mercy, and but for one
thing she would have done so. This was the fact that she had previously
taken the baby, Fleurette, over to the studios and had used the child in
the pictures.

This she felt quite sure the Farnsworths would not forgive.

Azalea would not have done it, if it had occurred to her at first how
the parents would resent such use of their child. But Mr. Bixby had
needed a very young baby in a certain picture and Azalea, anxious to
please, had offered to bring Fleurette over. She was herself so devoted
to the little one and so careful of her, she felt no fear of any harm
coming to her. Nor did it, for the infant was good and tractable, and
did all that was required of her without any trouble. However, little
was required except for her to coo and gurgle in one scene, and to lie
quietly asleep in another.

But there was one more short scene where Azalea had to rescue the baby
from a burning house. To be sure the flames were artificial and there
was no danger from the fire, but the baby was thrown from an upper
window, and caught by Azalea, who stood down on the ground.

So accustomed was Fleurette to being tossed about, and so familiar to
her was the frolicking with Azalea that she made no objections and was a
most delightful addition to the picture.

But something happened to the film, and the director was most anxious to
take the scene over again.

Azalea, however, positively refused to take Fleurette again to the
studio. She knew how she would be censured, should it be found out, and
now Nurse Winnie and the two Farnsworths, as well as Elise, were all
watching for anything mysterious that Azalea might do.

She felt almost as if she were living over a slumbering volcano, that
might at any moment blow her up. For Elise, she felt sure, would not
keep the sampler incident to herself, and if Farnsworth heard of it he
would be newly angry at that deception.

So Azalea's delight at her success with the moving-picture company was
very much tempered with dismay at her position in the Farnsworth
household.

She was almost tempted to run away from them altogether and shift for
herself.

Indeed, she practically decided, as she rode in the trolley-car, that if
they were hard on her when she reached home, she _would_ run away. Of a
wayward disposition and without really good early training, Azalea
thought only of herself, and selfishly desired her own advancement
without thought or regard for other peop