"It isn't that," said Henrietta, smiling through her tears. "You see, I had a baby cousin in England that I just hated to leave--Oh, the sweetest, daintiest little-girl baby--and she'll be all grown up and gone before I ever see her again. I simply adored that baby." "Never mind," soothed Bettie, generously. "We've any number of real babies at our house and three of them are small enough to cuddle. And even the littlest one is big enough to be played with." "What an accommodating family," said Henrietta, wiping her eyes. "I guess they'll make up for this remarkable infant." "Rosa Marie certainly isn't looking her best to-day," admitted Jean, "but you'll really find her very interesting when you know her better. But she never does appeal to strangers--we've found _that_ out." "And just now," said Bettie, "she's surely a sight; but when you've seen her in the cunning little Indian costume that Mr. Black bought for her you'll really like her." "Perhaps," said Henrietta, doubtfully. CHAPTER XXII A Full Afternoon "NOW," said Mrs. Crane, with a note of pride in her tone, "I want to show you what Peter Black's been doing _this_ time. It's in the library." The interested girls followed Mrs. Crane into the cozy, book-lined room. Mr. Black's purchases were apt to be worth seeing, for, now that he had a family after so many years of solitude, he was spending his money lavishly. And he delighted in surprising his elderly sister with unusual gifts. "There," said Mrs. Crane, pointing to a square cabinet of polished wood. "What do you think of that! Can you guess what it is?" "I think," replied Jean, "it's a cupboard for your very prettiest tea-cups--the ones that are too nice to use." "_I_ think," said Marjory, "that it's a fire-proof safe to keep Rosa Marie's plaid dress in, so it won't set the house afire." "I guess," said Bettie, "it's some sort of a refrigerator to use on Sundays only." "It looks to me," ventured Mabel, "like a cage with a monkey in it. I've seen them in processions, only they were fancier." "I _know_ what it is," said Henrietta, "because we have one like it, but ours isn't as nice as this." "Now turn your backs," requested Mrs. Crane. In another moment the girls were listening to a delightful concert. Wonderful music was pouring from the polished cabinet. "I was the nearest right," asserted Mabel. "Why!" objected Bettie, "you said it was a monkey--monkeys don't sing." "I was right, just the same. It's a hand organ, and everybody knows that a monkey's pretty near the same thing." The girls laughed, for Mabel, who was usually wrong, always insisted obstinately that she was right. "It's a phonograph," explained Henrietta, "and the very best one I ever heard." "It's a whole brass band," breathed Bettie. "I knew it was good," said Mrs. Crane, contentedly, "for Peter refused to tell what he paid for it."