"Caloline ... Caloline ... is you going to wake up.... Oh, _do_ wake up, Caloline!"
Caroline opened her eyes, paused, and then, with an effort, pushed herself forward, resting on her elbow.
"Is there somebody there?" she asked, in such a funny, wavering voice.
For answer a very hot and a very small hand came creeping over the white sheet like a little mouse.
"It's me ... Babsy.... They've sented me away all the time, nasty unkind peoples. But I crawled in, and I _do_ want you, Caloline."
It was a stupendous undertaking, entailing much slipping and dragging at the bed-clothes, but at last a small, hot, dishevelled little person had crawled close to the pillow and was kissing the white face lying there and cuddling a weak hand and arm as if it were a doll.
"Betty's dog has comed; he's a awful duck, but she won't let me have nothing of him. Isn't she selfish?"
The little soft face pressed close to the white one.
Baby lay and stared dreamily about the room.
"Fancy a real growned-up thing going to sleep for all the days."
"I am very sorry," said Caroline, humbly.
The door was pushed open here in the softest way possible, and a voice whispered cautiously from the aperture----
Baby giggled, and put her finger up in a warning fashion, but Betty was not deceived.
"I know you're here," she said, "and you didn't ought to come. You know what Aunty Brenny said. You was to leave Caroline alone."
"Nasty thing!" said Baby, suddenly, in abusive fashion.
Caroline said, "Hush!" but this brought Betty straight to the bed. It took her just a minute to climb and nestle down on the other side.
"How long has she been here, little pickle?" she demanded.
The wooliness had gone from Caroline's brain.
"Don't tease her, darling," she urged, and she smoothed Baby's downy cheek soothingly as she spoke.
"She _is_ a pickle," retorted Betty. "A horrid pickle."
"Watch the blind," she said, "and you will see the sunbeam fairy sail into the room."
But Betty had no use for fairies this afternoon.
"My dog's got a silver collar. He's called Box."
"Who brought him?" asked Caroline, in a low voice.
The girl's heart gave a bang. She tried to remember when it was that she had staggered into this cool, restful bed with that aching torture in her brow and eyes.