“What are you doing, Frank? You’ve missed the christening!”
“What!”
“Old Binns turned up with the nipper all right. He’d come round the wrong way.”
The crowd was obviously disappointed at the release of Edwin, and the father’s only solatium was:
“Well, it’s lucky for you, old bird!”
He and his friends trundled the perambulator away rapidly across the fields. Edwin had hardly time to give a sigh of relief before he found himself the center of a fresh disturbance. He was approaching the church when another crowd assailed him, headed by the forlorn maiden. She was still in a state of distress, but she was hugging a baby to her.
“Ah! You’ve found the baby!” exclaimed Edwin, trying to be amiable.
“Where is the perambulator?” she demanded.
“Your ’usband ’as taken it away, madam. He seemed to think I—”