the morning."

But they would not move. Disappointment unnerved them more than victory
would have done. They resolved to wait until the last returns were in.

"Telephone, sir," said Tom Gates.

Kenneth picked up the receiver.

"Here's Dupree," he said. "Our majority over Hopkins is two hundred and
eleven. Let's see, that's a gain of seventy-four votes, my dears."

"Hooray!" cried Patsy, delightedly. "I don't care a rap now, what
happens. Old Hopkins won't have much to crow over if--"

"Wait a minute," said Kenneth. "Here's Fairview, at last!"

They held their breaths and watched his face. Kenneth flushed red as he
held the receiver to his ear, and then grew white. He turned around to
the expectant group and Beth knew from the sparkle in his eyes what had
happened.

"Fairview's six precincts give us six hundred and forty-one majority,"
announced the boy, in an awed tone. "That's a gain of nearly four
hundred!"

They gazed at him in silent wonder. Then Uncle John rose slowly and took
the boy's hand.

"That means we've won--and won in a walk," said the little man.
"Kenneth, we congratulate you."

Patsy's face was buried in her handkerchief, and Beth's great eyes were
bright with unshed tears. But Louise laughed her soft, musical laugh and
remarked:

"Why, I knew all the time we would win. We had the better candidate, you
see."

"And the best campaign managers," added Uncle John, with a proud smile.

"That may be true," admitted Beth. "But the thing that really won the
fight was Patsy's sore tooth."

CHAPTER XXII

THE AWAKENING

James and Mr. Burke met the great specialist in brain diseases at the
noon train on Wednesday and drove him to Elmhurst.

Dr. Hoyt was a handsome, gray-haired man, with kindly eyes and a
distinguished manner. When he was ushered into the library the young
ladies were attracted by the physician at once, and from the first
glance were inspired by confidence in his powers. Yet Dr. Hoyt spoke
rather doubtfully of the case in hand.

"These cases are not so rare as you might suppose," he said; "yet no two
of them are exactly alike. Usually the recovery is slow and tedious; but
recovery is not always assured. In some instances, however, the memory
is absolutely restored, and from what Mr. Burke has explained to me of
Lucy Rogers's history this is what we may expect now. Or else, we must
trust to time or an accident to awaken her dormant mental faculties. The
case is so int