it a darling?" said Mrs. Hose, sitting up in bed, and placing
it between her and her husband, "What a pity it hasn't got its eyes
open."

"Oh, but it's asleep," said Mr. Hose; "they never have their eyes open
when they are asleep, except when they are very ill."

"Oh, yes, I see now it is asleep, it is blinking its eyelids."

"Hadn't we better be wrapping it up in something, it must be rather
cold, poor little thing," he said, patting its face.

"Oh, yes, of course we must," said his wife, jumping out of bed, never
stopping to put on her dressing slippers, she walked over to the
wardrobe.

She unlocked it with a small key she kept in her drawer, and on the
third shelf she found a small, pale blue shawl, which she had had when
she was a baby, and she had kept it ever since, in case she should have
a baby when she was grown up.

"Here's the very thing," she said, "the shawl I had when I was a baby,"
she said, skipping back to bed.

"Oh yes, that's a nice shawl," said Mr. Hose, "and it's pretty big too,
we can wrap it all round it; and you can cuddle it close to you, and
then it would be warm, I should say."

Mr. Hose did not get up till half past eight oclock he could not stay in
bed any later because he was already rather late getting up I expect I
shall be late at my offace said Mr. Hose to himself buttning up the last
button of his waistcoat, he then slipped on his coat put on his hat took
up his walking stick and maid his apperance in the hall takeing a glance
at him self in the glass as he passed it, he then opened the hall door
and began walking at a quick pace to his offaice he was not so late
after all.

CHAPTER 3

THE BAPTISAM

It was a lovely day on the 28th of september when a carriage drove up to
the door and Mr. and Mrs. Hose with the baby in her arms ran down the
door steps and into the carriage Mr. Hose doing the same. "It's a good
thing its a nice day isn't it Charlie?" she said to her husband "Yes it
is a good job or the baby couldn't have come out tho'. He isn't so very
delicate, by the bye what's his name going to be?"

"Charles Edward" she said "Charles after you and Edward after his
grandfather." "I hope Miss Gurling is at the church now, she's always
late for everything."

"She is going to be the godmother isn't she?" asked Charlie "Yes" said
his wife "You don't object do you? And his godfather is that pious man
who kneels before us in church, Mr. Johns."

"Oh he is a nice