“I guess she must be stolen,” she said, “if her mother doesn’t know how old she is. Rosy, would you like to find your real family, and go to live in a beautiful home, where you would have lovely clothes to wear, and everybody would love you very much?” “Sure I would; I’d like it first rate. When can I go?” “Oh, not till you can remember your past. Try to think very hard, and perhaps your memory will begin to come back. Don’t you remember any little prayer or hymn, or--or anything like that? Stolen children in books generally do.” “They sings hymns at the mission,” said Rosy. “I went to the mission onect, but they said I couldn’t come again if I didn’t wash, so I didn’t go no more.” “But--but don’t you like to be clean?” gasped Dulcie. In her experience, stolen children always longed for cleanliness, as well as other blessings of life. “I hate washin’,” returned Rosy, with so much sincerity in her tone that it was impossible to doubt her. “She’s probably forgotten about taking baths,” whispered Paul. “She’ll be all right when she’s found.” “I don’t see how she’s ever going to be found,” said Dulcie, with a sigh, “if she can’t remember the least little thing. I’m afraid we’ll have to give it up.” “Oh, I say, that’s an awful shame!” cried Paul. “Maybe she’ll begin to remember in a few minutes.” “Maybe I will,” said Rosy, hopefully. “I want to go to that nice place, anyhow. Let’s come right along. It’s cold walkin’ so slow.” Dulcie clasped her hands in dismay. “I don’t know what to do,” she said, tragically. “We’ve raised her hopes, and we’ll have to disappoint her. Oh, I wish we hadn’t spoken to her at all.” “I’ll tell you what we might do,” exclaimed Molly, with a sudden inspiration. “Get her to take us home with her, and talk to the person she thinks is her mother. Maybe she’ll confess.” “Oh, Molly, we couldn’t. What would Grandma and Aunt Julia say?” “I don’t see that it matters what they say, if we are going to help a stolen child find her family,” said Paul. “They’ll be proud of us afterwards, especially if we get a big reward. Why, we might even be talked about in the newspaper.” But Dulcie was still doubtful. “I’m sure Grandma would be very angry,” she protested, “and Aunt Julia, too. Besides, we don’t know for sure that she ever was stolen. She says she wasn’t.” “I guess I made a mistake,” put in Rosy, eagerly. “I disremembered first, but now I come to think about it, I’m pretty sure I was stole. Anyhow, I want the nice clothes. I’ll show you the way to our tiniment. ’Tain’t far.” “Where is it?” inquired Dulcie, still far from convinced of the wisdom of the proceeding. “Over on Avenue A.” “Avenue A,” repeated Dulcie, with a shiver. “Oh, we’ve never been there in our lives. We can’t go with her, Paul, we really can’t.” “All right, you needn’t. I’m going, anyhow, and so’s Molly. We like to see new places, don’t we, Molly?”