stand ready to do
anything that you can, like the fine girl that you are." She smiled and
the two left the room, tears streaming down the face of Mrs. Culver. As
they went slowly through the garden, Minnie burst through the gate, and
rushed toward the house. She did not even see them. She hurried to the
library, and hesitating for a second to pull herself together, knocked
on the door and entered as Mrs. Horton called, "Come!"

Minnie bowed, and Mrs. Hargrave at once said: "Minnie, can you imagine
where Rosanna would go if she left home, when she was as unhappy as she
was last night?"

"Only to my house," said Minnie. "If anybody abused her as I will say
they _did_, yet mentioning no names, and if anybody made a prisoner of
her, and spent most of their time year in and out making her unhappy,
and with you away, Mrs. Hargrave, I know if my darling Miss Rosanna was
let to go anywhere of her own free will, she would come to her Minnie
who loves her. That child needed to be cuddled and loved, Mrs. Hargrave,
ma'am, and I was the only person about here who ever held her on a lap,
and I know she would start for me. But you'll not find her for one long
while. How she got out of the house I don't know. But why she went I
can pretty well guess, and what if a gang of robbers should meet Miss
Rosanna going along all alone and her so beautiful with her long curls
and pretty dresses? What would they do but pick her up right off, and
carry her away and hold her for some people who didn't appreciate her
when they had her, to pay them a fortune to get her back?" Here Minnie
commenced to cry.

"Don't do that!" said Mrs. Horton sharply. "I can't stand it!"

Minnie turned to her.

"Mrs. Horton, now that the dear child is stolen and by this time
probably murdered and buried, and no one the wiser, I think it is only
right to tell you that it is all your fault. While I was working here
and felt that I could do for Miss Rosanna, I was careful to say nothing
at all, and it can never be laid to me that I said one word against you
to your granddaughter. No, ma'am, Mrs. Horton, I was true to the wages I
earned. I never said one word even to my young man about the way you
froze all the happiness out of that dear departed child. And what I
could do I did. I tucked her in at night and always kissed her, and when
I found out how she wanted to be held tight, I held her and told her
fairy stories. And I found out all I could about her father and mo