A Daughter of the Land

"No, I should say I won't!" said Henry emphatically. "I never

thought of anything being the matter with Polly that wouldn't be

all over when the baby came -- "

"I know you didn't, Henry," said Kate. "I know how much you would

have done, and how gladly, if you had known. There is no use

going into that, we are both very much to blame; we must take our

punishment. Now what is this I hear about your having been to see

lawyers and trying to find a way to set aside the adoption papers

you signed? Let's have a talk, and see what we can arrive at.

Tell me all about it."

So Henry told Kate how he had loved Polly, how he felt guilty of

her death, how he longed for and wanted her baby, how he had

signed the paper which Polly put before him so unexpectedly, to

humour her, because she was very ill; but he had not dreamed that

she could die; how he did not feel that he should be bound by that

signature now. Kate listened with the deepest sympathy, assenting

to most he said until he was silent. Then she sat thinking a long

time. At last she said: "Henry, if you and Polly had waited

until I came home, and told me what you wanted and how you felt, I

should have gotten her ready, and given you a customary wedding,

and helped you to start a life that I think would have saved her

to you, and to me. That is past, but the fact remains. You are

hurt over giving up the baby as you have; I'm hurt over losing my

daughter as I did; we are about even on the past, don't you

think?"

"I suppose we are," he said, heavily.

"That being agreed," said Kate, "let us look to the future. You

want the baby now, I can guess how much, by how much I want her,

myself. I know YOUR point of view; there are two others, one is

mine, and the other is the baby's. I feel that it is only right

and just that I should have this little girl to replace the one

you took from me, in a way far from complimentary to me. I feel

that she is mine, because Polly told me the day she came to see me

how sick she had been, how she had begged for a doctor, and been

kissed and told there was nothing the matter with her, when she

knew she was very ill. She gave the baby to me, and at that time

she had been to see a lawyer, and had her papers all made out

except the signatures and dates. Mr. Thomlins can tell you that;

and you know that up to that time I had not seen Polly, or had any

communication with her. She simply was unnerved at the thought of

trusting her baby to the care she had had."