"Poor lamb, she's hungry. Jest you run, there's a dear."
He ran. The chemist, a newcomer, had set up his shop very conveniently at the corner of Acacia Avenue.
As Ransome approached, a familiar figure emerged from the shop doorway; it stood there for a moment as if undecided, then turned and disappeared round the corner.
It was Leonard Mercier.
"What on earth," thought Ranny, "is old Jujubes doing here?"
The flying wonder of it had barely flicked his brain when it was gone. Ranny's thoughts were where his heart was, where he was back again in an instant, in the bedroom with Winny and the Baby.
He prepared the child's food under Winny's directions (it was wonderful how Winny seemed to know); and before nightfall, what with rocking and singing, she had soothed the Baby to sleep.
Nightfall, and Violet hadn't come back.
"I'm glad she's got out at last," Winny said. "She's had such an awful day."