CHAPTER XXXIII.

"FRITZ IS COMING."

ROSE sprang out of bed at once. She had quite come back to her old self.

She threw her cloak round her, and went to her child's side.

She raised his head and again tenderly fed him. But though he opened his mouth obediently, he did not respond to her love and attentions in any other way.

Gertrude saw that now her sister was beginning to realize what in her joy at having her child again she had not noticed. But except for a little firm-set look about her sweet lips, she made no sign that as the shock passed away, so the certainty of continued sorrow grew upon her.

When the little one turned away his head from the food, his mother covered him up again and went back to the fire, Gertrude following in silence.

"Go to bed, darling!" said Rose, stroking her pale cheek tenderly. "I will sit up now."

"Not all the time? You will need your strength so much to-morrow."

"Yes," said Rose quietly, "I shall. But I must watch by him, Gertrude. Besides, I have to think what we must do."

"We need do nothing till we hear from Fritz."

"No—at least if you think these kind people will allow us to stay here till then."

"I am sure they will. Nothing could be more hearty than they have been."

"I shall rest here, dear Gertrude, till the morning; I shall have time to think. Go to bed now."

Early the next morning there was a knock at Gertrude's door, and she started up with a strange impression of not knowing where she was, or what had happened.

But in a moment it all came back to her. Lester was found! But—but—

"Miss Ashlyn," said Daisy's quiet little voice, "mother has sent me to call you; she thought perhaps you might not wake, as you sat up so late."

"Oh, thank you, dear!"

"Here is a telegram come—" said Daisy.

Just as she spoke, Mrs. Leigh came up from her room and entered behind her.

As Gertrude glanced at her, she saw that she was her quiet self.

She took the telegram in her hand, and stooping to kiss Daisy's upturned face, she said—

"Would you like to stay with Lester while I read this, dear?"

The child ran off joyfully, and Rose tore open the envelope. The words ran—

"'Shall be with you by six o'clock this evening.'"

"Fritz is coming! Oh, Gertrude!"

She stood silently holding the pink paper in her hand, as if in deep thought.

"He will come here then?" questioned Gertrude.

"Yes—I suppose you gave no other address. He will have started from Carlisle ere this, so it is of no use to telegraph back. Besides, I have no other address to give him."

"We will consult Mrs. Shaddock after breakfast," said Gertrude.

But no consultation was necessary. When Mrs. Leigh appeared in the dining-room, leaving Gertrude in charge of her little nephew, Mr. Shaddock came forward to meet her, and taking both her hands welcomed her heartily, telling her at once that they should not hear of her leaving the house for two or three days, in fact till her plans were quite formed, and that he should feel positively hurt if she and Mr. Leigh did not feel quite free to come and go as if the house were their own.

Rose turned white with emotion and tried to answer, but her quivering lips would not get out more than a very broken "thank you." And she sat down where they placed her, trying to recover herself, but feeling as if to have a good cry was the only thing she could do.

Mr. Shaddock seemed, however, quite to understand, and supplied her with an egg, while Mollie poured out some coffee, and the rest watched for opportunities of being of use.

"Where is Miss Ashlyn?" asked Hugh.

"She is sitting with Lester," said Mrs. Shaddock, "and Daisy shall take her some breakfast."

"Shall we have school to-day?" asked Randall. "I'm sure I hope not."

"No," answered his mother. "Miss Ashlyn will be busy with her sister."

"That's a good thing!" said Randall.

While Daisy looked shocked, and said reproachfully, "I am sure, Randall, you need not talk so, Miss Ashlyn makes school very interesting."

Mrs. Leigh looked up now. "Do not allow my being here to interrupt lessons," she entreated. "I cannot but accept your great kindness—but it would indeed be a pity to make any difference."

"Miss Ashlyn will say what she thinks best," suggested Mollie, which was decidedly nice of her, as she was longing to throw her influence into the scale of a holiday.

"Yes," assented Mrs. Shaddock; "we will ask her."

And when Gertrude was asked, as Mollie expected, she begged that lessons might proceed as usual for the morning, offering, however, to give a holiday in the afternoon if Mrs. Shaddock approved.

"Then we can sit with little Lester!" said Daisy.

[Illustration]