such a wonderful thing has happened!" cried Anna; "such a wonderful
thing! What will Peter say? And how glad you will be----" And she thrust
the letters with trembling fingers into Susie's unresponsive hand.

"What is it?" said Susie, looking at them bewildered.

"Oh, no--I forgot," said Anna, wildly as it seemed to Susie, pulling
them out of her hand again. "You can't read German--see here----" And
she began to unfold them and smooth out the creases she had made, her
hands shaking visibly.

Susie stared. Clearly something extraordinary had happened, for the
frosty Anna of the last few months had melted into a radiance of emotion
that would only not be ridiculous if it turned out to be justified.

"Two German letters," said Anna, sitting down on the nearest chair,
spreading them out on her lap, and talking as though she could hardly
get the words out fast enough, "one from Uncle Joachim----"

"Uncle Joachim?" repeated Susie, a disagreeable and creepy doubt as to
Anna's sanity coming over her. "You know very well he's dead and can't
write letters," she said severely.

"--and one from his lawyer," Anna went on, regardless of everything but
what she had to tell. "The lawyer's letter is full of technical words,
difficult to understand, but it is only to confirm what Uncle Joachim
says, and his is quite plain. He wrote it some time before he died, and
left it with his lawyer to send on to me."

Susie was listening now with all her ears. Lawyers, deceased uncles, and
Anna's sparkling face could only have one meaning.

"Uncle Joachim was our mother's only brother----"

"I know, I know," interrupted Susie impatiently.

"--and was the dearest and kindest of uncles to me----"

"Never mind what he was," interrupted Susie still more impatiently.
"What has he done for you? Tell me that. You always pretended, both of
you--Peter too--that he had miles of sandy places somewhere in the
desert, and dozens of boys. What could he do for you?"

"Do for me?" Anna rose up with a solemnity worthy of the great news
about to be imparted, put both her hands on Susie's little shoulders,
and looking down at her with shining eyes, said slowly, "He has left me
an estate bringing in forty thousand marks a year."

"Forty thousand!" echoed Susie, completely awestruck.

"Marks," said Anna.

"Oh, marks," said Susie, chilled. "That's francs, isn't it? I really
thought for a moment----"

"They're more than francs. It brings in, on an avera