Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] ZOE BY THE AUTHOR OF 'LADDIE,' 'DON,' 'POMONA,' 'BELLE,' 'PHOEBE'S HERO,' 'MISS TOOSEY'S MISSION,' 'TIP CAT,' ETC. [Transcriber's note: The British Library Integrated Catalogue cites Evelyn Whitaker as the author of this book.] LONDON: 38 Soho Square. W.1 W. & R. CHAMBERS, LIMITED EDINBURGH: 339 High Street 1890 [Transcriber's note: The source book had varying page headers. They have been collected at the start of each chapter as an introductory paragraph, and here as the Table of Contents.] CONTENTS CHAPTER I. The Christening--An Outlandish Name--The Organist's Mistake--Farm-work--Tom and Bill--The Baby--Baby and All CHAPTER II. Mr Robins--Village Choirs--Edith--An Elopement--A Father's Sorrow--An Unhappy Pair--The Wanderer's Return--Father!--A Daughter's Entreater--No Favourable Answer--A Sleepless Pillow CHAPTER III. Something on the Doorstep--Bill Gray--Is That a Cat?--She's Like Mother--A Baby's Shoe--Jane Restless CHAPTER IV. Village Evidence--'Gray' on the Brain--Too Well He Knew--Mr Robins and the Baby--He Had Not Done Badly CHAPTER V. Jane Hard at Work--Clothes for the Baby--Jane Returns--Jane Singing over her Work--Jane's Selfish Absorption--For a Poor Person's Child--The Organist in Church CHAPTER VI. The Good Baby--Mr Robins Comes and Goes--A Secret Power--Mr Robins Happy--A Naughty Tiresome Gal!--The Gypsy Child CHAPTER VII. Gray Taken to the Hospital--Bill and the Baby--Mrs Gray Home Again--Edith, Come Home! CHAPTER VIII. Preparation--The Room Furnished--Mrs Gray at Work--The Baby Gone--The Gypsy Mother--The Gypsy's Story--A Foolish Fancy--Something Has Happened--The Real Baby ZOE. CHAPTER I. The Christening--An Outlandish Name--The Organist's Mistake--Farm-work--Tom and Bill--The Baby--Baby and All 'Hath this child been already baptised, or no?' 'No, she ain't; leastwise we don't know as how she 've been or no, so we thought as we 'd best have her done.' The clergyman who was taking Mr Clifford's duty at Downside for that Sunday, thought that this might be the usual undecided way of answering among the natives, and proceeded with the service. There were two other babies also brought that afternoon, one of which was crying lustily, so that it was not easy to hear what the sponsors answered; and, moreover, the officiating clergyman was a young man, and the prospect of holding that screaming, red-faced, little object made him too nervous and anxious to get done with it to stop and make further inquiries.