it had broken out in the night and she undressed them all and put
them into bed and gave them medicine. She could not find Lady
Patsy, so _she_ escaped the contagion. The truth was that Lady
Patsy had stayed all night at Racketty-Packetty House, where they
were giving an imitation Court Ball with Peter Piper in a tin
crown, and shavings for supper--because they had nothing else, and
in fact the gentleman mouse had brought the shavings from his nest
as a present.

[Transcriber's Note: See picture gentleman_mouse.jpg]

Cynthia played nearly all day and the Duchess and Lady Gwendolen
and Lady Muriel and Lady Doris and Lord Hubert and Lord Francis and
Lord Rupert got worse and worse.

By evening they were all raging in delirium and Lord Francis and
Lady Gwendolen had strong mustard plasters on their chests. And
right in the middle of their agony Cynthia suddenly got up and went
away and left them to their fate--just as if it didn't matter in
the least. Well in the middle of the night Meg and Peg and Lady
Patsy wakened all at once.

"Do you hear a noise?" said Meg, lifting her head from her ragged
old pillow.

[Transcriber's Note: See picture noise.jpg]

"Yes, I do," said Peg, sitting up and holding her ragged old
blanket up to her chin.