es. She withdrew her foot as
though the rocker had grown suddenly red-hot. The yells broke out with
fresh vehemence, and she angrily restored her foot to its old place.
'_Nu, nu_,' she cried, rocking violently, 'go to sleep.'

She stole a glance at it, when it grew stiller, and saw that the teat
of its feeding-bottle was out of its mouth. 'There, there--suck!' she
said, readjusting it. The baby opened its eyes and shot a smile at
her, a wonderful, trustful smile from great blue eyes. Natalya
trembled; those were the blue eyes that had supplanted the memory of
Fanny's dark orbs, and the lips now sucking contentedly were the
cherry lips of the painted poppet.

'_Nebbich_; the poor, deserted little orphan,' she apologized to
herself. 'And this is how the new Jewish wife does her duty to her
step-children. She might as well have been a Christian.' Then a
remembrance that the Christian woman had seemingly been an
unimpeachable step-mother confused her thoughts further. And while she
was groping among them Becky returned, haling in Joseph, who in his
turn haled in a kite with a long tail.

The boy, now a sturdy lad of seven, did not palpitate towards his
grandmother with Becky's eagerness. Probably he felt the domestic
position less. But he surrendered himself to her long hug. 'Did she
beat him,' she murmured soothingly, 'beat my own little Joseph?'

'Don't waste time, granny,' Becky broke in petulantly, 'if we _are_
going.'

'No, my dear. We'll go at once.' And, releasing the boy, Natalya
partly undid the lower buttons of his waistcoat.

'You wear no four-corner fringes!' she exclaimed tragically. 'She
neglects even to see to that. Ah, it will be a good deed to carry you
from this godless home.'

'But I don't want to go with you,' he said sullenly, reminded of past
inquisitorial worryings about prayers.

'You little fool!' said Becky. 'You _are_ going--and in that cab.'

'In that cab?' he cried joyfully.

'Yes, my apple. And you will never be beaten again.'

'Oh, _she_ don't hurt!' he said contemptuously. 'She hasn't even got a
cane--like at school.'

'But shan't we take our things?' said Becky.

'No, only the things you stand in. They shan't have any excuse for
taking you back. I'll find you plenty of clothes, as good as new.'

'And little Daisy?'

'Oh, is it a girl? Your stepmother will look after that. She can't
complain of one burden.'

She hustled the children into the cab, where, with the sack and