The Coming of Bill

wife he had sometimes gone a step further and conjured up the abstract

baby. The result had always been to fill him with a firm conviction

that the most persuasive of wild horses should not drag him from his

bachelor seclusion. He had had definite ideas on babies as a class. And

here he was with his world pivoting on one of them. It was curious.

The White Hope, as Steve called his godson, possibly with the idea of

influencing him by suggestion, grew. The ailments which attacked lesser

babies passed him by. He avoided croup, and even whooping-cough paid

him but a flying visit hardly worth mentioning. His first tooth gave

him a little trouble, but that is the sort of thing which may happen to

anyone; and the spirited way in which he protested against the

indignity of cutting it was proof of a high soul.

Such was the remarkableness of this child that it annoyed Kirk more and

more that he should be obliged to give the exhibition of his

extraordinary qualities to so small an audience. Ruth felt the same;

and it was for this reason that the first overtures were made to the

silent camp which contained her father and her brother Bailey.

Since that evening in the library there had come no sign from the house

on Fifth Avenue that its inmates were aware of her existence. Life had

been too full till now to make this a cause of trouble to her; but with

William Bannister becoming every day more amazing the desire came to

her to try and heal the breach. Her father had so ordered his life in

his relation to his children that Ruth's affection was not so deep as

it might have been; but, after all, he was William Bannister's

grandfather, and, as such, entitled to consideration.

It was these reflections that led to Steve's state visit to John

Bannister, probably the greatest fiasco on record.

Steve had been selected for the feat on the strength of his having the

right of entry to the Fifth Avenue house, for John Bannister was still

obeying his doctor's orders and taking his daily spell of exercise with

the pugilist, and Steve bungled it hopelessly.

His task was not a simple one. He was instructed to employ tact, to

hint rather than to speak, to say nothing to convey the impression that

Ruth in any way regretted the step she had taken, to give the idea that

it was a matter of complete indifference to her whether she ever saw

her father again or not, yet at the same time to make it quite clear

that she was very anxious to see him as soon as possible.

William Bannister, grown to maturity and upholding the interests of his

country as ambassador at some important court, might have jibbed at the

mission.

William Bannister was to accompany Steve and be produced dramatically

to support verbal arguments. It seemed to Ruth that for her father to

resist William when he saw him was an impossibility. William's position

was that of the ace of trumps in the cards which Steve was to play.

Steve made a few objections. His chief argument against taking up the

post assigned to him was that he was a roughneck, and that the job in

question was one which no roughneck, however gifted in the matter of

left hooks, could hope to carry through with real success. But he

yielded to pressure, and the expedition set out.

William Bannister at this time was at an age when he was beginning to