She's hungry and fretful. I haven't anything to give her and the
storm looks like continuing. Will you let her stay with you?'
'Certainly!' said I, without thinking a bit further about it.
'Leave her here by all means. We'll see she gets all she wants.'
He gave me the child at once and said in a very soft voice: 'You
are most generous!--"verily I have not found so great a faith, no
not in Israel!" You're sure you don't mind?' 'Not at all!' I
answered him,--'You'll come back for her to-morrow, of course.' He
smiled and said--'Oh yes, of course! To-morrow! I'm really very
much obliged to you!' Then he seemed to think for a moment and put
his hand in his pocket, but I stopped him--'No, sir,' I said,
'excuse me, but I don't want any pay for giving a babe a night's
shelter.' He looked at me very straight with his big clear hazel
eyes, and then shook hands with me. 'You're an honest fellow,' he
said,--and he stooped and kissed the child he had put into my
arms. 'I'm extremely sorry to trouble you, but the storm is too
much for this helpless little creature.' 'You yourself are wet
through,' I interrupted. 'That doesn't matter,' he answered,--'for
me nothing matters. Thank you a thousand times! Good-night!' The
rain was coming down faster than ever and I stepped back into the
shed, covering the child up so that the drifting wet should not
beat upon it. He came after me and kissed it again, saying 'Good-
night, poor little innocent, good-night!' three or four times.
Then he went off quickly and sprang into his saddle and in the
blur of rain I saw horse and man turn away. He waved his hand once
and his handsome pale face gleamed upon me like that of a ghost in
the storm. 'Till to-morrow!' he called, and was gone. I took the
child into the house and called Priscilla. She was always a rough
one as you know, even in her younger days, and she at once laid
her tongue to with a will and as far as she dared called me a fool