Stephen Archer and Other Tales - George Macdonald - Bog

Excerpt: ...and holding up the little vision, about the size and colour of a roll of red wax taper, said: - "Look at it, sir! It's your own, and worth looking at." Never before had she dared speak to him so! I will not venture to assert that Mr. Dempster turned white, but his countenance changed, and he dropped into the chair behind him, feeling less of a business man than had been his consciousness for the last twenty years. He was hit hard. The absolutely Incredible had hit him. Babies might be born in a day, but surely not without previous preparation on the part of nature at least, if not on that of the mother; and in this case if the mother had prepared herself, certainly she had not prepared him for the event. It was as if the treasure of Nature's germens were tumbling all together. His head swam. He could not speak a word. "Yes, sir," the maid went on, relieved of her trepidation in perceiving that her master too was mortal, and that her word had such power over him-proud also of knowing more of his concerns than he did himself, "she was took about an hour and a half ago. We've kep' sendin' an' sendin' after the doctor, but he ain't never been yet; only cook, she knows a deal an' she says she's been very bad, sir. But the young gentleman come at last, bless him! and now she's doin' as well as could be expected, sir-cook says." "God bless me!" said the astonished father, and relapsed into the silence of bewilderment. Eight years married with never a glimmer of offspring-and now, all at once, and without a whisper of warning, the father of a "young gentleman!" How could it be other than perplexing-discomposing, indeed!-yet it was right pleasant too. Only it would have been more pleasant if experience could have justified the affair! Nature-no, not Nature-or, if Nature, then Nature sure in some unnatural mood, had stolen a march upon him, had gone contrary to all that had ever been revealed of her doings before! and why had she pitched on...