"Never mind, Helen," said Mrs. Harrison. "I can see now it was only a childish prank, and doubtless Marjorie and Gladys expected a good laugh over it; then they ran off unexpectedly and forgot all about the babies." Mrs. Maynard remembered then that Midget had said at the last moment that she had something to tell her, but that she had hurried the child off. "Still," she thought to herself, "that was no excuse for Midge. She should have told me." After a refreshing luncheon, Mrs. Harrison was able to view the matter more calmly. "Don't punish Marjorie for this, Helen," she said. "Children will be children, and I daresay those girls thought it would be a fine joke on me." "I certainly shall punish her, Mildred. She is altogether too thoughtless, and too careless of other people's feelings. She never does wilful or malicious wrong, but she tumbles into mischief thoughtlessly. She will be honestly grieved when she learns how frightened and upset you were, and she'll never do such a thing again. But, the trouble is she'll do some other thing that will be equally naughty, but something that no one can foresee or warn her against." "Well, just for my sake, Helen, don't punish her this time; at least, not much. I really oughtn't to have gone to pieces so; I ought to have realized that it could all be easily explained." But Mrs. Maynard would not promise to condone Midget's fault entirely, and argued that she really ought to be punished for what turned out to be a troublesome affair. Mrs. Harrison went home about four o'clock, and it was five before Marjorie returned. Her mother met her at the door. "Did you have a pleasant time, Marjorie?" she said. "Oh, yes, Mother; we had a lovely time. We went clear to Ridge Park. Oh, I _do_ love to ride in an automobile." "Go and take off your things, my child, and then come to me in my room." "Yes, Mother," said Marjorie, and she danced away to take off her hat. "Here I am, Mother," she announced, a little later. "Now shall I tell you all about my afternoon?" "Not quite yet, dear. I'll tell you all about my afternoon first. Mrs. Harrison had a very unhappy time, and of course that made me unhappy also." "Why, Mother, what was the trouble about?" Mrs. Maynard looked into the clear, honest eyes of her daughter, and sighed as she realized that Marjorie had no thought of what had made the trouble. "Why did you put Dotty Curtis' cloak and hat on Totty?" Then the recollection came back to Marjorie. "Oh, Mother!" she cried, as she burst into a ringing peal of laughter. "Wasn't it a funny joke! Did Mrs. Harrison laugh? Did she know her own baby?" "Marjorie, I'm ashamed of you. No, Mrs. Harrison did not laugh. Of course she knew that the child you left in the carriage was not her little Totty, and as she didn't know what had happened, she had a very bad scare, and her nerves were completely unstrung."