“I do hereby bind myself and mortgage my property,” said Brightly, holding up his hand, as if he were taking a judicial oath, “to present to Mrs. John Brightly of the City of New York, on or before the 31st of December instant, one attractive and intelligent damsel not over fourteen years of age; to be by her, the said donee Brightly, adopted and brought up to the best of her knowledge and belief, either as daughter, step-daughter, companion, or handmaiden, as to the said Brightly may seem good. And thereto I plight the my troth.”
Mrs. Brightly laughed at this pledge. “but how are you going to find her, John?” she asked.
“I always find the things I look for; unless they find me as soon as they know I’m in search of them.”
“Success will spoil you some of these days.”
“Not if I lose what I prize success for. But this new child of ours shall be a new spur to me.”
“She must be an orphan, John, or she will not love us as much as we shall love her.”
“An orphan of course. I think I shall put an advertisement in the paper to this effect: — Wanted to adopt. An orphan of poor but respectable parentage, beautiful as a cherub, clean as a new-laid egg, with a character of docility and determination in equal parts; eyes blue, voice tranquil, laugh electric; one whose heart sings and heels dance spontaneously; a thing of beauty willing to be a joy forever in the house of a prosperous
