bject.

"That must be the article," said Charley. "Bring it to the light."

They carried it into the hall and threw it upon a mat, for it was
dripping, and Charley turned it over with his foot.

"What do you make of it?" queried Bertie.

"It is the black baby," said Charley.

"Or her remains?"

"Yes, there isn't much left of her."

"It does not look much like Dinah, and that is a fact."

"She is pretty well used up, all but one eye. That looks natural."

"Yes," said Bertie, "very. Can't she be brought round?"

"I am afraid not. One sound eye isn't enough to build on."

"What a pity!" said Bertie. "If she cannot be patched up what are we
going to do?"

Charley shook his head.

"We must keep it from Flora."

"Yes."

"We will hide it."

"Where?"

"Anywhere so that Flora may never find it."

"Good!" said Charley. "We will hide it, and she will think her baby has
turned into a blackbird and flown away."

So they carried the black baby home with them, and Flora never saw her
again. But they saved the blue glass button; it would do for an eye if
Grandma should chance to make another Dinah.

What had become of Dinah was a wonder. Flora sought her first in the
library, where she had left her sleeping, then in every place she could
think of; but the baby was gone; there was not a trace of it anywhere.
And the perfumery was gone too. Flora was not long in making that
discovery, and she felt worse about the perfumery than she did about
Dinah. She knew that was lost when she put her hand in the pocket of her
blue dress, but she did not give up Dinah for a long, long time. In fact
she never felt certain that the black baby would not return to her. If
she had gone to be a blackbird, as Charley suggested, why, she might be
coming back some day. Perhaps she would get tired of being a bird, or
she might break a wing as the robin had done, and if she did, she should
never get another chance to fly away.

Grandma did not make another Dinah. It would have been a new one, and
could never take the place of the old; and as Flora was so hopeful,
Grandma thought she would be happier in looking forward to the return of
her long-tried friend than she could ever be with a new favorite. But
Dinah's place was not long vacant. Towzer fitted into it quite
naturally, and, as he was in many respects a more pleasant companion,
Flora did not miss the black baby as she otherwise would have done.

CHAPTER XV.

FLORA NEVER