bright; very good eyes, my
dear, but they are not limpid. His mouth was flexible and mobile, but
yours is firm. Your hair, however, reminds me somewhat of his, which
was much your light shade of brown when he was young. And now,
sir"--she addressed Joe--"now that you have brought this dear girl all
the way across the Atlantic, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I don't exactly know that there's anything to keep me," said
Joe. "You see, I've got my practice to look after at home--I am a
physician, as I told you--and my wife and children; and the sooner I
get back the better, now that I can leave Iris with her friends, safe
and comfortable. Stay," he added, "there are all those papers which I
promised you--the certificates, and the rest of them. You had better
take them all, miss, and keep them for Iris."

"Thank you," said Clara, touched by this confidence; "Iris will be
safe with me. It is very natural that you should want to go home
again. And you will be content to stay with me, my dear, won't you?
You need not be afraid, sir; I assure you that her interests will not
in any way suffer. Tell her to write and let you know exactly what is
done. Let her, however, since she is an English girl, remain with
English friends, and get to know her cousins and relations. You can
safely trust her with me, Dr. Washington."

"Thank you," said Joe. "You know that when one has known a girl all
her life, one is naturally anxious about her happiness. We are almost
brother and sister."

"I know; and I am sure, Mr. Washington, we ought to be most grateful
to you. As for the money you have expended upon her, let me once more
beg of you--"

Joe waved his hand majestically.

"As for that," he said, "the money is spent. Iris is welcome to it, if
it were ten times as much. Now, madam, you trusted me, the very first
day that you saw me, with two hundred pounds sterling. Only an English
lady would have done that. You trusted me without asking me who or
what I was, or doubting my word. I assure you, madam, I felt that
kindness, and that trust, very much indeed, and in return, I have
brought you Iris herself. After all expenses paid of coming over and
getting back, buying a few things for Iris, if I find that there's
anything over, I shall ask you to take back the balance. Madam, I
thank you for the money, but I am sure I have repaid you--with Iris."

This was a very clever speech. If there had been a shadow of doubt
before it in Clara's