the threshold, he heard the cry of the captor in his wake, and
before he could possibly command the action of his other foot, he felt
himself being forcibly drawn backward by what appeared to be his too
tenacious coat-tails.

"If only they would tear," thought Jimmy, but thanks to the excellence
of the tailor that Aggie had selected for him, they did NOT "tear."

Not until she had anchored Jimmy safely to the centre of the rug did the
irate mother pour out the full venom of her resentment toward him. From
the mixture of English and Italian that followed, it was apparent that
she was accusing Jimmy of having stolen her baby.

"Take me to him," she demanded tragically; "my baby--take me to him!"

Jimmy appealed to Aggie and Zoie. Their faces were as blank as his own.
He glanced at Alfred.

"Humour her," whispered Alfred, much elated by the evidence of his
own self-control as compared to Jimmy's utter demoralisation under the
apparently same circumstances.

Still Jimmy did not budge.

Alfred was becoming vexed; he pointed first to his own forehead, then
to that of Jimmy's hysterical captor. He even illustrated his meaning
by making a rotary motion with his forefinger, intended to remind Jimmy
that the woman was a lunatic.

Still Jimmy only stared at him and all the while the woman was becoming
more and more emphatic in her declaration that Jimmy knew where her baby
was.

"Sure, Jimmy," said Alfred, out of all patience with Jimmy's stupidity
and tiring of the strain of the woman's presence. "You know where her
baby is."

"Ah!" cried the mother, and she towered over Jimmy with a wild light in
her eyes. "Take me to him," she demanded; "take me to him."

Jimmy rolled his large eyes first toward Aggie, then toward Zoie and at
last toward Alfred. There was no mercy to be found anywhere.

"Take her to him, Jimmy," commanded a concert of voices; and pursued by
a bundle of waving colours and a medley of discordant sounds, Jimmy shot
from the room.

CHAPTER XXIV

The departure of Jimmy and the crazed mother was the occasion for a
general relaxing among the remaining occupants of the room. Exhausted
by what had passed Zoie had ceased to interest herself in the future. It
was enough for the present that she could sink back upon her pillows and
draw a long breath without an evil face bending over her, and without
the air being rent by screams.

As for Aggie, she fell back upon the window seat and closed her eyes