knew what to say to
comfort her.

"Have you no father or mother?" he asked.

"No," she sobbed, "I haven't anybody at all."

"You see I am all alone here. I haven't any good place to keep a
little girl."

"I don't care, I can sleep on the floor."

Her eyes were drooping, and she was growing quiet. Her head rested
on his shoulder.

Mr. Brooks was thinking what to say, when he looked down at her
face.

Her brown eyes were closed, and she was fast asleep.

He held her there a while. Then he took her into the next room, and
laid her on the bed.

Covered with a warm blanket, she sighed softly, and sank into a deep
slumber.

"I can't take her home tonight. She ought to have a long, quiet
sleep," said Mr. Brooks to himself.

He watched her a while. Then he went out, up the mountain to Mr.
Giles's house.

There he telephoned to Atkinson's store.

In another minute a little boy was racing up the street. He called
to every one on his way:

"Clematis is found! Clematis is found! She's up on Bean Hill."

Ned shouted at the top of his voice.

Clematis would have been surprised, if she had seen how glad Mrs.
Alder was to know that she was safe.

They sent a message to Miss Rose, and told her that Clematis was
found.

Every one was glad. Every one asked how she ever got way up there on
Bean Hill, but no one knew.

All this time Clematis was sleeping quietly.

When Mr. Brooks returned, she had not stirred.

He stood and looked at her a long, long time.

When he turned away there were tears in his eyes.

"Poor little elf," he whispered. "She thought I meant just what I
said."

He spread some blankets on the floor, and lay down, but he did not
go to sleep.

His thoughts went back to a book he had been reading.

It was about Silas Marner, a man who was sad and lonely.

Silas Marner took a little girl into his tiny house to care for, and
she made his life happy again.

"Silas Marner did not have so large a home as this," he thought.
"But he took good care of the little girl. How happy they were
together."

The little face, all wet with tears, came before him again and
again.

"I might keep her for a little while, at least," he said to himself.
"I will see what Mr. Alder thinks in the morning."

CHAPTER XIX

NEW PLANS

When Mr. Brooks woke in the morning, Clematis was already up. She
had washed her face and hands at the spring, near the door, and was
sitting on the step.

"Oho, so t