d 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 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 _couldn't_ all get in." Perhaps 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 liked
to do for himself was to open doors, and now and then he could manage it
very well. But, alas, the nursery 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
ve