Something of this new interest must have penetrated the señora's consciousness, for her wailing ceased; she cocked her head on one side like a listening parrakeet. "Who say babee? I theenk--I theenk--" Then she saw Sheila. A look of immediate recognition swept over her face, but it was gone the instant she looked at the atom. "Who that babee?" she demanded.
"Mine." Sheila pinned her with steady eyes, while her mouth looked as if it could never grow gentle and demure again.
Incredulity, suspicion, amazement, were all registered on the pretty, shallow face. "Your babee? How you get babee?"
The señora looked again at the atom; she held out a timorous finger to him. He responded cordially by curling a small fist promptly about it. "_Madre de Dios, qué bonito! Qué chico y hermoso!_" Then, to Sheila: "I give you seeck babee--eet no die? You make thees babee out of seeck babee, yes?"
The señora turned to the atom for the confirmation she desired. "_Nene, como te llamas?_"
It was intensely entertaining to the atom. He wagged the señora's finger frantically, tossed back his head, and gave forth a low, gurgling laugh. "_Jesu!_ That ees hees papa. He look like that when he laugh. _Tu nombre, nene--tu nombre?_" With a fresh outburst she sank down beside the carriage and buried her face in the brown legs and pink socks.
But the atom did not approve of this. His lower lip dropped and quivered; he reached out his arm to Sheila. "Ma-ma-ma-ma," he coaxed.
"You no ma-ma, I ma-ma." The señora was on her feet, shaking an angry fist at Sheila. But in an instant her anger was gone; she was down on her knees again, clasping Sheila's skirt, while her voice wailed forth in supplication. "You no keep leetle babee? You ver' good, ver' kind, señorita--you _muy simpatica_, yes? You give leetle babee. I ma-ma. Yes?"
But Sheila O'Leary stood grim and unyielding. "No. He is mine. When he was sick, dying, you didn't want him. You did not like to look at him because he was ugly; you did not like to hear him cry--so you abused him. Now, he's all well; he's a pretty baby; he does not cry; he does not scratch. I never shake him; he loves me very, very much. Now I keep him!" Thus Sheila delivered her ultimatum.