"I’ve had him here!"
"Listen!" cried Angelica, in anguish. "Please, please, Mrs. Geraldine, don’t say no! Wait till you hear. Wait till you think. Think about that baby you lost. Oh, do, for Gawd’s sake, Mrs. Geraldine, take this baby!"
"My dear girl!" cried Polly. "You must be mad! What in the world are you talking about?"
"Oh, please, please, please, for Gawd’s sake! Just think of the poor little feller you lost. Take this one instead. I can’t keep him, Mrs. Geraldine. He’ll only die. You’re too good and kind to let a little baby die. You got to take him. You’ll never have a moment’s peace, night or day, if you don’t!"
"But, Angelica, it’s outrageous!"
"I don’t know the words to use. I don’t know how to make you. Oh, Mrs. Geraldine, I can only just beg and pray to you to take him!"
"My dear, I’ll help you, if I can. I’ll be glad to lend you money, or help you in any other way."
"No—I can’t keep him. You see, Mrs. Geraldine, I’m going to marry Eddie, and I can’t ever let him know about this."
"Angelica!" cried Polly, aghast. "I certainly won’t help you to deceive Eddie."
"I know; but it would be much, much worse to tell him. He’s crazy about me, and I can make him happy. This is the only wrong thing I’ve ever done, ever, and I’m never going to do another. I’m going to be good as gold, Mrs. Geraldine. If Eddie knew, he’d never forgive me. I’d never get a chance to be good. That’s why I came to you. On account of Eddie, won’t you do it to make him happy?"