Mrs. Adrian declared Ruth was a sensible girl, and fired another volley at the enemy. The discussion had grown slightly heated when Mr. Adrian introduced the subject of Gertie, suggesting that the sooner Ruth found a home for her the better. Then Mrs. Adrian fired up. Of course he objected to Gertie because she was an English child; if she’d been a black or a brown child he would have given her the best room in the house; as she was white and English she was to be turned out at once. The more Mr. Adrian opposed Gertie, the more Mrs. Adrian championed her, until at last, for the sake of peace and quietness, the master of the house gave way, and consented, ‘to please his wife’s fad,’ that the child should stay as long as Ruth liked. Thus were the heathen pressed into the service, and thus did Mr. Adrian win the battle by pretending to be beaten. It was not the first time he had won over his wife to his way of thinking by pretending to take an opposite view. From that moment Gertie, in the eyes of Mrs. Adrian, was the outward and visible sign of a triumph gained over her _betes noires_, the foreign ladies and gentlemen of missionary books of travel. The child by her presence represented a great moral victory, and Mrs. Adrian was her devoted champion from that hour. By her gentle nature and loving ways she rapidly endeared herself to all. Ruth was delighted, and her mind was relieved of a great burden. When Gertie had been with them a fortnight there was no one beneath the roof that would not have grieved sincerely and felt it a personal loss to be deprived of her sunshiny presence. Her early days with the Adrians were uneventful. At her earnest request Ruth had not apprised Heckett of her whereabouts. The child pleaded so hard, and seemed so terrified, that Ruth contented herself with sending a message by a trustworthy person to the old dog-fancier that his grand-daughter was in a good home. But the old man’s attempt to find out where the home was situated, or who was at the bottom of the child’s mysterious conduct, failed altogether. The message only reached him in roundabout way, being left with the person who kept the shop below his rooms, which Heckett only visited occasionally now. The first great event in Gertie’s new life was the charity bazaar, at which, to her intense delight, she was allowed to assist at Ruth’s stall. She came back full of it, and told Mr. and Mrs. Adrian at teatime all about the gentleman who had bought her violets, been so curious about Ruth’s name, and had seemed so much astonished when she (Gertie) told him her own. Mr. Adrian was much amused by Gertie’s description of Egerton’s admiration of Ruth and his eagerness to know her name. He looked across the table, and said with a smile: ‘Many a good match made through a charity bazaar, Ruth, my dear. Perhaps Gertie brought you a suitor.’ It was only a joke, but Ruth’s cheeks went scarlet.