“‘She is right,’ said the Jack-in-a-box; ’and now let us get on.  The prisoner is delivered unreservedly into the hands of our trusty and well-beloved Rosa—­doll of the first class—­for punishment according to the strict law of tit for tat.’

“‘I shall request the assistance of the pewter tea-things,’ said Rosa, with her usual smile.  ‘And now, my love,’ she added, turning to me, ’we will come and sit down.’

“Where the go-cart vanished to I cannot remember, nor how I got out of it; I only know that I suddenly found myself free, and walking away with my hand in Rosa’s.  I remember vacantly feeling the rough edge of the stitches on her flat kid fingers, and wondering what would come next.

“‘How very oddly you hold your feet, my dear,’ she said; ’you stick out your toes in such an eccentric fashion, and you lean on your legs as if they were table legs, instead of supporting yourself by my hand.  Turn your heels well out, and bring your toes together.  You may even let them fold over each other a little; it is considered to have a pretty effect among dolls,’

“Under one of the big trees Miss Rosa made me sit down, propping me against the trunk as if I should otherwise have fallen; and in a moment more a square box of pewter tea-things came tumbling up to our feet, where the lid burst open, and all the tea-things fell out in perfect order; the cups on the saucers, the lid on the teapot, and so on.

“‘Take a little tea, my love?’ said Miss Rosa, pressing a pewter teacup to my lips.

“I made believe to drink, but was only conscious of inhaling a draught of air with a slight flavour of tin.  In taking my second cup I was nearly choked with the teaspoon, which got into my throat.

“‘What are you doing?’ roared the Jack-in-a-box at this moment; ’you are not punishing her.’

“‘I am treating her as she treated me,’ answered Rosa, looking as severe as her smile would allow.  ’I believe that tit for tat is the rule, and that at present it is my turn.’

“‘It will be mine soon,’ growled the Jack-in-a-box, and I thought of the bonfire with a shudder.  However, there was no knowing what might happen before his turn did come, and meanwhile I was in friendly hands.  It was not the first time my dolly and I had sat together under a tree, and, truth to say, I do not think she had any injuries to avenge.

“‘When your wig comes off,’ murmured Rosa, as she stole a pink kid arm tenderly round my neck, ’I’ll make you a cap with blue and white rosettes, and pretend that you have had a fever.’

“I thanked her gratefully, and was glad to reflect that I was not yet in need of an attention which I distinctly remember having shown to her in the days of her dollhood.  Presently she jumped up.

“‘I think you shall go to bed now, dear,’ she said, and, taking my hand once more, she led me to the big doll’s bedstead, which, with its pretty bed-clothes and white dimity furniture, looked tempting enough to a sleeper of suitable size.  It could not have supported one quarter of my weight.