"All right, my True Love. I can wait. Now, listen, and I'll tell you of the marvellous achievement of your daughter to-day!"
And Farnsworth listened with all his heart to the amazing tale of Fleurette's intelligent observation of a red balloon.
"Here I am!" she cried, as she stepped from the motor, and flew into Patty's embrace. "Where's your eccentric cousin I've heard about? But first, where's my godchild? I've brought her the loveliest presents! Let me at her!"
"All right," said Patty, laughing at her impatience, "come right along to the nursery before you take your hat off."
The two went to the nursery, and Patty softly opened the door. But the room was empty.
"That's funny," Patty said, "Winnie always has baby here at this hour. She takes her morning nap about now. Where can they be?"
The bassinette was disordered, as if the child had been taken from it, and Patty looked at it in amazement. She ran around to several adjoining rooms, and returned, with a frightened face.
"Elise, there's no sign of Baby or Winnie anywhere! What does it mean?"
"Goodness! _I_ don't know! Did the nurse go down to see her beau,--and take the baby with her?"
Just then Nurse Winnie appeared: "Here's the food, Mrs. Farnsworth," she said, showing a bowl of steaming white liquid. "It's all ready."
"Miss Thorpe came here fifteen minutes ago, and said you ordered me to a make a bowl of prepared food,--that Fleurette was not getting enough nourishment."
"Why, I did nothing of the sort! Where is Miss Thorpe? And where is the baby?"
"I don't know," and Winnie looked as if she thought Patty was crazy. "Don't you know, ma'am?"
Elise gave one glance at Patty's white, scared face and one glance At Nurse Winnie's red, frightened face, and then she herself began To scream.
"Stop that, Elise!" Patty cried, "it's bad enough to have my baby kidnapped, without your yelling like a Comanche! Hush, I tell you!"
But Elise wouldn't, or couldn't hush. The word "kidnapped" upset any composure she may have had left, and she burst into hysterical sobbing.
"Of course," she said brokenly, between sobs, "she's kidnapped! You and Bill are so--so wealthy and grand--she's just the child the kidnappers would pick out for ransom--and--"