"That is not the question," said North, a little hotly. "In the
first place, the child is not mine to give. It has fallen into my
hands as a trust,--the first hands that received it from its
parents. I do not think it right to allow any other hands to come
between theirs and mine."

Miss Bessy left the window. In another moment she appeared from
the house, and, walking directly towards North, held out a somewhat
substantial hand. "Good!" she said, as she gave his fingers an
honest squeeze. "You ain't so looney after all. Dad, he's right!
He shan't gin it up, but we'll go halves in it, he and me. He'll
be father and I'll be mother 'til death do us part, or the reg'lar
family turns up. Well--what do you say?"

More pleased than he dared confess to himself with the praise of
this common girl, Mr. James North assented. Then would he see the
baby? He would, and Trinidad Joe having already seen the baby, and
talked of the baby, and felt the baby, and indeed had the baby
offered to him in every way during the past night, concluded to
give some of his valuable time to logging, and left them together.

Mr. North was obliged to admit that the baby was thriving. He
moreover listened with polite interest to the statement that the
baby's eyes were hazel, like his own; that it had five teeth; that
she was, for a girl of that probable age, a robust child; and yet
Mr. North lingered. Finally, with his hand on the door-lock, he
turned to Bessy and said,--

"May I ask you an odd question, Miss Robinson?"