es, how
beautiful it must be! It was remarkable that she had no longing, envious
feeling. She was so full of delight there was no room.

They sat still a long while. She patted the thin, brown hand, then laid
her soft cheek on it or made a cradle of it for her chin.

"Pani," she said at length, "how splendid it would be to have M. St.
Armand for one's father! I have never cared for any girl's father, but
M. St. Armand would be gentle and kind. I think, too, he could smooth
away all the sort of cobweb things that haunt one's brain and the
thoughts you cannot make take any shape but go floating like drifts in
the sky, until you are lost in the clouds."

Pani looked over toward the river. Like the master, the child's strange
thoughts puzzled her, but she was afraid they were wrong. The master
wished that she could be translated to some wider living.

It took Jeanne several days to answer her letter, but every hour was one
of exultant joy. It gave her hardly less delight than the reception of
his. Then it was to be sent to New York by Monsieur Fleury, who had
dealings back and forth.

There had been a great wedding at the Fleury house. Madelon had married
a titled French gentleman and gone to Montreal.

"Oh!" cried Jeanne to Monsieur Fleury, "you will be very careful and not
let it get lost. I took so much pains with it. And when it gets to New
York--"

"A ship takes it to France. See, child, there is all this bundle to go,
and there are many valuable papers in it. Do not fear;" and he smiled.
"But what has M. St. Armand to say to you?"

"Oh, many things about what I should learn. I have already studied much
that he asked me to, and he will be very glad to hear that."

M. Fleury smiled indulgently, and Jeanne with a proud step went down the
paved walk bordered with flowers, a great innovation for that time. But
his wife voiced his thoughts when she said:--

"Do you not think it rather foolish that Monsieur St. Armand should
trouble his head about a child like that? No one knows to what sort of
people she has belonged. And she will marry some habitan who cares
little whether she can write a letter or not."

"She will have quite a dowry. She ought to marry well. A little learning
will not hurt her."

"M. Bellestre must have known more than he confessed," with suspicion in
her voice.

M. Fleury nodded assentingly.

Jeanne had been quite taken into Madame De Ber's good graces again. The
money had worked wonder