The Dash for Khartoum | Page 6

agreed to take your advice
in the matter, and to bring up the two children as our own until we can
make out which of the two is our child; then I want your advice as to
whether they can be weaned without any damage to their health. My
wife is determined upon that point. They shall not be brought up by
Mrs. Humphreys There is no other woman, is there, in the regiment
with a young baby?"
The doctor shook his head. "There are one or two with babies, but not
with babies young enough for her to take to these. It would certainly be
far better that they should have the natural nourishment, but I do not
say that they would necessarily suffer from being weaned. Still, you see,
Clinton, there is a question whether this woman will consent to part
with both the children."
"I quite see that, doctor, and of course I shall be ready to make any
money arrangements that will content her."

"I would see the husband, if I were you," the doctor said. "He is a
steady, well-conducted young fellow, and however this matter has
come about, I quite acquit him of having any share in it. I think you
will find it more easy to deal with him than his wife. Unfortunately,
you see, there is always a difficulty with adopted children. A father
cannot sell away his rights; he may agree to do so, but if he changes his
mind afterwards he can back out of his agreement. However he may
bind himself never to interfere with it, the fact remains that he has a
legal right to the custody of his child. And though Sergeant Humphreys
might keep any agreement he might make, the mother might give you
no end of trouble afterwards."
"I see all that, doctor, but of the two evils I think the one we propose is
the least. My wife says she could not bear to see this woman about the
children, and I have a good deal of the same feeling myself. At any rate
in her present state of health I wish to spare her all trouble and anxiety
as much as I can, and therefore it is better to buy this woman off for the
present, even though we may have to run the risk of trouble with her
afterwards. Anyhow, something must be done at once. The children
have both been squalling for the last hour, though I believe that they
have had some milk or something given to them. So I had better send
across for Humphreys, the sooner the matter is got over the better."
The young sergeant presently appeared.
"Sit down, sergeant. I want to have a talk with you over this terribly
painful business. In one respect I quite understand that it is as painful
for you and Mrs. Humphreys as it is for us, but in other respects you
are much better off than I am. Not only do I not know which is my
child, but I do not know which is heir to my estate; which is, as you
will understand, a most serious matter."
"I can quite understand that, sir," the sergeant said quietly.
"The only plan that I can see," Captain Clinton went on, "is that for the
present I shall adopt both children, and shall bring them up as my own.
Probably in time one of them will grow up with some resemblance to
myself or Mrs. Clinton, and the other will show a likeness to you or

your wife. In that case I should propose to finish the education of your
boy, and then to provide for him by putting him into the army, or such
other profession as he may choose; for it would be very unfair after
bringing him up and educating him as my own to turn him adrift. Thus,
you see, in any case my adoption of him would be greatly to his benefit.
I can, of course, thoroughly understand that it will be very hard for you
and Mrs. Humphreys to give up your child. Very hard. And I am quite
ready to make any pecuniary arrangement with you and her that you
may think right. I may say that I do not think that it would be desirable
that Mrs. Humphreys should continue as their nurse. I want to consider
the boys as my own, and her presence would be constantly bringing up
unpleasant remembrances. In the second place I think that it would be
better for her that she should not act as their nurse. She would know
that one of them is her own, and the separation when it came would be
very much more painful than it would be at present. Of course I