“I wish to adopt this child as my own, unless some one who has a better right should claim her.”
“Oh, no!” here broke in little Catherine, clinging closely to her protectress. “No! no! no! No one but you! you! you!”
Roma pressed the child to her bosom and continued:
“At least, I shall keep her for the present, and until some one with a better right shall claim her.”
“No! no! no!” again protested the child. “No one but you shall have me!”
Again Roma soothed her, and then resumed:
“What I wished to consult you about is this: There is a large, packed Saratoga trunk upstairs that belonged to this child’s mother. Should I go through that trunk to obtain from it any papers that may be there—information concerning the child’s relatives—or should I put a seal upon the trunk and leave it intact until it is claimed?”
“I should say,” said the lawyer, “that you had better search first, and seal it afterward, if necessary. If the little one had any inheritance the Orphans’ Court might appoint you her guardian and trustee; but as she seems to have nothing—but the trunk—I do not think it would be worth while to go through the formality. Since you are determined to adopt the little one, just act by her and her small effects as if she were your own.”
“I agree with you,” said the doctor.
“Oh, yes! I give myself to you! you! you! and to no one else!” passionately exclaimed little Catherine, clinging to her protectress.