ge, the rabbit gave a sudden hop, lifted a pair of long ears,
munched at a bit of cabbage-leaf, turned his pink nose, now to the
right, now to the left, and rolled two amber eyes.

"And look! Look!" shouted Jane "The eyes light up" For each was glowing
as yellowly as the tiny electric bulbs on either side of Gwendolyn's
dressing-table.

"Now what _more_ could a little lady want!" exclaimed Thomas. "It's as
wonderful, _I_ say, as a wax figger."

The rabbit, with a sharp click of farewell, popped back into the
cabbage. Gwendolyn got down from the chair.

"It _is_ nice," she conceded. "And I'm going to ask fath-er and moth-er
to come up and see it."

Neither Thomas nor Jane answered. But again he eyed the nurse, this time
flashing a silent warning. After which she began to exclaim excitedly
over the rabbit, while he wound up the merry-go-round. Then the ruby
seats and the Arabs careened in a circle, the music played, the rabbit
chewed and wriggled and rolled his luminous eyes.

An interruption came in the shape of a ring at the telephone, which
stood on the small table at the head of Gwendolyn's bed. Jane answered
the summons, and received the message,--a brief one. It worked, however,
a noticeable change. For when Jane turned round her face was sullen.

Gwendolyn remarked the scowls. Also the fact that the moment Jane made
Thomas her confidant--in an undertone--he showed plain signs of being
annoyed. Gwendolyn saw the merry-go-round--cabbage and all--disappear
into the large, round box without a trace of regret. So much ill-feeling
on the part of nurse and man-servant undoubtedly meant that something
of a decidedly pleasant nature was about to happen to herself.

It was a usual--almost a daily--occurrence for her to visit the region
of the grown-ups at the dinner-hour. On such occasions she saw one,
though more often both, of her parents--as well as a varying number of
guests. And the privilege was one held dear.

She coveted a dearer. And her eyes roved to the larger of her two
tables, where stood the tall lamp. There she ate all her meals, in the
condescending company of Miss Royle. What if the telephone message meant
that henceforth she was to eat _downstairs?_

Standing on one foot she waited developments, and concealed her
eagerness by snapping her underlip against her teeth with one busy
forefinger.

Her spirits fell when Thomas appeared with the supper-tray. And she ate
with no appetite--for all that s