While the girls were talking about her the baby had sat quietly on Dorothy’s lap looking from one to another with her solemn, brown eyes.  Ruth and Betty had made several attempts to get her to sit with them, but she only turned her head away and nestled closer to Dorothy, much to that young lady’s delight.

“I wish mother would let me keep her always,” said Dolly with a little sigh.  “I should just love to take care of her.”

“For how long?” laughed Charlotte.

“Now, Charlotte, don’t be horrid.  Just because you get tired of children is no reason I should,” answered Dorothy, putting on the superior air which Charlotte couldn’t stand.

“Oh, fudge, you wouldn’t like it any better than I do if you really couldn’t get out of it,” snapped Charlotte.

“I’m the only one who really needs her, because I haven’t any sister or brother,” said Ruth, holding out her arms once more to the baby.  “And, of course, I can’t have her.”

To her surprise this time the little Elsa half smiled at her, and, as though wanting to make up to her for the sister she couldn’t have, put out her own chubby hands.  Ruth took her quickly before she should have time to repent and sat down with her.

“She saw your watch,” said Dorothy as the baby put up a timid finger to touch it.

“I’m glad there’s something about me she likes,” retorted Ruth quickly.  “Perhaps in time, Dolly, she’ll love me for myself alone, as she does you.”

Dorothy colored, and it seemed as if the baby were likely to be the innocent cause of trouble, but Betty, who was a born peacemaker, stepped into the breach with eager unconsciousness.  She had been thinking deeply for some minutes and her smooth forehead was puckered perplexedly as she spoke.

“You’re always laughing at me for my queer ideas, girls, but this time I’ve really thought of something,” she said with repressed excitement.”

“Does it hurt, Betsy?” inquired Charlotte with pretended anxiety.

“Why can’t the Social Six,” went on Betty, ignoring her flippant friend, “adopt the baby and bring her up?”

“For goodness’ sake, Betty, what do you think we are, millionaires?” protested Charlotte.

“No, of course not.  But I know that I could earn a little money every week if I wanted to work for it, and I can’t bear to think of this darling baby going into an orphan asylum.”

Betty leaned over and kissed the dimpled hand as she spoke, looking so tender and motherly that the girls forgot to laugh at her.  The baby, who had been sitting contentedly on Ruth’s lap, received the kiss with favor, and then looking at the girls hovering around her smiled sweetly as if taking them all into her affection at once.

“Isn’t she a perfect dear?” cried Dorothy, going down on her knees before her.  “I’m with you, Betty; she shall have most of my allowance every week, and I know that we can get lots of help if we are only in earnest about it.”