her without
seeing anything of the little truant, made auntie's heart feel
heavier--she hurried on again.

She soon found the wide street--the street with the dressmakers' and
milliners' shops, which Fritz had not cared to look at--then she turned
one corner and went on a little farther, then another, and--yes, there
was the little old shop, looking just the same as the day they had all
stood there so happily. Auntie had been walking very quickly, almost
running, but when she saw the shop just before her she stood still--she
felt _so_ anxious--what should she do if she could hear nothing of Baby?

When she got to the door she stopped and looked in; there seemed to be
no one in the shop. Auntie glanced up to the side of the door where the
little portrait had hung. It was gone! Could that have anything to do
with Baby? auntie asked herself in a sort of puzzled way. Could Baby
have thought of buying it? how much money had he? But it was stupid and
foolish to stand there puzzling and wondering, instead of boldly going
in to ask. Auntie took her courage in her two hands, as the saying is,
and went in.

No one there; where could the owner of the shop be? The last time he had
come forward at once when they were only looking in--a little-dried up
old man, just the sort of person one would expect to find in such a
shop, sitting in a dark corner like an old spider, watching to see what
flies were passing his way. Auntie went right in without seeing any one,
but she heard voices not far off, and, in her anxiety, she went forward
to a door slightly open, leading into rooms behind the shop. She
knocked--but for a moment no one took any notice. They were talking so
eagerly inside that she had to knock again, and in the moment or two
that had passed without them hearing her, she heard one or two words
that made her eager to hear more.

"No, no," some one was saying, "much better go at once to the office. We
may get into trouble."

"He seems so sensible," said another voice. "_I_ say, better go with him
and carry the things, and we shall soon see if he knows his way,
and----"

Auntie _could_ not wait any more. She pushed open the door and went in.
There was, however, no Herr Baby to be seen, as she had almost expected
there would be. There was the old man that she remembered having seen
before, looking like a very startled spider this time, as he raised his
two shrivelled old arms in surprise at her appearance, and beside him
w