t words of the anxious
mother when, in the light that comes when the world's is going out,
she had seen with terrible clearness the stones and briars in the
way of that particular pair of small, eager feet.

And she had died, and Judy was stumbling right amongst them now,
and her father could not "be careful" of her because he
absolutely did not know how.

As he went up the veranda steps again and through the hall, he was
wishing almost prayerfully she had not been cast in so different a
mould from the others, wishing he could stamp out that strange
flame in her that made him so uneasy at times. He gave a great
puff at his cigar, and sighed profoundly; then he turned on his
heel and went off toward the stables to forget it all.

The man was away, exercising one of the horses in the long paddock;
but there was something stirring in the harness-room, so he went
in.

There was a little, dripping wet figure standing over a great
bucket, and dipping something in and out with charming vigour.
At the sound of his footsteps, Baby turned round and lifted a
perspiring little face to his.

"I'se washing the kitsies for you, and Flibberty-Gibbet," she said
beamingly.

He took a horrified step forward.

There were two favourite kittens of his, shivering, miserable,
up to their necks in a lather of soapy water; and Flibberty-Gibbet,
the beautiful little fox terrier he had just bought for his wife,
chained to a post, also wet, miserable, and woebegone, also
undergoing the cleansing process, and being scrubbed and
swilled till his very reason was tottering.

"They'se SO clean and nicey--no horrid ole fleas 'n them now.
AREN't you glad? You can let Flibberty go on your bed now, and
Kitsy Blackeye is--"

Poor Baby never finished her speech. She had a confused idea of
hearing a little "swear-word" from her father, of being shaken in
a most ungentle fashion and put outside the stable, while the
unfortunate animals were dried and treated with great consideration.

But the worst was yet to come, and the results were so exceedingly
bad that the young Woolcots determined never again to assume virtues
that they had not.

Bunty, of course, desired to help the cause as strongly as the
others, and to that end his first action was to go into his
bedroom and perform startling ablutions with his face, neck, and
hands. Then he took his soap-shiny countenance and red, much
bescrubbed hands downstairs, and sunned himself under his