front of
her soften and relax: all that had been bound in and held back gave
way--grief and solicitude and love came breaking through, and the
eyes overflowed.

"My only happiness is to work for him," said the old woman. "He has
become so wonderful with the years that he's something more than
just human. But for that I suppose they'll come and take him away
from me."

BOOK FOUR

THE WELCOME GREETING

She had come! The little girl had come! It is hard to find words to
describe so great an event.

She did not arrive till late in the autumn, when the passenger
boats that ply Lake Loeven had discontinued their trips for the
season and navigation was kept up by only two small freight
steamers. But on either of these she had not cared to travel--or
perhaps she had not even known about them. She had come by wagon
from the railway station to the Ashdales.

So after all Jan of Ruffluck did not have the pleasure of welcoming
his daughter at the Borg pier, where for fifteen years he had
awaited her coming. Yes, it was all of fifteen years that she had
been away. For seventeen years she had been the light and life of
his home, and for almost as long a time had he missed her.

It happened that Jan did not even have the good fortune to be at
home to welcome Glory Goldie when she came. He had just stepped
over to Falla to chat a while with the old mistress, who had now
moved out of the big farmhouse and was living in an attic room in
one of the cottages on the estate. She was one of many lonely old
people on whom the Emperor of Portugallia peeped in occasionally,
to speak a word of cheer so as to keep them in good spirits.

It was only Katrina who stood at the door and received the little
girl on her homecoming. She had been sitting at the spinning wheel
all day and had just stopped to rest for a moment, when she heard
the rattle of a team down the road. It so seldom happened that any
one drove through the Ashdales that she stepped to the door to
listen. Then she discovered that it was not a common cart that was
coming, but a spring wagon. All at once her hands began to tremble.
They had a way of doing that now whenever she became frightened or
perturbed. Otherwise, she was well and strong despite her two and
seventy years. She was only fearful lest this trembling of the
hands should increase so that she would no longer be able to earn
the bread for herself and Jan, as she had done thus far.

By this time Katrina had