 was quite a happy one. 
 
 * « * « 
 
 Herr Baby's birthday came in the late spring. 
 They were all back in England by then. The old 
 garden was no longer "lonely," for the children's 
 voices were heard all over it, and the sunlight through 
 the leaves flickered on to their curly heads as they ran 
 about in delight, seeking for all their old favourite 
 corners. The " labbits " were well and happy ; Jones 
 and Thomas had come to meet them at the railway 
 station with broad smiles on their honest faces ; all 
 
176 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap, 
 
 the house looked bright and smiling, too, it had been 
 80 well rubbed up to receive them — altogether Hen 
 Baby thought " coming back " was a very nice and 
 happy thing, though he had enjoyed himself so much 
 at Santino that he told Lisa he didn't think he 
 would much mind if they did go there again next 
 winter, when it began to get cold at home, as was 
 already spoken of, as Santino had done grandfather 
 so much good this time. 
 
 So, as I was saying, it was a very happy little man, 
 indeed, that woke up in his " own dear little bed," — 
 which, wonderful to say, had not grown too small for 
 him all the months they had been away, — on the 
 morning of Herr Bab/s fifth birthday. He could 
 hardly stand still to be dressed, so eager was he to 
 run off to mother's room to get her birthday kiss, 
 and to see the presents which he knew would not 
 have been forgotten. They turned out even prettier 
 than he had expected ; indeed, it would take me too 
 long were I to tell you all about the beautiful box of 
 bricks, big enough to build real houses almost. Baby 
 thought, from grandfather, and the lovely pair of toy 
 horses with real hair, in a stable, from mother, and 
 the coachman's whip to crack at them from Fritz, 
 and the pair of slippers Celia and Denny had worked 
 
IX, ''EAST OR WEST, HAME IS BEST" 177 
 
 for him, one foot each, and the birthday cake all 
 snowed over with sugar, and with his name on in 
 pink, from grandfather and mother together, " 'asides 
 their other presents." It quite took Herr Baby's 
 breath away to think all these lovely things were 
 for him ; he sat at the nursery table quite unable 
 to eat his breakfast, something like Fritz the morning 
 they were starting on their journey, do you remem- 
 ber ? till Lisa persuaded him to eat, by telling him 
 if he didn't, he would be so tired that he wouldn't 
 enjoy his birthday at all, which made him set to work 
 at his bread and milk. lisa, too, had remembered the 
 day, for she had made him the prettiest little penny 
 purse you ever saw, knitted in bright-coloured silk, 
 so that now he was very well off, indeed, with his 
 " scented " purse for his gold and silver, and Lisa's one 
 for pennies and halfpennies, and his money-box to 
 store up the rest in when the purses were full. He 
 had all his presents set out in a row, so that he could 
 see them while he was eating, and just when he was 
 at nearly the last spoonful, he was quite startled by 
 a voice beside him, saying, "And what about my 
 present. Baby, dear ? Did you think I had forgotten 
 your birthday ?" 
 
 It was auntie. She had come in so quietly that 
 
 H 
 
178 THE ADVENTURES OF HERE BABY chap. 
 
 Herr Baby had not heard her. She leant over his 
 chair, and he put his arms round her neck and 
 kissed her. 
 
 " Him is so happy, auntie dear," he said ; " him 
 has such lots of p'esents, him never thought about 
 your present." 
 
 " Didn't you, dear ?" said auntie, smiling. " Well, 
 / didn't forget it — indeed, I thought of it a long time 
 ago, as you will see. Come with me, for I see you 
 have finished your breakfast." 
 
 Auntie took him by the hand. Baby wondered 
 where she was going to, and he was rather surprised 
 when she led him to his own room — that is to say, 
 to the pretty nursery where he and Denny had their 
 two little white beds side by side. 
 
 *' Look up. Baby," said auntie. 
 
 And looking up, what do you think he saw ? On 
 the wall, at the side of his own little bed, where his 
 eyes could see it the first thing in the morning, and 
 the last at night, hung the picture of the blue-eyed 
 little girl, the dear little girl of long ago, with her 
 sweet rosy face, and queer old-fashioned white frock, 
 smiling down at him, with the sort of wise, loving 
 look, just as she had smiled down at him in the old 
 shop at Santino. 
 
IX. **EAST OB WEST, HAME IS BEST" 17& 
 
 " Oh, auntie, auntie ! " cried Baby. But then he 
 seemed as if he could say no more. He just stared 
 up at the sweet little face, clasping his hands, as if he 
 was too pleased to speak Then, at last, he turned 
 to auntie and hugged her. 
 
 " Oh, auntie !" he said again. " Oh, him is so 
 p'eased to have him's own pitty little girl always 
 smiling at him. Him will always have her, won't 
 him, auntie ?" 
 
 " I hope so, dear. She is your very own." 
 
 "Him will keep her till him is kite old. Him 
 will show her to him's children and him's g'anchildren, 
 won't him?" went on Baby solemnly. 
 
 "I hope so, dear," said auntie again, smiling at 
 his flushed little face. 
 
 " Her is so pitty," said Baby. " Her is as sweet 
 as a fairy. Auntie, him would so like to hear 
 all the story about her. Couldn't you find it out, 
 auntie ?" 
 
 " Perhaps," said auntie, " or, what would be still 
 better, perhaps the little girl will whisper it to you 
 some night when you are asleep." 
 
 " That loould be nice," said Baby. Then another 
 thought struck him. "Auntie," he said, "will you 
 ask mother to let him bring up the shiny jugs to 
 
180 THE ADVENTURES OF HEBR BABY chap, ix 
 
 show them to the pitty little girl ? Her would like 
 to see them so nice, and not brokened at aU wif the 
 packing. Oh, auntie, what a bootiful birfday — him 
 are so happy !" 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 Not like other Girls. 
 
 The Old, Old Story. 
 
 Only the Governess. 
 
 Other People's Lives. 
 
 A Passage Perilous. 
 
 Queenie's "WTiim. 
 
 Robert Ord's Atonement. 
 
 Rue "With a Difference. 
 
 Sir Godfrey's Grand-Daughters. 
 
 The Sunny Side of the Hill. 
 
 Uncle Max. 
 
 Wee Wifle. 
 
 Wooed and Married. 
 
 MAOMILLAN AND 00., Ltd., LONDON. 
 
 4 
 
University of 
 Connecticut 
 
 Libraries 
 
 3915302078192U