"You can join the rest now and introduce yourself," said the worker. The doll looked over her shoulder at her train. "It hangs very nicely," she said. "I hope it's the latest fashion." "Mine never talked like that," said Flora. "My best one could only say 'Mamma,' and it said it very badly, too." "She was foolish for saying it at all," remarked the doll, haughtily. "We don't talk and walk before ordinary people; we keep our accomplishments for our own amusement, and for the amusement of our friends. If you should chance to get up in the middle of the night, some time, or should run into the room suddenly some day, after you have left it, you might hear--but what is the use of talking to human beings?" "You know a great deal, considering you are only just finished," snapped Baby, who really was a Tartar. "I was FINISHED," retorted the doll "I did not begin life as a baby!" very scornfully. "Pooh!" said Baby. "We improve as we get older." "I hope so, indeed," answered the doll. "There is plenty of room for improvement." And she walked away in great state. S.C. looked at Baby and then shook his head. "I shall not have to take very much care of you," he said, absent-mindedly. "You are able to take pretty good care of yourself." "I hope I am," said Baby, tossing her head. S.C. gave his head another shake. "Don't take too good care of yourself," he said. "That's a bad thing, too." He showed them the rest of his wonders, and then went with them to the door to bid them good-bye. "I am sure we are very much obliged to you, Mr. Claus," said Jem, gratefully. "I shall never again think you are not true, sir". S.C. patted her shoulder quite affectionately. "That's right," he said. "Believe in things just as long as you can, my dear. Good-bye until Christmas Eve. I shall see you then, if you don't see me." He must have taken quite a fancy to Jem, for he stood looking at her, and seemed very reluctant to close the door, and even after he had closed it, and they had turned away, he opened it a little again to call to her. "Believe in things as long as you can, my dear." "How kind he is!" exclaimed Jem full of pleasure. Baby shrugged her shoulders. "Well enough in his way," she said, "but rather inclined to prose and be old-fashioned." Jem looked at her, feeling rather frightened, but she said nothing. Baby showed very little interest in the next room she took them to. "I don't care about this place," she said, as she threw open the door. "It has nothing but old things in it. It is the Nobody-knows-where room." She had scarcely finished speaking before Jem made a little spring and picked something up. "Here's my old strawberry pincushion!" she cried out. And then, with another jump and another dash at two or three other things, "And here's my old fairy-book! And here's my little locket I lost last summer! How did they come here?" "They went Nobody-knows-where," said Baby. "And this is it."