adam," said Lodloe, "you left that little creature in my charge, and
it never entered my mind to hand it over to anybody else. I took advice,
as I told you, but that was all I wanted of any one until I went
ashore, and then I intended to hire a country girl to act as its nurse."

"And you really and positively intended to keep it for your own?" she
asked.

"I did," he answered.

At this the lady could not help laughing. "In all my life," she said, "I
never heard of anything like that. But I am just as much obliged to you,
sir, as if I were acquainted with you; in fact, more so."

Lodloe took out his card and handed it to her. She read it, and then
said:

"I am Mrs. Robert Cristie of Philadelphia. And now I will take my baby
to the other end of the boat, where it is more sheltered, but not
without thanking you most heartily for your very great kindness."

"If you are going aft," said Lodloe, "let me help you. If you will take
the baby, I will bring its carriage."

In a few minutes the mother and child were ensconced in a shady spot on
the lower deck, and then Lodloe, lifting his hat, remarked:

"As I suppose two people cannot become conventionally acquainted without
the intervention of a third person, no matter how little each may know
of said third party, I must take my leave; but allow me to say that, if
you require any further assistance, I shall be most happy to give it. I
shall be on the boat until we reach Romney."

"That is where I get off," she said.

"Indeed," said he; "then perhaps you will engage the country girl whom I
intended to hire."

"Do you know any one living there," she asked, "who would come to me as
nurse-maid?"

"I don't know a soul in Romney," said Lodloe; "I never was in the place
in my life. I merely supposed that in a little town like that there were
girls to be hired. I don't intend to remain in Romney, to be sure, but I
thought it would be much safer to engage a girl there than to trust to
getting one in the country place to which I am going."

"And you thought out all that, and about my baby?" said Mrs. Cristie.

"Yes, I did," said Lodloe, laughing.

"Very well," said she; "I shall avail myself of your forethought, and
shall try to get a girl in Romney. Where do you go when you leave
there?"

"Oh, I am going some five or six miles from the town, to a place called
the 'Squirrel Inn.'"

"The Squirrel Inn!" exclaimed Mrs. Cristie, dropping her hands into her
lap and leanin