"It was not a pleasant sight, sir, on a bright morning, when the sunshine was dancing over the waves. Jim said his heart turned quite faint when he saw the little white body--such a fair little mite, sir, it was enough to make the very angels weep! Some woman, sir--Heaven forbid that it was the mother--some woman had dressed it in pretty white clothes. It had a white gown, with lace, and a soft white woolen cap on the little golden head. A sorry sight, sir--a sorry sight! Jim said that when he thought of that little tender body swinging to and fro with the waves all the night, he could not keep the tears from his eyes. "It was meant to sink, you see, sir," continued the man, with rough energy; "it was never meant to be caught. But the great God, He is above all, and He knows the little one was not to sink to the bottom, like lead. It is true, sir, and murder will out." "But is nothing known?" I asked. "Surely such a thing could never be done without some one seeing or knowing something about it." "I am afraid, sir, no one knows but the one who did it. Some woman, sir, had dressed the little thing--a man would never have thought of the soft woolen cap. And I can tell you another thing, sir--a man would never have killed a child like that; not that I am upholding men--some of them are brutes enough--but I do not think any man would throw a little babe into the water. When a woman is bad, she is bad, and there is nothing vile enough for her." I though of the beautiful and desperate face. Heaven grant that she might have nothing to do with this! And yet--the black and gray shawl! "Whereabouts was it?" I asked. He pointed with his hand to the very spot where she had stood. "Just there," he said. "It was there the little bundle was thrown, and there, just below the line of the jetty, it was caught by the hooks." The identical spot where she had stood. Oh, beautiful, despairing face, what was hidden underneath your mask of stone? "You should go on the pier, sir, and see for yourself," said the old man. "The superintendent of the police is there now; but they will never find out who did that. Women are deep when they are wicked, and the one who did this was wicked enough." There was a slight suggestion on the part of the little group as to the morning being a dry one. We parted on very satisfactory terms.