“I’m afraid she’ll punish you,” said the doll, sighing. “I only hope she won’t throw you out of the tree.” “Gracious!” cried Master Bogey, “what an idea! Why, my mother is the best mother in the world! I know what put that into your head, all the same. I saw one of the little girls throw her doll on the ground once, when I was looking down from the branches. It wasn’t you, I trust?” “Indeed it was,” said she; “that was Miss Jane, and I am her doll. I am very unhappy, for she is dreadfully cruel to me. Sometimes she bangs me on the floor and puts me in the corner for hours. And look at my clothes! The others are lucky—they belong to Josephine and Julia. They have each got a new dress, but this ragged one is all I have, and only one shoe.” The tears ran down her face, poor little thing! “Show me Miss Jane, and I will go and kill her!” cried Master Bogey, in a rage. “Oh no, no!” begged the doll. “If you did that, I might be thrown away. No one would care to keep a shabby thing like me. I might be flung into the ashpit.” “I would soon go and fetch you if you were,” said Master Bogey gallantly. “But show me Jane; if I could even shake my fist at her I should be happier.” “Will you promise not to do any harm if I take you to the night-nursery?” said she. He promised, and they went, hand in hand, down the long passage to the room where Josephine, Julia and Jane slept. They went in on tiptoe. The sisters were sleeping in a row in their little white beds with frilled curtains; they really looked very pretty with their hair lying spread upon the pillows. “That is Josephine,” said the doll, pointing to the eldest, “and the next is Julia, and the one nearest the door is Jane, my mistress.” Josephine and Julia were smiling in their sleep, but as they looked, Jane turned over and tossed, grinding her teeth. “I am afraid she is having a bad dream,” explained the doll. “Serve her right! I wish she could have two at once!” said Master Bogey. At last he thought it was time for him to be getting home, and the doll said she would go down with him to the hall. He was very sad, for he did not know when he should see her again; and she was sad, too. “The very first time they leave the door open I will come back,” said he. “Oh, I hope it will be soon!” she said. “Whenever Jane is bad to me I will think about you, and every night I will look out and try to see you.” “And I will look for you,” replied Master Bogey, as he slipped out of the front door. Next morning he told Madam Bogey all that he had done, and, though she read him a long lecture on curiosity, she could not help being interested. “A good whipping is what Jane wants,” she remarked, “and if I were her nurse she should get it.”