A tall frigid young man stepped forward and said:
“Excuse me, I am the lady’s husband. Will you please explain yourself?”
Then Edwin lost his temper.
“Well, damn it, I don’t know who you all are!”
“The case is quite clear. You volunteered to take charge of the perambulator while my wife was absent. On her return you announce that it is spirited away. I shall hold you responsible for the entire cost—nearly ten pounds.”
“Make it a thousand,” roared Edwin. “I’m ’aving a nice cheap day.”
“I don’t wish for any more of your insolence, either. My wife has had a very trying experience. The baby has been christened Fred.”
“Well, what’s the matter with that?”
“Nothing,” screamed the mother. “Only that it is a girl! It’s a girl and it has been duly christened Fred in a Christian church. Oh! there’s been an awful muddle.”
“It’s not this old fool’s fault,” interpolated the elderly woman quietly. “You see, Mrs. Frank and Mrs. Fred Smith were both going to have their babies christened to-day. Only Mrs. Frank was took sick, and sent me along with the child. I went to the wrong church and thinkin’ there was some mistake, went back home. Mrs. Frank’s baby’s never been christened at all. In the meantime, the ceremony was ready to start at St. Paul’s and Frank ’isself was there. No baby. They sends old Binns to scout around at other churches. People do make mistakes—finds this good lady’s child all primed up for christening in the church door, and no one near, carries it off. In the meantime, the father had gone on the ramp. It’s him that probably went off with the perambulator and trounced you up a bit, old sport. It’ll learn you not to interfere so much in future perhaps.”