below.

"What is the matter with it?" she asked. "I thought it was some child
left here all by itself."

"What would you do with it?" asked Lodloe, helplessly.

"You ought to take it up and walk it about until its mother comes," said
the woman; and having given this advice she returned below to quiet one
of her own offspring who had been started off by the sounds of woe.

Lodloe smiled at the idea of carrying the baby about until its mother
came; but he was willing to do the thing in moderation, and taking up
the child resolutely, if not skilfully, he began to stride up and down
the deck with it.

This suited the youngster perfectly, and it ceased crying and began to
look about with great interest. It actually smiled into the young man's
face, and taking hold of his mustache began to use it as a doorbell.

"This is capital," said Lodloe; "we are chums already." And as he strode
he whistled, talked baby-talk, and snapped his fingers in the face of
the admiring youngster, who slapped at him, and laughed, and did its
best to kick off the bosom of his shirt.

III

MATTHEW VASSAR

In the course of this sociable promenade the steamboat stopped at a
small town, and it had scarcely started again when the baby gave a
squirm which nearly threw it out of its bearer's arms. At the same
instant he heard quick steps behind him, and, turning, he beheld the
mother of the child. At the sight his heart fell. Gone were his plans,
his hopes, his little chum.

The young woman was flushed and panting.

"Upon my word!" was all she could say as she clasped the child, whose
little arms stretched out towards her. She seated herself upon the
nearest bench. In a few moments she looked from her baby to Lodloe; she
had not quite recovered her breath, and her face was flushed, but in her
eyes and on her mouth and dimpled cheeks there was an expression of
intense delight mingled with amusement.

"Will you tell me, sir," she said, "how long you have been carrying this
baby about? And did you have to take care of it?"

Lodloe did not feel in a very good humor. By not imposing upon him, as
he thought she had done, she had deceived and disappointed him.

"Of course I took care of it," he said, "as you left it in my charge;
and it gave me a lot of trouble, I assure you. For a time it kicked up a
dreadful row. I had the advice of professionals, but I did all the work
myself."

"I am very sorry," she said, "but it does seem extreme