's dock at Hoboken, Clementina
strained her eyes to make out some one who looked enough like her lover
to be his father, and she began to be afraid that they might miss each
other when she failed. She walked slowly down the gangway, with the
people that thronged it, glad to be hidden by them from her failure, but
at the last step she was caught aside by a small blackeyed, black-haired
woman, who called out "Isn't this Miss Claxon? I'm Georrge's sisterr. Oh,
you'rre just like what he said! I knew it! I knew it!" and then hugged
her and kissed her, and passed her to the little lean dark old man next
her. "This is fatherr. I knew you couldn't tell us, because I take afterr
him, and Georrge is exactly like motherr."

George's father took her hand timidly, but found courage to say to his
daughter, "Hadn't you betterr let her own fatherr have a chance at herr?"
and amidst a tempest of apologies and self blame from the sister, Claxon
showed himself over the shoulders of the little man.

"Why, there wa'n't no hurry, as long as she's he'a," he said, in prompt
enjoyment of the joke, and he and Clementina sparely kissed each other.

"Why, fatha!" she said. "I didn't expect you to come to New Yo'k to meet
me."

"Well, I didn't ha'dly expect it myself; but I'd neva been to Yo'k, and I
thought I might as well come. Things ah' ratha slack at home, just now,
anyway."

She did not heed his explanation. "We'e you sca'ed when you got my
dispatch?"

"No, we kind of expected you'd come any time, the way you wrote afta Mrs.
Landa died. We thought something must be up."

"Yes," she said, absently. Then, "Whe'e's motha?" she asked.

"Well, I guess she thought she couldn't get round to it, exactly," said
the father. "She's all right. Needn't ask you!"

"No, I'm fust-rate," Clementina returned, with a silent joy in her
father's face and voice. She went back in it to the girl of a year ago,
and the world which had come between them since their parting rolled away
as if it had never been there.

Neither of them said anything about that. She named over her brothers and
sisters, and he answered, "Yes, yes," in assurance of their well-being,
and then he explained, as if that were the only point of real interest,
"I see your folks waitin' he'e fo' somebody, and I thought I'd see if it
wa'n't the same one, and we kind of struck up an acquaintance on your
account befo'e you got he'e, Clem."

"Your folks!" she silently repeated to herself. "