"There's a many as thoughtless as you, and more so."
Mitchell laughed scornfully. His wife also laughed a very little, and baby chuckled as if he too thought his aunt's ignorance of the world very amusing; but none of these laughs moved Juliet even to smile.
Then Emma Rowles began to tie her bonnet-strings, and to pull her mantle on her shoulders.
"I will take back the empty basket, please," she said. "And, Thomas,—Mary,—I want you to let me take something else."
"There's not much you can take," said Thomas.
"Will you lend me one of your children?"
"Oh, not my precious, precious baby-boy!" cried Mary, throwing aside the mantle. "He's the only baby we've got now!"
"No, not baby; I should be rather afraid of him. But one of the others."
"Well—" and Mrs. Mitchell hesitated.
"Take me," said Juliet, in a low, hard voice. "I'm that stupid and awkward and careless that I'm no good to anybody. And I don't want to learn, and I don't want to be good. All I want is mutton-chops and puddings, and new boots."