It was a lovely day on the 28th of september when a carriage drove up to the door and Mr. and Mrs. Hose with the baby in her arms ran down the door steps and into the carriage Mr. Hose doing the same. "It's a good thing its a nice day isn't it Charlie?" she said to her husband "Yes it is a good job or the baby couldn't have come out tho'. He isn't so very delicate, by the bye what's his name going to be?"

"Charles Edward" she said "Charles after you and Edward after his grandfather." "I hope Miss Gurling is at the church now, she's always late for everything."

"She is going to be the godmother isn't she?" asked Charlie "Yes" said his wife "You don't object do you? And his godfather is that pious man who kneels before us in church, Mr. Johns."

"Oh he is a nice man that" said the father clapping his hands "I am glad he is going to be the godfather"

"Why here we are" said his wife jumping out of the carriage.

"Oh yes" said he stepping out with a laudable air.

"Oh dear" said his wife "I've left the baby in the carriage" "Oh poor thing" said the husband running back for it. Goodbye Thompson "said he to the coachman here's 6d for you, it's quite enough for him" he murmured to his wife as he took off his hat very reverently at the church door. When they got into the church the first person they saw was Miss Gerling sitting quitertly in the bottem seat saying her prays very dovoutly. Mrs. Hose went up to her oh I say she began you are the godmother "Yes said Miss Gerling it is going to begin soon. what? said Mrs. Hose the christening said Miss Gerling Mr. Johns is not here we are wateing for him. Presently Father clocks came bussling down the church he went up to Mr. Hose and said "I can't think why Mr. Johns is not here he is very late, yes he is said Mr. Hose and the worst of it is we cant begin without him. No we cant said the preast it is a great nuisance he continued shacking his black head of hair. after about half an hour the church door opened and in came Mr. Jons he walked quite calmly up the aisle of the curch to his own seat, takeing it more as if he was very early insted of very late, he said a few prays and then he went down to the bottem of the church and said in rather a loud wisper had not we better begin yes said father clocks puting on his stoll.

All this while during the christening Mr. Johns kept standing on one leg and blowing his nose rather hard, he didn't have to say much tho he looked rather embarassed. When it was all over they took their departure and went home in the carraige, but poor Mr. Hose parted with a good deal of his pence, because little boys kept running after his carraige and would not go away without a copper or so.

"As we are passing the confectioners" said Mr. Hose to his wife, "we might tell them to send up a nice sugar cake in honour of baby's Xning.

"Oh yes we might do that" said his wife, scratching her head to show off her net which was carefully covering her knob behind.

They arrived home at last and had the beautiful Xning cake between them for tea.