" he said with a deprecating wave of the
hand. "Every thing shall be splained. The-the-the-melencholly event
wish preshipitate our happ'ness--the myster'us prov'nice wish releash
you--releash chile! hunerstan?--releash chile. The mom't Tretherick
die--all claim you have in chile through him--die too. Thash law. Whose
chile b'long to? Tretherick? Tretherick dead. Chile can't b'long dead
man. Damn nonshense b'long dead man. I'sh your chile? no! who's chile
then? Chile b'long to 'ts mother. Unnerstan?"

"Where is she?" said Mrs. Starbottle with a very white face and a very
low voice.

"I'll splain all. Chile b'long to 'ts mother. Thash law. I'm lawyer,
leshlator, and American sis'n. Ish my duty as lawyer, as leshlator, and
'merikan sis'n to reshtore chile to suff'rin mother at any coss--any
coss."

"Where is she?" repeated Mrs. Starbottle with her eyes still fixed on
the colonel's face.

"Gone to 'ts m'o'r. Gone East on shteamer, yesserday. Waffed by fav'rin
gales to suff'rin p'rent. Thash so!"

Mrs. Starbottle did not move. The colonel felt his chest slowly
collapsing, but steadied himself against a chair, and endeavored to beam
with chivalrous gallantry not unmixed with magisterial firmness upon her
as she sat.

"Your feelin's, m'm, do honor to yer sex, but conshider situashun.
Conshider m'or's feelings--conshider MY feelin's." The colonel paused,
and, flourishing a white handkerchief, placed it negligently in his
breast, and then smiled tenderly above it, as over laces and ruffles, on
the woman before him. "Why should dark shedder cass bligh on two sholes
with single beat? Chile's fine chile, good chile, but summonelse chile!
Chile's gone, Clar'; but all ish'n't gone, Clar'. Conshider dearesht,
you all's have me!"

Mrs. Starbottle started to her feet. "YOU!" she cried, bringing out a
chest note that made the chandeliers ring,--"you that I married to give
my darling food and clothes,--YOU! a dog that I whistled to my side to
keep the men off me,--YOU!"

She choked up, and then dashed past him into the inner room, which had
been Carry's; then she swept by him again into her own bedroom, and then
suddenly re-appeared before him, erect, menacing, with a burning fire
over her cheek-bones, a quick straightening of her arched brows and
mouth, a squaring of jaw, and ophidian flattening of the head.

"Listen!" she said in a hoarse, half-grown boy's voice. "Hear me! If
you ever expect to set eyes on me again, you must