new love that was better than the old; found a husband to whom she could
say in that first sacred hour when they were alone together, "Never
mind, John! Let's forget, and begin all over again."

When Susanna and Sue alighted at the little railway station at Farnham,
and started to walk through the narrow streets that led to the suburbs,
the mother's heart beat more and more tumultuously as she realized that
the issues of four lives would be settled before nightfall.

Little did Sue reck of life issues, skipping like a young roe from one
side of the road to the other. "There are the hills, not a bit changed,
Mardie!" she cried; "and the sea is just where it was!... Here's the
house with the parrot, do you remember? Now the place where the dog
barks and snarls is coming next... P'raps he'll be dead.., or p'raps
he'll be nicer... Keep close to me till we get past the gate... He did
n't come out, so p'raps he is dead or gone a-visiting.... There's that
'specially lazy cow that's always lying down in the Buxtons' field....
I don't b'lieve she's moved since we came away.... Do you s'pose she
stands up to be milked, Mardie? There's the old bridge over the brook,
just the same, only the woodbine's red.... There's... There's... Oh,
Mardie, look, look!... I do b'lieve it's our Jacky!"

Sue flew over the ground like a swallow, calling "Jack-y! Jack-y! It's
me and Mardie come home!"

Jack extricated himself from his sister's strangling hug and settled his
collar. "I'm awful glad to see you, Sukey," he said, "but I'm getting
too big to be kissed. Besides, my pockets are full of angleworms and
fishhooks."

"Are you too big to be kissed even by mother?" called Susanna, hurrying
to her boy, who submitted to her embrace with better grace. "O Jack,
Jack! say you're glad to see mother! Say it, say it; I can't wait,
Jack!"

"'Course I'm glad! Why would n't I be? I tell you I'm tired of Aunt
Louisa, though she's easier than she was. Time and again I've packed my
lunch basket and started to run away, but I always made it a picnic and
went back again, thinking they'd make such a row over me."

"Aunt Louisa is always kind when you're obedient," Susanna urged, "She
ain't so stiff as she was. Ellen is real worried about her and thinks
she's losing her strength, she's so easy to get along with."

"How's... father...?"

"Better'n he was."

"Has n't he been well?"

"Not so very; always quiet and won't eat, nor play, nor anything. I'm