Year: 1869

In MS pleasaBty0lce, only a tone OF TWO
lower and softer than usual and |
stood up, not stirring a step to meet
him, or holding out my hand to take
his. Ofall 1.-The things that had dreaded,
the worst was this first meeting with
Matthew. ] had not known all the
bitterness Of shame until then; and / felt
my face burning, and my tongue seemed
to eleaYe TO the roof Of my mouth.
/ was exceedingly filed With contempt,
like the Psalmist.


"Hannah," said he, taking a seat
between father and me, and laying one
hand upon mine and the other upon
fathers knee, "1'm come here this
evening to ask you to be my wife"


80 no, no" 1 said, almost in pas
sion Of surprise, 81 never can be your
wife now, Matthew. will never bring
my shame into your house. You don't
know all. Perhaps the worst has not
come yet If Nelly should ever get
we'll"


81 know everything" "vhe said, stop
ping me. 'Dr. ROmaine has told me
all about it, Hannah. But if the worst
should come, wouldn't it be easier to
bear if shared it with you 2"


Easier to bear! Why: for a minute
or two it seemed as there could MT be
any cross OF burden to carry at all, if
Matthew was to share it with me. But
/ could not let him stoOp SO low as we
had fallen.


"Youv'e taken the heaviest part of
the load off me-" said |. II was most
afraid of seeing you again, Matthew.
But it would be sinful shame to let
you wed me now"


doctor Romaine does not think so"
he answered; and to everything / said
he brought forward DR.. Romaine, who
was like king among US; and | soon
found out that those two had settled it
all between themselves, and it was as
we'll to give in soon as late. How my
poor father frightened ups though he
was still sorrowful and shakyi One
thing. however, l did insist upon
that Matthew should wait until Nelly
was better, unless-and the tears rolled
down my cheeks, and dropped upon
my hands-she shOuld be out of her
right mind next New Years Day.


The next morning Matthew drove
me in his gig down to HopwOod-gate
to see the child which had been left
there on New Years morning, or
rather in the dead of the night, as Mrs.
Evans told me. Of course there could
not be any real likeness to anybody at
that age but / knelt down beside the
old wooden cradle, and peered into the
little face, as if l expected to find out
all about its short history, Was this
indeed Nelly's child7 and who was the
father of it7 and why was it brought
here Z and what had the surly stranger
who had cursed me to do with it For
now felt certain that it was none other
than he who had left the baby at Hop
wood-gate. / asked to see the clothes
it had on, but there was nothing in them
to answer any of my questions. They
were just plain unmarked clothesi GER
tainly not Nelly's stitching, for could
have sworn anywhere to that as we'll as
to her handwriting Aud, besides th G
clothes there was nothing but piece
of an old horse-rug, which had laid
within the basket. 1t was a faded
green and black rug; and upon it in
red braid were the letters n B.


an. b." said ! to Matthew, 81 often
see N. B. in the newspapers. What
does it mean?''


'Take good notice." said he smiling.


'FYou may depend upon me for that" !"
said l.


1t was easy work to persuade Mrs.
Evans to give up the poor, lost, for
saken child to my care; with two
pound ten out Of the five-pound. note
that had been left with it in the basket.
! could not tell for certain that it was
INelly's baby; but my heart was soft
ened towards all desolate children, and
l thought maybe this was my way for
doing what DR. Romaine was doing.
The first time DR.. Romaine passed by,
he left his carriage, and came into the
house to see the child; but of course
he could tell no more than | could, for
it was nothing more nor less than a
little, red, round baby face, like most
other baby faces, But for another
morsel of heart-comfort to me in my
humiliation, DR.. Romaine said l must
get the child christened, and that be
and Matthew would stand godfathers,
and should be godmother to it, Nc
one in the world knew better than our
!. doctor how to lift up those who had
fallen. So the first Sunday was seen
at our parish church after our trouble
was when we all went together in DR..
Romaine's carriage to have the baby
named after him, Victor Romaine.


After that there was no need fol
anybody to remind me to take good
notice of every person who drove along
our road Not gig or tax-o passed
by, but what looked sharp enough al
the name upon it. 1t seemed to me ai
if those two letters N B. beganstc
haunt me they were here, and there
and everywhere. There was scarcely
a postihg-bill left to be put into our
windows, but what at the end of II
there would be N. B. If l went up to
Ludford, which / did as seldom as pos
sible, n. B. was sure to stare me in the