e did everything else. With
trembling fingers she stroked her mother's face; with lips that
trembled she kissed her; but Faith's voice was steady, whatever lay
behind it.

"Mother--mother!--why do you do so? why do you speak so? Does this look
like gladness?" And lips and hands kissed away the tears with an
eagerness that was to the last degree tender.

"Why yes, child!" her mother said rousing up, and with a little bit of
a smile that did not belie her words,--"I tell you I'm as glad as I can
be!--Tears don't mean anything, Faith,--I can't help crying sometimes.
But I'm just as glad as he is," she repeated, trying her soothing
powers in turn,--"and if you'd seen his face as I did when he went
away, you'd think that was enough. I don't know whether I _could_ be,"
she added softly, "if I thought he would take you away from me--but I
know he'll never do that, from something he said once. Why pretty
child! any one but a baby could see this long ago,--and as for that,
Faith, I believe I love him almost as well as you do, this minute."

The last few minutes had tried Faith more than she could bear, with the
complete reaction that followed. The tears that very rarely made their
way from her eyes in anybody's sight, came now. But they were not
permitted to be many; her mother hardly knew they were come before they
were gone; and half nestling in her arms, Faith lay with her face hid;
silent and quiet. It seemed to Mrs. Derrick as if she was too far off
still, for she lifted Faith softly up, and took her on her lap after
the old childish fashion, kissing her once and again.

"Now, pretty child," she said, softly stroking the uncovered cheek,
"keep your hands down and tell me all about it. I don't mean every
word," she added smiling, "but all you like to tell."

But Faith could not do that. She made very lame work of it. She managed
only with much difficulty to give her mother a very sketchy and thin
outline of what she wanted to know; which perhaps was as much as Mrs.
Derrick expected; and was given with a simplicity as bare of additions
as her facts were. A very few words told all she had to tell. Yes, her
mother was satisfied,--she loved to hear Faith speak those few words,
and to watch her the while--herself supplying all deficiencies; and
then was content that her child should lie still and go to sleep, if
she chose--it was enough to look at her and think: rejoicing with her
and for her with a very pure joy, if it was