HINED!

Mr. Bretland shook her hand in a very gingerly fashion and chirruped to
her as you might to a pup. Sophie took not the slightest notice of him,
but turned her back, and buried her face in my neck. He shrugged his
shoulders, supposed that they could take her on trial. She might suit
his wife; he himself didn't want one, anyway. And we turned to go out.

Then who should come toddling straight across his path but that little
sunbeam Allegra! Exactly in front of him she staggered, threw her arms
about like a windmill, and plumped down on all fours. He hopped aside
with great agility to avoid stepping on her, and then picked her up and
set her on her feet. She clasped her arms about his leg, and looked up
at him with a gurgling laugh.

"Daddy! Frow baby up!"

He is the first man, barring the doctor, whom the child has seen for
weeks, and evidently he resembles somewhat her almost forgotten father.

J. F. Bretland picked her up and tossed her in the air as handily as
though it were a daily occurrence, while she ecstatically shrieked her
delight. Then when he showed signs of lowering her, she grasped him by
an ear and a nose, and drummed a tattoo on his stomach with both feet.
No one could ever accuse Allegra of lacking vitality!

J. F. disentangled himself from her endearments, and emerged, rumpled as
to hair, but with a firm-set jaw. He set her on her feet, but retained
her little doubled-up fist.

"This is the kid for me," he said. "I don't believe I need to look any
further."

I explained that we couldn't separate little Allegra from her brothers;
but the more I objected, the stubborner his jaw became. We went back to
the library, and argued about it for half an hour.

He liked her heredity, he liked her looks, he liked her spirit, he liked
HER. If he was going to have a daughter foisted on him, he wanted one
with some ginger. He'd be hanged if he'd take that other whimpering
little thing. It wasn't natural. But if I gave him Allegra, he would
bring her up as his own child, and see that she was provided for for the
rest of her life. Did I have any right to cut her out from all that just
for a lot of sentimental nonsense? The family was already broken up; the
best I could do for them now was to provide for them individually. "Take
all three," said I, quite brazenly.

But, no, he couldn't consider that; his wife was an invalid, and one
child was all that she could manage.

Well, I was in a dreadful quand