Flossy became quite a light sleeper herself, and would sometimes steal into the nursery and try to quiet the baby; so that, on the whole, for some time, even at night, the lodgers heard no sound of the new little inmate. But all happy and worthy things come to an end, and so, alas! did the baby’s good behaviour. There came a night, about three months after her arrival, and when she was about six months old, when baby was very restless, cross, and fidgety, with the cutting of her first tooth. The children had quite worn themselves out in
her cause in the daytime, and Snip-snap had allowed himself to be arrayed in all his costumes for her benefit; but Martha had come to bed as tired and weary as the baby herself, and in consequence she fell fast asleep, and never heard the little creature’s cries.
Peter and Flossy heard them at the other side of the wall, and knowing that they were much louder and more piercing than usual, they both got up and, hand-in-hand, went to the nursery door. Snip-snap also followed them, but unwillingly, and with his tail between his legs. The door on this unfortunate night was locked, and the children could not get in. Martha slept on, and the baby screamed on, and presently poor Peter and Flossy heard Mr Martin get up and ring his bell violently. Mrs Potts was also heard to open her room door and come out on the landing, and
sniff in a very disagreeable way, and go back again. Flossy’s heart quite beat with terror, and Peter said:
‘It’s all up, Flossy; they’ll all know about our baby in the morning.’
‘What’ll they do?’ asked Flossy in an awe-struck voice.
‘I don’t know,’ answered Peter. ‘I daren’t think. Something bad I ’spect.’
Then the two children crept back to their beds, and Flossy cried herself to sleep.
