England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Love stories
"Baba ran out into the square, and nobody missed her at first. Then,
when that goose of a Jane came back from her wanderings in the kitchen,
she found the nurseries empty, and Baba nowhere to be found. There was
a tremendous hue and cry; the servants seem to have been on the verge
of distraction, and ran off in all directions like frightened hens,
leaving James on guard at the door. And, after a few minutes, when the
fog lifted, James caught sight of Baba in a strange girl's arms,
evidently quite at home with her, and very happy. You know Baba's
ducky way of making friends with everybody. James flew out, seized
Baba, seems to have thanked her rescuer, and bustled back to the house
with the child, without ever dreaming of asking the stranger her name."
"What sort of a person was she?"
"Oh! I don't know. When I asked James he could only say: 'Well, my
lady, she seemed a nice respectable young person'; but heaven knows
what James means by a young person. He further volunteered that she
was rather shabbily dressed; and I can't bear to think that she went
away with no thanks from me, and with no reward."
Rupert smiled down into his cousin's pretty, eager face.
"Perhaps the thought of reward never entered her head? There are still
some disinterested people left in the world. And Baba is a very
fetching little being to rescue from the dangers of a fog."
"She looked so fetching that morning, too. I came in just after she
was brought back, and there she was, the little monkey, in her red
cloak which she had found in the hall, where, needless to say, it ought
not to have been; with no hat, and all her curls in a delicious tangle,
her face so soft and pink, and her eyes shining. She looked a
delectable baby, but, Rupert, she had on the most valuable lace frock,
and pearls round her neck. Only think what might have happened if some
horrible person had found her. My pretty baby," and Cicely's face grew
suddenly white and grave, whilst she shivered at the picture conjured
up by her own mind.
"I asked James why he hadn't told the 'young person' to give him her
name and address, and he could only say feebly that 'it never crossed
his mind.' Poor James, I don't believe he's got a mind."
"You could advertise for the young lady. If you really want to find
her, an advertisement in some leading paper should unearth her for you.
Perhaps, too, if she was shabbily dressed, a reward might be a god-send
to her."
"Oh, Rupert! perhaps she's fearfully poor. Do, do advertise for me. I
can't bear to think that a girl may be in difficulties when I have more
money than I know what to do with. Will you advertise for me?"
"Yes; of course."
"I don't know what I should do without you," she continued, looking at
him gravely, but with no hint of coquettishness in her glance. "I do
miss John so dreadfully; I do want a man to help me and advise me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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