to be
enj'yin' a powerful lot of poor health among ye.' Then he turned into
the house, saying that he must 'see what mother said,' giving neither
word of welcome nor refusal to admit the claim of the strangers; and
presently Mrs. Yorke appeared, in a state of overwhelming excitement,
and, nothing doubting, straightway fell upon the new arrivals with an
attempt to take the whole quintette into her ample embrace. No need of
proofs for her; and, seeing this, the captain's doubts were dispersed,
and he began a vigorous hand-shaking with each and every one of those
present, including Brayton and myself, and repeating the process, until
Brayton and I, feeling ourselves to be intruders in the midst of this
family scene, made good our escape. Not, however, before 'Matildy Jane'
had appeared, with tone, look, and manner, which you who know 'Matildy
Jane' do not need to have described, denouncing the woman and children
as 'ampostors,' and bidding them begone."

"And you do not think that the woman is a fraud?" asked aunt Emily.

"I do not, Mrs. Rutherford; and neither did Brayton," answered Fred
Winston. "And, besides the letter and marriage certificate which were
in her possession, making good her pretensions, she had an honest face,
and appeared respectable,--far too much so for the wife of such a
scallywag as old Yorke's son is said to have been."

"If the Yorkes allow her claim, and take in this numerous family, it
will interfere with your plans for Mrs. Yorke, uncle," I said.

"Not at all," said uncle Rutherford, who, when he had once made up his
mind to a thing, would move heaven and earth to carry it out, and who
often insisted upon benefiting people against their will. "Not at all.
The new family can be left here to keep Matilda Jane company while her
father and mother are away. There is all the more reason now that Mrs.
Yorke should be cured of her lameness; and I believe that it can be
done."

Blessed with the most sanguine of dispositions, as well as with the
kindest and most generous of hearts, he always believed, until it was
proved otherwise, that the thing he wished could be done.

"Milly," said aunt Emily, suddenly turning to my sister, "will you come
down to the Yorkes' with me?"

Milly assented readily; and the two kindred spirits set forth together.

"The blessed creatures!" said Fred Winston. "What unlimited
possibilities the arrival of this infirmary opens up to them. I knew
that they would be off a