new and strange to
her. She certainly was a remarkable child for her age, though Mrs.
Crawford was puzzled to know just how old she was. She was very small,
and, judging from her size, one would have said she was hardly three;
but the expression of her face was so mature, and she saw things so
quickly and understood so readily, that she must have been older. She
was certainly very precocious, with a most inquiring turn of mind, and
Mrs. Crawford felt herself greatly interested in her as she watched her
active movements and listened to the musical prattle she could not
understand.

She had examined the carpet-bag, in which were found the articles
necessary for an ocean voyage, and little else. Most of these were
soiled from use, but there was among them a little clean, white apron,
and this Mrs. Crawford put upon the child, after having washed her face
and hands and brushed her wavy hair, which had a trick of coiling itself
into soft, fluffy curls all over her head.

The bread and milk had been given her about twelve o'clock, and the
laugh she gave when she saw it showed her appreciation of it quite as
much as the eagerness with which she ate it. Her appetite appeased,
however, she began to play with it and throw the milk over the table and
into Mrs. Crawford's face, just as Harold came in, full of what he had
seen at the park, and anxious to see his baby, as he called her.

Taking her on his lap and kissing her rosy cheeks, he began to narrate
to his grandmother all that had been done, and told her that Mr. St.
Claire had given it as his opinion that the woman was French.

'And if so,' he continued, 'baby must be French, too, though she does
not look a bit like her mother, who is very dark and not--well, not at
all like you or Mrs. St. Claire.'

Then he told of the trunk which the baggage-master had taken to the
park, and of what it contained.

'The woman's clothes were marked "N.B."' he said, 'and some of the
baby's--such a funny name. Mr. St. Claire said it was French, and
pronounced "Jerreen," though it is spelled "Jerrine."'

'That is the name of the child's things in the bag,' Mrs. Crawford said.

'Of course it is baby's, then,' Harold replied; 'but, I shall call her
Jerry for short, even if it is a boy's name, and so my little lady, I
christen you Jerry;' and kissing the forehead, the eyes, the nose, and
the chin, he marked the shape of the cross upon the face upturned to
his, and named his baby 'Jerry.'