four years, but it looked exactly the same. There was the
great, square, white house, with the poplars and lilac bushes. There
were Aunt Barbara and Aunt Mary sitting in the wide hall doorway as if
they had never left their high-backed chairs since she saw them last.

"Who is this coming up the walk?" said Aunt Barbara, rising and turning
toward her placid younger sister in sudden excitement. "It can't
be--why, yes, it is Betty, after all!" and she hurried down the steps.

"Grown out of all reason, of course!" she said sharply, as she kissed
the surprising grandniece, and then held her at arm's-length to look at
her again most fondly. "Where did you find her, Captain Beck? We sent
over to the train; in fact, I went myself with Jonathan, but we were
disappointed. Your father always telegraphs two or three times before he
really gets here, Betty; but you have not brought him, after all."

"We had to come up river by the packet," said Captain Beck; "the young
lady's had quite a voyage; her sea-chest'll be here directly."

The captain left Betty's traveling-bag on the great stone doorstep, and
turned to go away, but Betty thanked him prettily for his kindness, and
said that she had spent a delightful afternoon. She was now warmly
kissed and hugged by Aunt Mary, who looked much younger than Aunt
Barbara, and she saw two heads appear at the end of the long hall.

"There are Serena and Letty; you must run and speak to them. They have
been looking forward to seeing you," suggested Aunt Barbara, who seemed
to see everything at once; but when Betty went that way nobody was to
be found until she came to the kitchen, where Serena and Letty were, or
pretended to be, much surprised at her arrival. They were now bustling
about to get Betty some supper, and she frankly confessed that she was
very hungry, which seemed to vastly please the good women.

"What in the world shall we do with her?" worried Aunt Mary, while Betty
was gone. "I had no idea she would seem so well grown. She used to be
small for her age, you know, sister."

"Do? do?" answered Miss Barbara Leicester sternly. "If she can't take
care of herself by this time, she never will know how. Tom Leicester
should have let her stay here altogether, instead of roaming about the
world with him, or else have settled himself down in respectable
fashion. I can't get on with teasing children at my age. I'm sure I'm
glad she's well grown. She mustn't expect us to turn out of our