st can't, not here, not now," she said and
quiet fell upon them.

The thoughts of all were with the young girl who had disappeared, for
whom all had worked, suffered, prayed.

"I do want to say," Miss Randall, broke the silence, "that you all must
know how glad I am that Mr. and Mrs. Harry Boland are to have a useful
and happy life together and that I...." She stopped suddenly, looking out
the opened door that led towards the garden, her whole expression
changing, her lips parting, her breath coming quickly.

"What did you see out there?" asked Harvey Spencer, with the sharp
intentness which he had learned from his maturing city experience.

"Now constable, don't get excited," chaffed Grogan, to whose aid Harvey's
quick rise to prominence and office was in part due. "We don't want to be
catching any burglars this happy day."

"What is it?" asked Patience Boland, rising.

"I--I don't know, to be really certain." Mary looked at Mrs. Welcome.
"Somebody came in at the back gate and went into the summer-house."

Mrs. Welcome leaned heavily on the table.

Harvey ran to the window. Grogan looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, Miss Randall, please go out and see." Patience's arms were already
about her mother. "Mumsey, mumsey, can it be?"

Mary went out into the porch and down the garden path.

It was Elsie Welcome who came out of the summer-house and slowly along
between the flower borders. She was shockingly emaciated. She stopped and
put her suit case down on the ground; its weight seemed too great for her
spent strength.

Mary ran to her.

Elsie looked at her with sorrowful dark eyes.

"I am afraid to go in," she said.

"I hear people in there talking and laughing."

"They are all friends of yours."

"Is my mother--will my mother...?"

"Child, your mother's heart is breaking for the sight of you."

Elsie ran forward to the doorway of the familiar room. A step forward.
Mother and daughter stood in a tender embrace.

The mother's face was radiant with great warmth of love. Patience rushed
to her sister and clasped her close.

Michael Grogan had led a tiptoe retreat of the visitors leaving mother
and daughters alone, but Patience called them back.

Elsie, smiling wanly, slipped like a little wraith across and into a
chair beside her mother, and felt that dear hand clasping hers.

"It's so good to be here with you," she whispered, looking vaguely about
at the others, then a dreadful fit of coughing seized