"Beautiful"

She was a very levelheaded girl and had no idea that she might ever become dangerous here. Her visits brought a fresh breath of air into the doll's house, air that they all agreed was certainly needed there. But they felt they needed more airing, so they came out into the air, and Mamma-in-law and the young couple traveled to Italy.

"Thank heaven we are back in our own home again!" said both mother and daughter when they and Alfred returned home a year later.

"Traveling is no fun," said Mamma-in-law. "On the contrary, it's very tiring; pardon me for saying so. I found the time dragged, even though I had my children with me; and it is expensive, very expensive, to travel. All those galleries you have to see, and all the things you have to look at! You must do it for self-protection, because when you get back people are sure to ask you about them; and then they're sure to tell you that you've missed the most worth-while things. I got so tired at last of those everlasting Madonnas; I thought I would turn into a Madonna myself!"

"And the food one gets!" said Kala.

"Yes," agreed Mamma. "Not even a dish of honest meat soup! It is awful the way they cook!"

And Kala had become tired from traveling; she was always tired; that was the trouble. Sophie came to live with them, and her presence was a real help.

Mamma-in-law had to admit that Sophie understood both housekeeping and art, though you would hardly have expected a knowledge of the last from a person of her modest background. Moreover, she was honest and loyal; she showed that clearly when Kala lay sick, fading away.

If the case is everything, that case should be strong, or it is all over. And it was all over with the case-Kala died.

"She was so beautiful," said Mamma. "She was very different from the antiques, because they're all so damaged. Kala was completely perfect, just as a beauty should be."

Alfred wept and the Mother wept, and both went into mourning. The black dresses became Mamma very well, so she wore her mourning the longer.