"I will watch her," answered Umé. "It may be that the dolls forget all they learn about the tea-ceremony when they are shut up in the godown for a whole year. While I am teaching Yuki San, they may learn it all over again by most carefully watching us."
Tei laughed. "The illustrious dolls always behave most honorably well," she said. "Perhaps it is because they do not forget from year to year, but spend all their time in remembering."
Just then there was a happy little gurgle from the baby.
Umé turned quickly to see what she was doing. "O Yuki San! Yuki San!" she cried, running to the rescue.
But it was too late! While Umé had been talking with Tei, the baby had been pouring the tea over her head. She was still holding the bowl above her head when Umé looked, and the water was still trickling down over her hair and into her eyes.
She smiled sweetly up into Umé's face. "The honorable fountain!" she said.
"The Japanese tea-ceremony has nothing to do with the honorable fountain in the garden," said Umé as she clapped her hands for old Maru, the nurse.
"Naruhodo!" said old Maru, as she brought towels and wiped the tea from the baby and the mat with many exclamations of amazement.
"Naruhodo!" she repeated, as she watched the two older children try to teach something of the tea-ceremony to the baby.
But Yuki San was soon tired of sitting still. She like to watch the tea powder foam in the bowl, but when she tried to put her tiny hands into the dish and play they were fishes, Umé gave her a doll and sent her off to play by herself.