never told!” Blythe panted, as they toiled painfully up-hill with the rain beating in their faces.

“Yes, and—look out! hold tight!” for suddenly the slant of the deck was reversed, and they came coasting down to an impromptu seat on a bench.

“It seems,” Mr. Grey went on, when they had resumed their somewhat arduous promenade,—“it seems the woman, Giuditta, is quite alone in the world and has been longing to get back to Italy. So she easily persuaded herself that she could find the child’s family and establish her in 33 high life. Giuditta has an uncommonly high idea of high life,” he added. “I think she imagines that somebody in a court train and a coronet will come to meet her Signorina at the pier in Genoa. Poor things! There’ll be a rude awakening!”

33

“But we won’t let it be rude!” Blythe protested. “We must do something about it. Can’t you think of anything to do?”

They were standing now, clinging to the friendly rope stretched across the deck, shoulder high.

“Giuditta’s plan,” Mr. Grey replied, “is the naïve one of appealing to the Queen about it. And, seriously, I think it may be worth while to ask the American Minister to make inquiries. For there is, of course, a bare chance that the family may be known at Court. In the meantime––”

“In the meantime,” Blythe interposed, “we’ve got to get her out of the steerage!”

“But how?”

“Oh, Mamma will arrange that. We’ll just make a cabin passenger of her, and I 34 can take her in with me in my stateroom. Oh! how happy she will be, lying in my steamer chair, with that dear Gustav to wait on her! I must go down at once and get Mamma to say yes!”

34

“And you think she will?”

“I know she will! She is always doing nice things. If you really knew her you wouldn’t doubt it!” And with that the young optimist vanished in her accustomed whirl of golf-cape.

If faith can move mountains, it is perhaps no wonder that the implicit and energetic faith of which Blythe Halliday was possessed proved equal to the removal of a small child from one quarter to another of the big ship. The three persons concerned in bringing about the change were easily won over; for Mrs. Halliday was quite of Blythe’s mind in the 

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