nt the Secret was a secret no longer, for we all beheld
Dora, sitting on a sack on the floor of the hut, with the Secret in her
lap.

It was the High-born Babe!

Oswald was so overcome that he sat down suddenly, just like Betsy
Trotwood did in David Copperfield, which just shows what a true author
Dickens is.

'You've done it this time,' he said. 'I suppose you know you're a
baby-stealer?'

'I'm not,' Dora said. 'I've adopted him.'

'Then it was you,' Dicky said, 'who scuttled the perambulator in the
wood?'

'Yes,' Alice said; 'we couldn't get it over the stile unless Dora put
down the Baby, and we were afraid of the nettles for his legs. His name
is to be Lord Edward.'

'But, Dora--really, don't you think--'

'If you'd been there you'd have done the same,' said Dora firmly. 'The
gipsies had gone. Of course something had frightened them and they fled
from justice. And the little darling was awake and held out his arms to
me. No, he hasn't cried a bit, and I know all about babies; I've often
nursed Mrs Simpkins's daughter's baby when she brings it up on Sundays.
They have bread and milk to eat. You take him, Alice, and I'll go and
get some bread and milk for him.'

Alice took the noble brat. It was horribly lively, and squirmed about in
her arms, and wanted to crawl on the floor. She could only keep it quiet
by saying things to it a boy would be ashamed even to think of saying,
such as 'Goo goo', and 'Did ums was', and 'Ickle ducksums, then'.

When Alice used these expressions the Baby laughed and chuckled and
replied--

'Daddadda', 'Bababa', or 'Glueglue'.

But if Alice stopped her remarks for an instant the thing screwed its
face up as if it was going to cry, but she never gave it time to begin.

It was a rummy little animal.

Then Dora came back with the bread and milk, and they fed the noble
infant. It was greedy and slobbery, but all three girls seemed unable to
keep their eyes and hands off it. They looked at it exactly as if it was
pretty.

We boys stayed watching them. There was no amusement left for us
now, for Oswald saw that Dora's Secret knocked the bottom out of the
perambulator.

When the infant aristocrat had eaten a hearty meal it sat on Alice's lap
and played with the amber heart she wears that Albert's uncle brought
her from Hastings after the business of the bad sixpence and the
nobleness of Oswald.

'Now,' said Dora, 'this is a council, so I want to be business-like. The
Ducku