provide for the child's actual
necessities. No more. I listened and the notion falling in somewhat with
my own conviction--you behold the result.

"Dorothy is what she is; to me the loveliest little maid in God's good
world. Save what nature implanted in her, all that makes her adorable to
me and others is due to her foster-parents, the most unselfish and
self-devoted pair of mortals it has ever been my lot to know in my long
life. She belongs to them more than to me; but it shall be as she and
they elect. Even yet I will try to say it justly.

"My homes are many and ample. There is room in every one of them for a
little household of four. Johnnie, Martha, my own Dorothy, shall we not
make at last, one unbroken, happy family?"

It was a long speech and it had sorely tried the speaker. One by one her
guests withdrew, leaving only the "four" of whom she spoke with that
faithful friend of all, the radiant Seth, remaining in that firelit
room.

Then cried Dorothy, running to draw her foster-parents to her
great-aunt's side:

"Yes, father, yes mother! Come and be--_us!_ I have a name at last and
it still must be yours with 'Calvert' at the end, a hyphen between! Say
yes, dear ones, who've loved me all my life. We want you, 'Godmother'
and I, and don't you dare--don't either of you dare to be proud and
independent now, when your little girl's so happy--_so happy!_"

Who could withstand her? Or the sincere affection which beamed upon them
from Mrs. Cecil's fine old eyes? Not "whistling Johnnie" of the big
heart, himself; nor faithful Martha, radiant now in the doing away of
"mysteries" and the happiness of the girl who had been found a
"squalling baby" on her doorstep.

So the night fell on Dorothy Calvert's homecoming and home-finding. Once
more she stood on the threshold of a new life. What befell her in it and
what use she made of some of the great gifts which had come to her
cannot be told here. That telling must be left for other pages and
other hours; perhaps the reader will like to go with us to "Dorothy's
House party," until then let us bid happy Dorothy a glad

Good night!

THE END

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors and ensure
consistent usage of punctuation in this e-text; otherwise, every effort
has been made to be faithful to the author's words and intent.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy's Travels, b