"To you a most sorrowful mother sends this little child. You have never seen that mother, probably you never will; but she has heard of you--of honest Mark Brace and Patty Brace, his kind, good wife. Oh, be tender to this little child, deprived of father and of mother. Be patient with it; think how its mother's heart ached at parting: think of your own little child. Let this baby be yours, and your child's sister. It is lovely and white as an angel. Will you try to keep its soul white and pure, and bring it up simply, like your own, just to be good? There is a little mark on the right shoulder--a little red leaf. But I may never be able to claim my own again. Then let it be yours, and rear it, as you will answer for it to God. With the child the mother sends you a hundred pounds, and every year will send you the same. This is a child of noble blood and honest birth. Its mother prays you, for the sake of mercy and pity, to make no effort to find her. Never show this letter, never try to learn the child's surname; her Christian name is DORIS. Will you say you have taken charge of the child for a lady who has gone abroad? Say only that, and night and day a heart's best prayers will go up for you, who are good to little Doris." Mark and Patty looked at each other in silence. "Oh, Mark! you doubted--doubted God and prayer!" "Did I? May God pardon me--I was wild with misery!" "Whose child can this be?" said Patty. "Patty," said Mark, "if we use this money, as we must and shall, it is part of a bargain, you know--a bargain to keep the child tenderly and faithfully, and make no effort to discover who sends it. We must keep faith." "It will be very easy to be loving and tender to such a lovely baby," said Patty. "Look, did you ever see anything so wonderful, so beautiful, in all your life?" "Fair as an angel," said Mark, gently kissing the wee white hand. "God bless the baby, the little angel baby that saved us." "A hundred a year! This is very much money, just for keeping one little child," said Patty. "We must pay ourselves what is fair, and keep the rest to educate the child, or make her dower." "And we must keep her soul white and fair. The letter says, we are to train her like our own, Mark." "Only, Patty, it is a child of noble blood, and if, some day, the mother claims her, she must not be ashamed of the child, Patty." "Oh, Mark!" cried Patty, in terror, "suppose the mother is in all this storm? Go, Mark--take a light and look for her. Do go!" "She cannot possibly be lingering here, Patty." "Oh, Mark, she is no doubt waiting to see what we will do. I am sure I saw her looking in the window before I took Mattie to bed."