"My! but there's a lot of work before us! Do you know, girls, I actually lay awake for an hour last night, wondering what faults I had, and now, since this squabble, I've seen signs of half a dozen. It's taken all the starch out of me. Don't I look limp?" And Miriam hung her hands and arms so nervelessly and assumed such a vapid expression, that Fannie laughed outright, and Winnie smiled through her tears.
"Well, there's one bad habit that we all have," said she decidedly. "We're always saying, 'in a minute,' or 'by and by,' or 'to-morrow.' I don't believe we'll get angry with each other over that, for it isn't what my father would call 'a personal peculiarity.'" Winnie did like to use big words.
"All right, Winnie, we'll all begin together, and you shall be the captain of our first expedition against the foe."
Winnie went home somewhat comforted, but still quite unhappy about Gretta. She longed to tell her mother all that had happened, but Mrs. Burton was entertaining callers, and she was therefore obliged to restrain her impatience.
On Tuesdays there were fewer recitations for her class than on other days, and, having made good use of her study bells, she was quite through before five o'clock, and concluded to take Ralph out for a walk, so she called her mother to ask permission. Mrs. Burton was quite willing, and said she might also go to the library and change her book. Then she returned to her guests.
Winnie ran to ask Norah if she would help get Ralph ready. She found her in the wooden rocking-chair in the cheerful kitchen, reading the "Commercial Gazette," and "taking it easy," as she called it. Winnie made her request in a very peremptory manner. Norah looked at her a minute, and then said: "So you want me to dress Ralph, do you? Well, I guess that want will have to be your master, for I don't intend to break my back over the wash-tub all day, and, when I'm snatching a moment for rest, be at the beck and call of a sassy little girl." So saying, Norah returned to her newspaper, completely ignoring Winnie's presence.
Winnifred knew that it would be utterly useless to say anything more; besides, she had been reproved by her mother more than once for her way of speaking to Norah. But she was greatly disappointed, for now she would either have to take Ralph dressed as he was, or leave him at home. She finally concluded to do the former, so, hastily getting Ralph and herself into their coats, they were soon in the street car.
Ralph, as usual, had numberless questions to ask. When they reached Fountain Square, they got out, and Winnie, as she invariably did when down town, crossed to the Esplanade to look at the fountain, of which she never wearied. Ralph said he liked to see the little boys and girls sprinkling, and then he must have a drink from the little boy with a shell in his hand.
All this took up time, so that when they reached the public library it was quite late. The delivery room, as usual at that hour, was crowded, and, having handed in her card and list, Winnie sat down on one of the benches to wait till her number was called. This took so long that Ralph became restless and then sleepy, and when they were finally in the car on their way home, he soon closed his eyes. Winnie knew that she would have her hands full if he went to sleep, so she shook him, saying, "Ralphie, Ralphie, don't you know that you mustn't go to sleep?"
"Me isn't s'eepy!" said the little fellow, poking his chubby fingers into his eyes to keep them open; but, finding it quite hard work, after a minute's consideration he added, "But there's somefin in my eyes, 'ough."