"It's all right, Norah," said Mrs. Horncastle, laughing, as she
disengaged herself from the linking child. "Mr. Barker has claimed
the baby, and has agreed to forgive you and me and say nothing to Mrs.
Barker." Norah, with the inscrutable criticism of her sex on her sex,
thought it extremely probable, and halted with exasperating discretion.
"There," continued Mrs. Horncastle, playfully evading the child's
further advances, "go with papa, that's a dear. Mr. Barker prefers to
carry him back, Norah."
"But," said the ingenuous and persistent Barker, still lingering
in hopes of recalling the woman's previous expression, "you DO love
children, and you think him a bright little chap for his age?"
"Yes," said Mrs. Horncastle, putting back her loosened braid, "so round
and fat and soft. And such a discriminating eye for jewelry. Really you
ought to get a necklace like mine for Mrs. Barker--it would please both,
you know." She moved slowly away, the united efforts of Norah and Barker
scarcely sufficing to restrain the struggling child from leaping after
her as she turned at the door and blew him a kiss.
When Barker regained his room he found that Mrs. Barker had dismissed
Stacy from her mind except so far as to invoke Norah's aid in laying
out her smartest gown for dinner. "But why take all this trouble, dear?"
said her simple-minded husband; "we are going to dine in a private room
so that we can talk over old times all by ourselves, and any dress would
suit him.
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