But Miss Avondale had recovered herself, and laughed. "That that bit of
paper should have been the means of getting you a situation seems to me
the more wonderful occurrence. Of course it is quite a coincidence that
there should be a child's photograph and a letter signed 'Bobby' in
the portmanteau. But"--she stopped suddenly and fixed her dark eyes on
his--"you have seen Bobby. Surely you can say if it was his likeness?"
Randolph was embarrassed. The fact was he had always been so absorbed
in HER that he had hardly glanced at the child. He ventured to say this,
and added a little awkwardly, and coloring, that he had seen Bobby only
twice.
"And you still have this remarkable photograph and letter?" she said,
perhaps a little too carelessly.
"Yes. Would you like to see them?"
"Very much," she returned quickly; and then added, with a laugh, "you
are making me quite curious."
"If you would allow me to see you home," said Randolph, "we have to pass
the street where my room is, and," he added timidly, "I could show them
to you."
"Certainly," she replied, with sublime unconsciousness of the cause of
his hesitation; "that will be very nice?"
Randolph was happy, albeit he could not help thinking that she was
treating him like the absent Bobby.
"It's only on Commercial Street, just above Montgomery," he went on. "We
go straight up from the wharf"--he stopped short here, for the bulk of a
bystander, a roughly clad miner, was pressing him so closely that he was
obliged to resist indignantly--partly from discomfort, and partly from a
sense that the man was overhearing him. The stranger muttered a kind of
apology, and moved away.
"He seems to be perpetually in your way," said Miss Avondale, smiling.
"He was right behind you, and you nearly trod on his toes, when you
bolted out of the cabin this morning."
"Ah, then you DID see me!" said Randolph, forgetting all else in his
delight at the admission.
But Miss Avondale was not disconcerted. "Thanks to your collision, I saw
you both."
It was still raining when they disembarked at the wharf, a little behind
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