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Page 31
"'I shall request the assistance of the pewter tea-things,' said Rosa,
with her usual smile. 'And now, my love,' she added, turning to me, 'we
will come and sit down.'
"Where the go-cart vanished to I cannot remember, nor how I got out of
it; I only know that I suddenly found myself free, and walking away
with my hand in Rosa's. I remember vacantly feeling the rough edge of
the stitches on her flat kid fingers, and wondering what would come
next.
"'How very oddly you hold your feet, my dear,' she said; 'you stick out
your toes in such an eccentric fashion, and you lean on your legs as if
they were table legs, instead of supporting yourself by my hand. Turn
your heels well out, and bring your toes together. You may even let
them fold over each other a little; it is considered to have a pretty
effect among dolls,'
"Under one of the big trees Miss Rosa made me sit down, propping me
against the trunk as if I should otherwise have fallen; and in a moment
more a square box of pewter tea-things came tumbling up to our feet,
where the lid burst open, and all the tea-things fell out in perfect
order; the cups on the saucers, the lid on the teapot, and so on.
"'Take a little tea, my love?' said Miss Rosa, pressing a pewter teacup
to my lips.
"I made believe to drink, but was only conscious of inhaling a draught
of air with a slight flavour of tin. In taking my second cup I was
nearly choked with the teaspoon, which got into my throat.
"'What are you doing?' roared the Jack-in-a-box at this moment; 'you
are not punishing her.'
"'I am treating her as she treated me,' answered Rosa, looking as
severe as her smile would allow. 'I believe that tit for tat is the
rule, and that at present it is my turn.'
"'It will be mine soon,' growled the Jack-in-a-box, and I thought of
the bonfire with a shudder. However, there was no knowing what might
happen before his turn did come, and meanwhile I was in friendly hands.
It was not the first time my dolly and I had sat together under a tree,
and, truth to say, I do not think she had any injuries to avenge.
"'When your wig comes off,' murmured Rosa, as she stole a pink kid arm
tenderly round my neck, 'I'll make you a cap with blue and white
rosettes, and pretend that you have had a fever.'
"I thanked her gratefully, and was glad to reflect that I was not yet
in need of an attention which I distinctly remember having shown to her
in the days of her dollhood. Presently she jumped up.
"'I think you shall go to bed now, dear,' she said, and, taking my hand
once more, she led me to the big doll's bedstead, which, with its
pretty bed-clothes and white dimity furniture, looked tempting enough
to a sleeper of suitable size. It could not have supported one quarter
of my weight.
"'I have not made you a night-dress, my love,' Rosa continued; 'I am
not fond of my needle, you know. _You_ were not fond of your needle, I
think, I fear you must go to bed in your clothes, my dear.'
"'You are very kind,' I said, 'but I am not tired, and--it would not
bear my weight.'
"'Pooh! pooh!' said Rosa. 'My love! I remember passing one Sunday in it
with the rag-doll, and the Dowager, and the Punch and Judy (the amount
of pillow their two noses took up I shall never forget!), and the old
doll that had nothing on, because her clothes were in the dolls' wash
and did not get ironed on Saturday night, and the Highlander, whose
things wouldn't come off, and who slept in his kilt. Not bear you?
Nonsense! You must go to bed, my dear. I've got other things to do, and
I can't leave you lying about.'
"'The whole lot of you did not weigh one quarter of what I do,' I cried
desperately. 'I cannot and will not get into that bed; I should break
it all to pieces, and hurt myself into the bargain.'
"'Well, if you will not go to bed I must put you there,' said Rosa, and
without more ado, she snatched me up in her kid arms, and laid me down.
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