Lady Augusta had decided, to remain under Dolly's care.

"And then," added Euphemia, half timidly, "you won't be vexed if I tell
you, will you?"

"Certainly not," answered Dolly, who knew very well what was coming,
though poor Phemie evidently thought she was going to impart an
extremely novel and unexpected piece of intelligence. "What is it,
Phemie?"

"Well, somehow or other, I don't believe mamma exactly likes you,
Dolly."

Now, considering circumstances, this innocent speech amounted to a rich
sort of thing to say, but Dolly did not laugh; she might caricature Lady
Augusta for the benefit of her own select circle of friends, but she
never made jokes about her before Phemie, however sorely she might be
tempted. So, now she helped herself to a chocolate with perfect sobriety
of demeanor.

"Perhaps not," she admitted. "I have thought so myself, Phemie." And
then, as soon as possible, changed the subject.

At length Phemie rose to go. As Lady Augusta was under the impression
that she was merely taking the dismal daily constitutional, which was
one of her unavoidable penances, it would not do to stay too long.

"So I _must_ go," lamented Phemie; "but, Dolly, if you would n't mind, I
should _so_ like to see the baby. I have never seen him since the day we
called with mamma,--and I am so fond of babies, and he was so pretty."

Dolly laughed, in spite of herself. She remembered the visit so well,
and Lady Augusta's loftily resigned air of discovering, in the passively
degenerate new arrival, the culminating point of the family depravity.

"It is much to be regretted," she had said, disapprovingly; "but it is
exactly what I foresaw from the first, and you will have to make the
best of it."

And then, on Dolly's modestly suggesting that they intended to do so,
and were not altogether borne down to the earth by the heavy nature of
their calamity, she had openly shuddered.

But Phemie had quite clung to the small bundle of lawn and flannel, and
though she had never seen Tod since, she had by no means forgotten him.

"He will be quite a big boy when I come back," she added. "And I should
so like to see him once again while he is a baby."

"Oh, you shall see him," said Dolly. "Tod is the one individual in this
house who always feels himself prepared to receive visitors. He is n't
fastidious about his personal appearance. If you will come into the next
room, I dare say we shall find him."

And they did find him.