tarted to cry."

Bea assumed her station of nurse with businesslike briskness. "Hurry back
to Gertrude, and coax her to go to that spread if you can. She's terribly
blue to-night. Be sure to get back here at nine, and I will take my turn
at the party so that nobody will be too curious about this affair. At ten
we shall both be here to decide about the night."

"Then we can hook the door on the inside, and climb over the partition.
Won't it be fun! I wonder if I shouldn't better practice doing it now,"
and Berta looked longingly at the black walnut precipice.

"You trot along this instant, and don't let Gertrude suspect anything for
the world. Be just as natural as you know how--more than ever before in
your life. I reckon I shall put him to sleep in a jiffy."

"Try it," called the ex-nurse with laconic scorn, "I'll allow you the
full hour for the experiment."

It must have been a very full hour indeed, to judge from Bea's feelings
as the minutes dawdled past. It seemed to her that instead of flying with
their sixty wings, according to the rhyme, each minute trailed its
feathers in the dust as it shuffled along. At first, it was amusing to
watch for the mouth to open, and then pop in a spoonful of cream. But
this soon became monotonous, especially when she learned that no matter
how long she sat motionless beside the pillow, the bright little eyes
blinked wide awake at her slightest stir to rise.

It was lonesome in that end of the great building. Their suite and Sara's
room next to it were the only ones occupied in that neighborhood during
the vacation. This bathroom was as much as forty steps distant even from
that populated spot, and not a single footfall had sounded in the
corridor since Berta had disappeared into the gloom. The light from the
outer apartment glimmered dully over the partition. At intervals in the
stillness, a drop of water clinked from the faucet out there. Bea found
herself holding her breath to listen for the tinkle of its splash.
Outside the small window, a pale moon was drifting among fluffy clouds.

More than once Bea rose with exquisite caution, and stole to the outer
door, only to hear a plaintive whine, while four clumsy paws came
pattering after her. Then followed more minutes of soothing him with
cream, and watching for the little woolly sides to cease heaving so
piteously. Perhaps after all it would have been wiser to have left this
troublesome joke with his mother on the farm.

B