e business indeed, Clinton," the doctor said, "and I
feel for you most deeply. Of course the possibility of such a thing
never entered my mind when I recommended you to let Mrs. Humphreys act
as its foster-mother. It seemed at the time quite a providential
circumstance that she too should be just confined, and in a position to
take to your baby. The only possible suggestion I can offer is that you
should for a time bring up both boys as your own. At present they are
certainly wonderfully alike, but it is probable that as they grow up you
will see in one or other of them a likeness to yourself or your wife,
and that the other will take after its own parents. Of course these
likenesses do not always exist, but in nine cases out of ten some
resemblance can be traced between a boy and one or other of his
parents."

"That certainly seems feasible," Captain Clinton said in a tone of
relief. "What do you say, dear? It is only bringing up the two children
for a time till we are able to be certain which is our own. The other
will have had the advantage of a good education and so on, and of course
it will be our business to give him a good start in life."

"It will be awful having the two children, and not knowing which is our
own."

"It will be very unpleasant," Captain Clinton said soothingly; "but, you
see, in time you will come to care for them both just as if they had
been twins."

"That will be almost as bad," Mrs. Clinton cried feebly. "And suppose
one gets to love the wrong one best?"

"We won't suppose that, dear; but if we love them both equally, we will,
when we find out which is ours, treat the other as an adopted child and
complete his education, and start him in life as if he were so.
Fortunately the expense will be nothing to us."

"But this woman has a right to one of them."

"She does not deserve to have one," Captain Clinton said angrily; "but
of course we must make some arrangement with her. She is bound to do her
best to repair the terrible mischief her carelessness has caused. Well,
doctor, we will think it over for an hour or two, but certainly your
suggestion seems by far the best for us to adopt."

"The hussy!" the doctor said as he walked away to his quarters. "I am
more than half inclined to believe that she has done it on purpose. I
never liked the jade before she married, though I own that she has
turned out better than I expected. But I always thought her a designing
and artful young woman,