"She takes care of them when Belinda goes out," said the little
grandmother. "It's too funny to see them cuddle under her black wings."

"I wonder if she will make friends with Terry, Judy's dog," chatted
Anne, as she cuddled the precious kittens. "He's the dearest thing,
and he took to Judy right away, and follows her around all the time."

The little grandmother sat down in an old rocker with a red cushion and
took off her spectacles with trembling hands. "Belinda will have to
get used to him, I guess," she said.

"Of course," said Anne, not looking up, "Judy will bring him here when
she comes."

"I don't mean that," said the little grandmother.

Something in the old voice made Anne look up.

"What's the matter, little grandmother?" she asked, anxiously.

"I mean that we are going to leave the little gray house, Anne, you and
I and Belinda and Becky," and with that the little grandmother put on
her spectacles again, to see how Anne took the news.

Anne stared. "Leave the little gray house," she said, slowly. "Why
what do you mean, grandmother?"

"We are going to live at the Judge's," and at that Anne's face changed
from dismay to happiness, and she turned the kittens over to Belinda
and flung her arms around the little old lady's neck.

"Oh, am I really going to live with Judy?" she shrieked joyfully, "and
you and Becky and Belinda--oh, it's too good to be true."

"We really are," said Mrs. Batcheller. "The Judge and I had a long
talk together, the day he came down, and he wants you to go away to
school with Judy, and have me come and help Aunt Patterson to manage
his house. He says she is too feeble for so much care and that it will
be an accommodation to him."

But Mrs. Batcheller did not tell how the Judge had argued for hours to
break down the barriers of pride which she had raised, and that he had
finally won, because of his insistence that Anne must have the
opportunities due one of her name and race.

"You are to go to Mrs. French's school in Richmond, with Judy. She is
a gentlewoman, a Southerner, and an old friend of the Judge's and mine,
and we think it will be exactly the place for you two for a time."

"It will be lovely," cried little Anne, as the plans for her future
were unfolded, but late that evening when she was ready to say "good
night" she stood for a moment with her cheek against her grandmother's
soft old one.

"I shall miss you and the little gray house, grandmother," s