“The Duchess told me,” she said, rather slowly because it was bad news--“The Duchess said that Cynthia went away because her Mama had sent for her--and her Mama had sent for her to tell her that a little girl princess is coming to see her to-morrow. Cynthia’s Mama used to be a maid of honor to the Queen and that’s why the little girl Princess is coming. The Duchess said--” and here Ridiklis spoke very slowly indeed, “that the nurse was so excited she said she did not know whether she stood on her head or her heels, and she must tidy up the nursery and have that Racketty-Packetty old dolls’ house carried down stairs and burned, early to-morrow morning. That’s what the Duchess _said_--” Meg and Peg and Kilmanskeg clutched at their hearts and gasped and Gustibus groaned and Lady Patsy caught Peter Piper by the arm to keep from falling. Peter Piper gulped--and then he had a sudden cheerful thought. “Perhaps she was raving in delirium,” he said. “No, she wasn’t,” said Ridiklis shaking her head, “I had just given her hot water and cold, and gruel, and broth, and castor oil, and ipecacuanha and put ice almost all over her. She was as sensible as any of us. To-morrow morning we shall not have a house over our heads,” and she put her ragged old apron over her face and cried. [Transcriber’s Note: See picture apron.jpg] “If she wasn’t raving in delirium,” said Peter Piper, “we shall not have any heads. You had better go back to the Castle tonight, Patsy. Racketty-Packetty House is no place for you.” Then Lady Patsy drew herself up so straight that she nearly fell over backwards. “I--will--_never_--leave you!” she said, and Peter Piper couldn’t make her. You can just imagine what a doleful night it was. They went all over the house together and looked at every hole in the carpet and every piece of stuffing sticking out of the dear old shabby sofas, and every broken window and chair leg and table and ragged blanket-- and the tears ran down their faces for the first time in their lives. About six o’clock in the morning Peter Piper made a last effort. [Transcriber’s Note: See picture together.jpg] “Let’s all join hands in a circle,” he said quite faintly, “and dance round and round once more.” But it was no use. When they joined hands they could not dance, and when they found they could not dance they all tumbled down in a heap and cried instead of laughing and Lady Patsy lay with her arms round Peter Piper’s neck. Now here is where I come in again--Queen Crosspatch--who is telling you this story. I always come in just at the nick of time when people like the Racketty-Packettys are in trouble. I walked in at seven o’clock. “Get up off the floor,” I said to them all and they got up and stared at me. They actually thought I did not know what had happened. “A little girl Princess is coming this morning,” said Peter Piper, and our house is going to be burned over our heads. This is the end of Racketty-Packetty House.”