The Argosy — page 191: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Secret of the Sea. 179 up, Jack, who had been walking steadily forward all the time, was within half a dozen yards of the lady. She tured to thank him, but he could see that all the time she was speaking her eyes were fixed in a sort of mild surprise on the burden in his arms. ‘“‘Tf you are going my way, perhaps you will allow me to help you along the road,” she said. “You are very kind, and I will gladly avail myself of your offer,” he replied. “ But first a word of explanation. I found this little waif in the hedge bottom about half a mile from here, evidently deserted. Of course I could not leave it there ; but now that I have brought it away, I am really at a loss to know what to do with it.” Deserted, did you say!” exclaimed Miss Lloyd, and she was out of the phaeton in a moment. “ Poor, poor little darling!” and before Jack knew what had happened he found himself relieved of his burden. Mauss Lloyd’s next act was to stoop and kiss the child. When she looked up, her lovely blue eyes were brimmed with tears, but a-half- smile still dimpled the corners of her mouth. Pomeroy vowed to himself that never in the whole course of his life had he seen anything half so charming. Then they got into the phaeton, Jack sitting behind, and Miss Lloyd still holding the baby. ‘ What a cruel thing to do !” she said. ‘‘Who would believe that there could be such hard hearts in this beautiful world !” Jack did not answer, but his heart gave a little sigh. ‘ Whata darling she is!” he thought. ‘I wonder whether Eleanor Lloyd is half as pretty. And yet, why wonder, for what is Eleanor Lloyd to me, or I to Eleanor Lloyd?” He could not keep his eyes off her, and Miss Lloyd could not keep hers off the baby. “If it were a duchess’s child she couldn’t take to it more kindly,” said Jack to himself. ‘What strange creatures women are!” Presently Miss Lloyd turned with a bright look in her eye. “ How good it was of you to pick up the child and bring it away with you !” ‘¢ Under the circumstances, I don’t see what else I could have done,” said Pomeroy, simply. ‘¢ Many people would have left the child where they found it, and have satisfied themselves with telling the inmates of the nearest house of their discovery.” “That is a plan I never thought of,” said Jack, with a smile, “or else I should very likely have adopted it.” ‘No, I don’t think you would,” said Miss Lloyd, earnestly. ‘In any case, now that I have saddled myself with the young shaver, I’m quite at a loss to know what to do with him.” “Do with Aim, indeed !” exclaimed Miss Lloyd. ‘ Don’t you know, sir, that it’s a little girl?” CORNICE OOS (GO) uf