this he stood back away
from her. It was but by a foot or two, but still there was a sign of
separation which instantly made itself palpable to her.

'Wrong, how wrong?' she said, following him and clinging to him. 'You do
not suppose that I would go to him because I think you wrong? Do you not
know that whatever might come I should cling to you? What is he to me
compared to you? No; I will never speak to him about it.'

He returned her caress with fervour, and stroked her hair, and kissed
her forehead. 'My dearest! my own! my darling! But what I mean is that
if some other man's opinion on this subject is necessary to your
comfort, you may go to him.'

'No other man's opinion shall be necessary to me about anything. I will
not speak about it to Robert, or to any one. But if more should come of
it, you will tell me?'

'You shall know everything that comes. I have never for a moment had the
idea of keeping it back from you. But because of baby, and because baby
had to be born, I delayed it.' This was an excuse which, as the mother
of her child, she could not but accept with thankfulness.

'I think I will ask him,' she said that night, referring again to the
vexed question of godfathers. Uncle Babington had some weeks since very
generously offered his services, and, of course, they had been
generously accepted. Among the baby's relations he was the man of
highest standing in the world; and then this was a mark of absolute
forgiveness in reference to the wrongs of poor Julia. And a long letter
had been prepared to Mrs. Bolton, written by Hester's own hand, not
without much trouble, in which the baby's grandmother was urged to take
upon herself the duties of godmother. All this had been discussed in the
family, so that the nature of the petition was well known to Mrs.
Bolton for some time before she received it. Mrs. Daniel, who had
consented to act in the event of a refusal from Puritan Grange, had more
than once used her influence with her step-mother-in-law. But no hint
had as yet come to Folking as to what the answer might be. It had also
been suggested that Robert should be the other godfather,--the proposal
having been made to Mrs. Robert. But there had come upon all the Boltons
a feeling that Robert was indifferent perhaps, even unwilling to
undertake the task. And yet no one knew why. Mrs. Robert herself did not
know why.

The reader, however, will know why, and will understand how it was that
Mrs. Robert was