"Not now; some other time," Jan said with equal firmness.
"Mack!" said the baby, and suited the action to the word by dealing her aunt a good hard smack on the arm.
"You mustn't do that," said Jan; "it's not kind."
"Mack, mack, mack," in crescendo with accompanying blows.
Jan caught the little hand, while Peter and Tony, interested spectators, said nothing. She held it firmly. "Listen, little Fay," she said, very gently. "If you do that again I shall take you to Ayah in the nursery. Just once again, and you go."
Jan loosed the little hand, and instantly it dealt her a resounding slap on the cheek.
It is of no avail to kick and scream and wriggle in the arms of a strong, decided young aunt. For the second time that day, a vociferously struggling baby was borne back to the nursery.
As the yells died away in the distance, Tony turned right round on Peter's knee and faced him: "She does what she says," he remarked in an awestruck whisper.
"And a jolly good thing too," answered Peter.
When Jan came back she brought her sister with her. Lalkhan brought tea, and Tony went with him quite meekly to the nursery. They heard him chattering to Lalkhan in Hindustani as they went along the passage.