nine-tenths are lulled with this very
sedative, and will be none the worse."

"Then you do not think it will hurt her?"

"So far from it, that, under the circumstances, it was the best
thing she could have. She has plainly been exhausted, and though I
would not exactly recommend the practice in your nursery, I doubt if
she could have taken nourishment till she had been composed. She
will sleep for an hour or two, and by that time you can get her
home, and feed her as usual. I should be more anxious about Lady
Rosamond herself," he added, turning to Raymond. "She looks
completely worn out. Let me order you a basin of soup."

But Rosamond would not hear of it, she must get baby home directly.
Raymond advised a fly, but it was recollected that none was
attainable between the races and the ball, so the little one was
muffled in shawls and cloaks almost to suffocation, and the doctor
forced a glass of wine on her mother, and promised to look in the
next day. Still they had a delay at the door, caused by the
penitent Emma and her aunt, bent on telling how far they had been
from intending any harm; how Emma, when carrying the baby out, had
been over-persuaded by the cousins she had never disappointed
before; how they had faithfully promised to take her home early,
long before my lady's return; how she had taken baby's bottle, but
how it had got broken; how impossible it had been to move off the
ground in the throng; and how the poor baby's inconsolable cries had
caused the young nurse to turn aside to see whether her aunt could
find anything to prevent her from screaming herself into
convulsions.

Nothing but the most determined volubility on Mrs. Gadley's part
could have poured this into the ears of Raymond; Rosamond either
could not or would not heed, pushed forward, past the weeping Emma,
and pulled away her dress with a shudder, when there was an attempt
to draw her back and make her listen.

"Don't, girl," said Raymond. "Don't you see that Lady Rosamond
can't attend to you? If you have anything to say, you must come
another time. You've done quite enough mischief for the present."

"Yes," said the doctor, "tell your brother to put them both to bed,
and keep them quiet. I should like to prescribe the same for you,
Mr. Poynsett; you don't look the thing, and I suppose you are going
to take the ball by way of remedy."

Raymond thanked the doctor, but was too much employed in enveloping
his passengers to m