As she heard Rosy Posy’s shrieks of pain, it very nearly made her scream in sympathy. But she bravely put her fingers in her ears, and said, with a most pathetic look:
“Don’t let me hear her, Mopsy. If I do, I’ll cry, and then the doctor will leave her and come down here, and then she’ll die—oh, Marjorie!”
Kitty buried her head in her sister’s lap, and Marjorie, silently crying herself, held her hands helpfully over Kitty’s ears.
Miss Larkin fluttered around like a bewildered hen. She knew she was at the Maynard house for the purpose of taking care of the children in their parents’ absence, and here was an emergency—the very first one—and she hadn’t the slightest idea of how she could possibly make herself helpful in any way. The doctor and the servants were doing all that could be done for the baby, and Marjorie was comforting Kitty, which was all that could be done for that little girl. Then Miss Larkin’s eye fell on Kingdon, who, with hands in his pockets, stood looking out of the window. He was evidently trying hard not to cry, and apparently he, like Miss Larkin, could think of no way to be of any help. Rising, she made her way softly to the boy, and, putting her hand on his shoulder, said:
“Doctor Mendel’s fine, isn’t he? He’ll soon have the baby all right, I’m sure. Suppose you and I pick up those sheets, and put the room to rights a little; Sarah is busy in the nursery.”
How often occupation is a help in time of trouble!
Giving Miss Larkin a grateful glance, King turned to look at the room.
The sheets which had waved so gaily as Roman togas, now lay in dejected-looking heaps, the little one, alas! stained by the accident to the baby Cæsar.
Miss Larkin hastily picked up that one, and soon she and King had all the Roman toggery picked up and carried away. They put the furniture back in place, restored “Pompey’s Pillar” to its accustomed use as an umbrella-holder, and put all the daggers away in a desk drawer, that they might not unnerve anybody by their sad reminders.
Marjorie, with her loving little ways, had succeeded in quieting Kitty, and as the baby’s cries could no longer be heard, things began to look brighter all round.