“Nope,” Danny spoke up quickly, “just like chockaluts.”

“How sweet of him, isn’t it, really?” she said, “with the world all before him, the great untried future lying vast and prophetic waiting for his baby feet to enter.  Well has Dr. Parker said; ’A little child is a bundle of possibilities and responsibilities.’”

“If ye please, ma’am,” Pearlie said timidly, not wishing to contradict the lady, but still anxious to set her right, “it was just this blanket I had him rolled in.”

At which Camilla again retired to the pantry with precipitate haste.

“Did you see the blue, blue sky, Daniel, and the white, white snow, and did you see the little snow-birds, whirling by like brown leaves?” Mrs. Francis asked with an air of great childishness.

“Nope,” said Danny shortly, “didn’t see nothin’.”

“Please, ma’am,” began Pearlie again, “it was the cloud around his head on account of the earache that done it.”

“It is sweet to look into his innocent young eyes and wonder what visions they will some day see,” went on Mrs. Francis, dreamily, but there she stopped with a look of horror frozen on her face, for at the mention of his eyes Danny remembered his best trick and how well it had worked on Camilla, and in a flash his eyes were drawn down and his mouth stretched to its utmost limit.

“What ails the child?” Mrs. Francis cried in alarm.  “Camilla, come here.”

Camilla came out of the pantry and gazed at Danny with sparkling eyes, while Pearlie, on the verge of tears, vainly tried to awaken in him some sense of the shame he was bringing on her.  Camilla hurried to the pantry again, and brought another cookie.  “I believe, Mrs. Francis, that Danny is hungry,” she said.  “Children sometimes act that way,” she added, laughing.

“Really, how very interesting; I must see if Dr. Parker mentions this strange phenomenon in his book.”

“Please, ma’am, I think I had better take him home now,” said Pearlie.  She knew what Danny was, and was afraid that greater disgrace might await her.  But when she tried to get him back into the blanket he lost every joint in his body and slipped to the floor.  This is what she had feared—­Danny had gone limber.

“I don’t want to go home” he wailed dismally.  “I want to stay with her, and her; want to see the yalla burds, want a chockalut.”

“Come Danny, that’s a man,” pleaded Pearlie, “and I’ll tell you all about the lovely pink lady when we go home, and I’ll get Bugsey’s gum for ye and I’ll—­”

“No,” Danny roared, “tell me how about the pink lady, tell her, and her.”

“Wait till we get home, Danny man.”  Pearlie’s grief flowed afresh.  Disgrace had fallen on the Watsons, and Pearlie knew it.

“It would be interesting to know what mental food this little mind has been receiving.  Please do tell him the story, Pearlie.”