“Oh, don’t,” said Rosie, “can’t you see he’s unhappy? I must go and speak to him. Fred,” she said, going up to the child, “come and play with Alec and me.”
“No,” said Fred, “I’se too little to p’ay.”
“But we’ll have such an easy play, Fred. Do come; I wish you would.”
“I’se too little,” answered Fred, shaking his head again.
At that moment Rosie and her two elder brothers were called out of the room to their morning lessons. Rosie’s heart ached as she went away.
“Something must be done,” she said to herself. “That new little boy-baby will get quite ill if we can’t think of something to please him soon.”
She did not know that a very unexpected little deliverer was at hand. The two babies were now alone in the nursery, and Patience, having finished her tidying up, sat down to her sewing.
Patience lifted him on her lap, popped him down with a bounce, kissed him, and began,—
“Tic, tac, too,