The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 357, October 30, 1886

THE POOR LITTLE BARONESS, WHO WAS ASLEEP, STARTED UP.

s the baron had conjectured, the housemaid whom he had called out of the nursery to look for Léon's cane, on finding her master had gone without it, did not hurry back, but stopped talking to some of the other servants for perhaps a quarter of an hour, when she returned to the nursery, and to her amazement found the baby was gone. She was not alarmed at first, except she supposed she should get a scolding from the nurse, who she imagined had come in and taken the child to another room; however, having the excellent excuse that her master had called her away she went in search of the nurse, but now not finding her anywhere, and hearing from the footman that she was not expected back till very late, Marie became seriously alarmed.
Perhaps madame has taken it into her room; she might have heard it crying, and fetched it, suggested the footman, and Marie, very much against her will, felt she was in duty bound to go and see.
So, knocking at her mistress's door, she called out, Madame, has she taken the baby?
The poor little baroness, who was asleep, started up, and called to the servant to come in.
Madame, has she the baby? repeated the girl.
The baby? No, what do you mean? Where is it, and where is nurse? cried the baroness, jumping up and slipping on a dressing-gown and slippers.
Marie began to cry, and to pour forth such a volley of words, excuses, fears, alarms, and wonders that the baroness could make out nothing, and rushed to the nursery to see for herself what had happened. The empty cradle did not, however, throw much light upon it, and the servants who answered the bell, which the baroness clashed wildly, looked as scared as the sobbing Marie to find the baby had disappeared. A search from attic to basement was at once instituted, the men-servants were sent into the grounds with lanterns, the whole house was turned topsy-turvy, in the midst of which the nurse returned, and finding her baby was gone, went into violent hysterics, while the young baroness, with flying hair and dilated eyes, rushed about, wringing her hands, and looking, as she felt, distracted with grief.