way of speaking,
grandfather'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 somesing _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. 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's 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 darling," 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 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 bee