A Little Protestant in Rome by Eglanton Thorne

Reconciled.

JANET could hardly believe her own eyes when, on her return from visiting the chemist, she found Paul's little bed empty, and the child nowhere to be seen. She searched for him through the hotel, thinking that he must have wandered from his bed in delirium. Then, with a new sense of horror, she discovered that his clothes had vanished likewise. Even his little overcoat and cap were missing, so he must have gone out of doors. Surely someone had come during her brief absence and carried him away. Like one distracted, she ran to inform the manager of the hotel.

He was startled by her statement that the child had been stolen, but assured her that it was impossible for anyone to enter the hotel and carry off the child unseen.

"He cannot be far off; he must be found directly," he said. And sent his servants hither and thither in search of the wanderer.

Janet herself went to and fro, searching in every likely and unlikely place without result till she was almost beside herself. No light had been thrown on the mystery when Paul's mother drove up to the hotel accompanied by her friends.

How Janet told her mistress she never could remember. The faithful servant was too miserable already to suffer much more, when Mrs. Bernard turned on her with bitter reproaches.

"You had no right to leave him for an instant! " cried the anguish-stricken mother. "I thought I could trust you. My child is lost to me now. I will never forgive you, never."

"Don't say that he is lost," said Mrs. Dunton, "that is impossible. He cannot be far off; he must be found immediately."

Mrs. Bernard shook her head. Her face had grown white and set.

"This is my husband's doing," she said in Mrs. Dunton's ear. "He has taken my boy from me; I knew he would."

"That cannot be," replied her friend. "Why should he do such a thing? It was agreed that you should keep Paul till he was seven years old."

Mrs. Bernard made no reply. The idea that had taken possession of her mind was not to be lightly dislodged. Just then the manager hurried towards her with a note in his hand.

"This has been brought this moment for madame," he said; "perhaps it contains news of the child."

Her hands trembled visibly as she tore open the envelope. It contained but a few words, yet it took her some moments to grasp their meaning, so great was her agitation.

"MY WIFE,-I have found our child lying senseless in a street corner. I have brought him here. He seems very ill. Will you come?

"Your husband,

"JOHN BERNARD.

"96, Via Nazionale."

In a few minutes, Mrs. Bernard was in a carriage on her way to the Via Nazionale. Mrs. Dunton had offered to accompany her; but she preferred to take Janet, in spite of her indignation with that honest servant.

Mrs. Bernard said scarce a word as they drove along. She was astounded by the facts presented by that brief note. Her husband in Rome! That he should find his child senseless in the street!