Bob Robins Baby 167

“Don't be silly and ignorant, Cecilia!
Are those hortible little putty-coloured worm-
bags which emerge from eggs in the least
like we? I should think not indeed. Well,
don’t they grow into robins ?”

“T suppose you must be right, Robert,”
said Mrs. R.

“T am, Cecilia. Well, when that baby
grew up to be a man, like Erthupp, he
might be of great utility. You see, he
would be my son, and under my orders.
He could dig up worms and grubs for us
all day: I would undertake his intuition
myself.”

“T'm afraid I could hardly manage it,”
said Mrs. R. doubtfully.

“Then what is the use of you, my dear?
I might just as well have married an incubus
—that can hatch out mere birds! Now I'll
tell you what I’ve decided to do. I will
carry that egg of yours into that nursery, and
put it in the baby’s nest; and I have no
doubt that the influence of association will
cause it to hatch out a baby—and that will
be our baby.”