"And think," she added, "of the heartlessness of
the wretch, leaving his own child alone here in that way."

"It's a blank shame!" stammered the colonel without the least idea
of what he was talking about. In fact, utterly unable as he was to
comprehend a reason for the woman's excitement with his estimate of
her character, I fear he showed it more plainly than he intended. He
stammered, expanded his chest, looked stern, gallant, tender, but
all unintelligently. Mrs. Tretherick, for an instant, experienced a
sickening doubt of the existence of natures in perfect affinity.

"It's of no use," said Mrs. Tretherick with sudden vehemence, in answer
to some inaudible remark of the colonel's, and withdrawing her hand from
the fervent grasp of that ardent and sympathetic man. "It's of no use:
my mind is made up. You can send for my trunk as soon as you like; but I
shall stay here, and confront that man with the proof of his vileness. I
will put him face to face with his infamy."

I do not know whether Col. Starbottle thoroughly appreciated the
convincing proof of Tretherick's unfaithfulness and malignity afforded
by the damning evidence of the existence of Tretherick's own child in
his own house. He was dimly aware, however, of some unforeseen obstacle
to the perfect expression of the infinite longing of his own sentimental
nature. But, before he could say any thing, Carry appeared on the
landing above them, looking timidly, and yet half-critically at the
pair.

"That's her," said Mrs. Tretherick excitedly. In her deepest emotions,
either in verse or prose, she rose above a consideration of grammatical
construction.

"Ah!" said the colonel, with a sudden assumption of parental affection
and jocularity that was glaringly unreal and affected. "Ah! pretty
little girl, pretty little girl! How do you do? How are you? You find
yourself pretty well, do you, pretty little girl?" The colonel's impulse
also was to expand his chest, and swing his cane, until it occurred to
him that this action might be ineffective with a child of six or seven.
Carry, however, took no immediate notice of this advance, but
further discomposed the chivalrous colonel by running quickly to Mrs.
Tretherick, and hiding herself, as if for protection, in the folds of
her gown. Nevertheless, the colonel was not vanquished. Falling back
into an attitude of respectful admiration, he pointed out a marvellous
resemblance to the "Madonna and Child." Mrs. Tretheric