"No, Mrs. Milo," added Farvel, quietly. "She shall be free."
"No, for Heaven's sake!" put in Balcome. "Don't raise another girl like Hattie's been raised."
Mrs. Milo showed her dislike of the remark, with its implied criticism of her own judgment. And she was uneasy over the turn that the whole matter had taken. Farvel married, no matter to whom, was one thing: Farvel very insecurely tied, and possessed of a small daughter whose mother repudiated her, that was quite another. She watched Sue narrowly, for Sue was watching Farvel.
"But the little one," said the clergyman, turning to Clare; "I'd like to see her."
"Sure!" She was all eagerness. "Why not?—Yes."
"Where is she?"
"Out of town. At Poughkeepsie. She boards with some people."
"Ah, good little mother!" said Sue, smiling. "Your baby's not in an
Institution!"
Clare blushed under the compliment. "No, I—I shouldn't like to have her in an Orphanage."
"Can she come down right away?" asked Farvel.