bout trivial subjects. Then as Easton did
not come, Ruth decided to serve Slyme without waiting any longer. With
this intention she laid the baby in its cot, but the child resented
this arrangement and began to cry, so she had to hold him under her
left arm while she made the tea. Seeing her in this predicament, Slyme
exclaimed, holding out his hands:

'Here, let me hold him while you do that.'

'Will you?' said Ruth, who, in spite of her instinctive dislike of the
man, could not help feeling gratified with this attention. 'Well, mind
you don't let him fall.'

But the instant Slyme took hold of the child it began to cry even
louder than it did when it was put into the cradle.

'He's always like that with strangers,' apologized Ruth as she took him
back again.

'Wait a minute,' said Slyme, 'I've got something upstairs in my pocket
that will keep him quiet. I'd forgotten all about it.'

He went up to his room and presently returned with the rattle. When
the baby saw the bright colours and heard the tinkling of the bells he
crowed with delight, and reached out his hands eagerly towards it and
allowed Slyme to take him without a murmur of protest. Before Ruth had
finished making and serving the tea the man and child were on the very
best of terms with each other, so much so indeed that when Ruth had
finished and went to take him again, the baby seemed reluctant to part
from Slyme, who had been dancing him in the air and tickling him in the
most delightful way.

Ruth, too, began to have a better opinion of Slyme, and felt inclined
to reproach herself for having taken such an unreasonable dislike of
him at first. He was evidently a very good sort of fellow after all.

The baby had by this time discovered the use of the bone ring at the
end of the handle of the toy and was biting it energetically.

'It's a very beautiful rattle,' said Ruth. 'Thank you very much for
it. It's just the very thing he wanted.'

'I heard you say the other day that he wanted something of the kind to
bite on to help his teeth through,' answered Slyme, 'and when I
happened to notice that in the shop I remembered what you said and
thought I'd bring it home.'

The baby took the ring out of its mouth and shaking the rattle
frantically in the air laughed and crowed merrily, looking at Slyme.

'Dad! Dad! Dad!' he cried, holding out his arms.

Slyme and Ruth burst out laughing.

'That's not your Dad, you silly boy,' she said, kissin