been making demands upon Miss Morton,'
Lord Northmoor began.

'Well, sir, my lord, a father has his feelings. There is a situation
offered me in Canada, and I intend to take the little girl with me.'

'Oh, indeed!' And there was a pause.

'Or if the lady has taken a fancy to her, I'd not baulk her for a sum
down of twenty or five-and-twenty, once for all.'

'Oh, indeed!' again; then 'What do you say is the child's name?'

'Jones, my lord.'

'Her Christian name, I mean?'

He scratched his head. 'Cissy, my lord--Celia--Cecilia. Blest if I'm
sure!' as he watched the expression of the questioner. 'You see, the
women has such fine names, and she was always called Baby when her poor
mother was alive.'

'Where was she baptized?'

'Well, you see, my lord, the women-folk does all that, and I was at sea;
and by and by I comes home to find my poor wife dead, and the little one
gone.'

'I suppose you are aware that you can have no legal claim to the child
without full proof of her belonging to you--the certificate of your
marriage and a copy of the register of her birth?'

The man was scarcely withheld from imprecations upon the work that was
made about it, when Miss Morton had been quite satisfied on a poor
fellow's word.

'Yes, ladies may be satisfied for a time, but legally more than your word
is required, and you will remember that unless you can bring full proof
that this is your child, there is such a thing as prosecution for
obtaining money on false pretences.'

'And how is a poor fellow to get the fees for them register clerks and
that?' said the man, in a tone waxing insolent.

'I will be answerable for the fees, if you will tell me where the
certificates are to be applied for.'

'Well, how is a cove to know what the women did when he was at sea? She
died at Rotherhithe, anyway, so the child will be registered there.'

'And the marriage? You were not at sea then, I suppose?'

But the man averred that there were so many churches that there was no
telling one from another, and with a knowing look declared that the gals
were so keen after a man that they put up the banns and hauled him where
they would.

He was at last got rid of, undertaking to bring the proofs of his
paternity, without which Lord Northmoor made it clear to him that he was
to expect neither child nor money.

'I greatly doubt whether you will see any more of him,' said Lord
Northmoor when describing the interview.

'Oh, Fran