hing could be called joyful news now surely this was--mother
and Flora were at Villa Mercedes, and would be here in a day or two.
Townley had come on before, even at considerable personal risk, to break
the news to us, and prepare us all. Mother and sister were waiting an
escort, not got up specially for them certainly, but that would see to
their safety. It consisted of a large party of officers and men who were
passing on to the frontiers to repel, or try to repel, the Indian
invasion.

* * * * *

We all went to meet mother and sister at the far-off cross roads. There
was quite a large and very well-armed party of us, and we encamped for
three days near an _estancia_ to await their coming.

It was on the morning of the fourth day that one of the Gauchos reported
an immense cloud of dust far away eastwards on the Mendoza road.

'They might be Indians,' he added.

'Perhaps,' said Moncrieff, 'but we will risk it.'

So camp was struck and off we rode, my brothers and I forming the
vanguard, Moncrieff and Archie bringing up the rear. How my heart beat
with emotion when the first horsemen of the advancing party became visible
through the cloud of dust, and I saw they were soldiers!

On we rode now at the gallop.

Yes, mother was there, and sister, and they were well. Our meeting may be
better imagined than described.

* * * * *

Both mother and Flora were established at the _estancia_, and so days and
weeks flew by, and I was pleased to see them smile, though mother looked
sad, so sad, yet so beautiful, just as she had ever looked to me.

Dugald was the first to recover anything approaching to a chastened
happiness. He had his darling sister with him. He was never tired taking
her out and showing her all the outs-and-ins and workings of our new
home.

It appeared to give him the chiefest delight, however, to see her in the
gondola.

I remember him saying one evening:

'Dear Flora! What a time it seems to look back since we parted in old
Edina. But through all these long years I have worked for you and thought
about you, and strange, I have always pictured you just as you are now,
sitting under the gondola awnings, looking piquant and pretty, and on just
such a lovely evening as this. But I didn't think you would be so big,
Flora.'

'Dear stupid Dugald!' replied Flora, blushing slightly because Archie's
eyes were bent on