“O Mary Jay,” said Lucy, “you’ll stifle him.”
“No,” said Mary Jay, “he has more air to breathe than he had in the egg-shell; the great thing is to keep him warm.”
When Mary Jay had got the little duckling comfortably established in his basket, she went out into the kitchen, and put the basket in a pretty warm corner, and left him. Then she told Lucy that it was time for her to go home.
“Do you think that the duckling will live?” said Lucy.
“No,” said Mary Jay, “I am afraid not—but we can tell by the time you come to school to-morrow morning.”
When it was time for Lucy to come home from her school the next day, Royal went out to the door to watch for her; for Lucy had told him about the duckling, and he was very eager to hear whether it was alive or not. After waiting some time, he caught a glimpse of Lucy’s bonnet, through the trees, as she was coming along the road. When she had advanced so far as to come into full view, he saw that she had a little basket in her hand, which she was bringing along very carefully.
“Lucy,” said Royal, calling out aloud to her, “what have you got there?”
Lucy looked up, and, seeing Royal, began to run along a little, very gently, towards him; but she checked herself immediately, finding that it shook the basket too much. So she contented herself with walking as fast as she could, calling out at the same time, in reply to Royal,—
“I’ve got the little duckling. Mary Jay has given it to me.”