bat."

"She can't, my darling; she's gone to other little girls, you know--we
told you many days ago."

"She muss come bat--'_jaldi_,'" shouted Fay--"jaldi" being Hindustani
for "quickly."

Meg sighed. "I'm afraid she can't do that. Come, my precious, and let me
bathe you; you'll get cold standing there."

With a quick movement Meg seized the plump, round body. She was muscular
though so small, and in spite of little Fay's opposition she lifted her
into the bath. She felt Tony pull at her skirts and say something, but
was too busy to pay attention.

Little Fay was in the bath sure enough, but to wash her was quite
another matter. You may lead a sturdy infant of three to the water in a
fixed bath, but no power on earth can wash that infant if it doesn't
choose. Fay screamed and struggled and wriggled and kicked, finally
slipping right under the water, which frightened her dreadfully; she
lost her breath for one second, only to give forth ear-splitting yells
the next. She was slippery as a trout and strong as a leaping salmon.

Jan could bear it no longer and came in. Meg had succeeded in lifting
the terrified baby out of the bath, and she stood on the square of cork
defying the "Engliss Ayah," wet from her topmost curl to her pink toes,
but wholly unwashed.

Tony ran to Jan and under all the din contrived to say: "It's the big
bath; she's frightened. Ayah never put her in the big bath."

Meg had forgotten this. The little tin bath they had brought from India
for the voyage stood in a corner.

It was filled, while Fay, wrapped in a Turkish towel, sobbed more
quietly, ejaculating between the gurgles: "Nasty hat, nasty Engliss
Ayah. I want my own deah Ayah!"

When the bath was ready poor Meg again approached little Fay, but Fay
would have none of her.

"No," she wailed, "Engliss Ayah in nasty hat _not_ wass me. Tony wass
me, _deah_ Tony."

She held out her arms to her brother, who promptly received her in his.

"You'd better let me," he said to the anxious young women. "We'll never
get her finished else."

So it ended in Tony's being arrayed in the flannel apron which, tied
under his arm-pits, was not so greatly too long. With his sleeves
turned up he washed his small sister with thoroughness and despatch,
pointing out somewhat proudly that he "went into all the corners."

[Illustration: He washed his small sister with thoroughness and
despatch, pointing out ... that he "went into all the corners."]

T