Mrs. Garnett was
with him now, and had had a "great deal of trouble in lulling him off to
sleep, the pretty dear."
We had reached the children's corridor by this time, and I heard the
full, cosy tones of Mrs. Garnett's voice in "Hush a bye, baby," and the
sound of rockers on the floor. The sound made me indignant that my baby
should be soothed with that wooden tapping. No wonder so many children
suffered from irritability of the brain; for I was as full of theories
as a sucking politician.
"Ook, gurgle-da," exclaimed baby, and pointed a fat finger at me over
Mrs. Garnett's shoulder. Of course he was not asleep; it would have been
an insult to his infantine wisdom to suppose it.
"Oh, Master Baby," exclaimed Hannah, reproachfully. "I did think he had
gone off then, Mrs. Garnett; and you have been rocking him for the best
part of an hour."
"Ah, he misses his old nurse," returned Mrs. Garnett, placidly. She was
a pretty-looking woman, with flaxen hair, just becoming streaked with
grey. Perhaps she was a widow, for she wore a black gown, and a cap with
soft floating ends, and had a plaintive look in her eyes. "I hope he
will take to you, my dear, for he nearly fretted his little heart out
last night, bless him; and Mrs. Morton crept up at two o'clock in the
morning, when Mr.
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