e can
do."

In the kitchen they parted company, and as soon as Hortense was in bed
she fell fast asleep and did not wake until the sun was high the next
day.

After breakfast Fergus came to pry open the drawers in the lowboy that
had refused to budge the day before.

"There's nothing the matter with them," said Fergus as they slid open
at a touch. "They are just as usual."

"Why, so they are," said Grandmother and opened the upper drawer. "What
in the world is this?"

The drawer was filled tight full of strawberries packed in neat
boxes--and on top lay thirteen cookies!

Grandmother looked on these with astonishment.

"Wild strawberries!" said she tasting one. "And at this time of the
year, too. They are delicious."

Grandfather and Fergus looked astonished, and Fergus scratched his
head.

"Well," said Grandfather, "let's look at the highboy in Hortense's
room. There's no telling what we'll find there."

They went to Hortense's room and again Fergus pulled open the drawers
without difficulty. Boxes and boxes of raspberries lay on top of
Hortense's things--and again there were thirteen cookies!

Grandfather and Grandmother raised their hands in amazement. They found
no words to express their wonder. Later, when Mary came to Grandmother
and reported that the sofa in the parlor had disappeared, Grandmother
simply said, "The firedogs are gone from the hearth, too. There are
queer doings in this house."

Hortense spent the afternoon in the library with Grandfather, her chin
on her hand, thinking. From time to time she glanced at the image of
Buddha. She thought she might tell Grandfather about all the strange
things that had happened to her, but before doing so she resolved to
try a plan which his words had put into her head.

Now and then Grandfather looked at her curiously, but he asked no
questions, and Hortense could not guess his thoughts.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIII

"_This is what was inside,_"--

The little box of incense lay at the back of the drawer where Hortense
had expected to find it. She laid it on top of Grandfather's desk.

It was really necessary to have a light in order to see what she was
about, but a lamp or candle, either one, seemed out of place. There
should be only enough light to see the expression on the face of the
image. In a half-darkness, she thought, he would be more likely to
speak.

She raised the window shades and threw the shutters open. Moonlight
fill